Favorite Garden Tool?

flowerbug

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Reviving this 'older' thread :)

I need a good leaf rake. One that will WORK. I've broken so many it's ridiculous. Metal ones, plastic ones, wide ones, skinny ones, springy ones, stiff ones...... Do any of you have one that you love? IS there such a thing? Maybe I should give up the idea of a good leaf rake and just use a manure fork?

Also - I think I'd like a stirrup hoe or scuffle hoe? Lots of mulched areas that get surface weeds that need to be cut before they make it down into the soil and get a good hold. I've looked a soooo many and they have such mixed reviews. My barn is FULL of cheap tools that do halfa$$ed jobs. I don't want to spend a bunch on one more to add to the collection - but I will spend a good bit for one that will last years.

Recommendations?

if you are actually busting sod (which is what it does sound like) i use a flat bladed shovel for that as that lets me cut chunks of sod by using the shovel sideways along the surface of the soil down a few inches.

a scuffle hoe isn't great in heavy mulches, but i have used it in crushed rinsed limestone to cut off weeds so i could remove them before they formed viable seeds and dropped them. so it is possible in some cases, but generally i don't think of it as a hoe for use in mulches that have larger chunks (like sometimes i've used pieces of bark).

the last scuffle hoe i bought ran me all of $7. that was for Mom to use since it had a thinner handle than the one i normally use. both of them have lasted years. mostly i use it for surface scraping of weeds where i'm barely getting the hoe in the ground because that is the best way to weed as it doesn't stir the soil layers and move seeds from outside the germination zone into the germination zone.

sometimes with the heavier soil areas i do have to use some muscle if i want to get the hoe down into the clay itself but i don't usually have to do that.

the primary issue with the scuffle hoe, for it to be the most useful, is that you do want to use it regularly enough that the weeds haven't developed tougher roots to cut through. so plan your time at once a week at the minimum. that way it goes a lot quicker.

as far as sod cutting, i have used a scuffle hoe to cut sod. it is possible to cut strips, takes a lot of muscle. the flat bladed shovel works easier.

rake? we have a plastic one with a broken tine on it. we have a metal one that is more for flattening out dirt in a garden but not for leaves. mostly with leaves we leaves 'em alone. we have a four pronger rake that is used a great deal, it's one of my most used tools in the gardens after the scuffle hoe and the flat bladed shovel. i've probably worn an inch of the steel prongers off over the past fifteen years. it still has some years of good use left in it too so i think we've gotten our money's worth out of it. sometimes we could use another one if we're both out working on the gardens. i keep my eyes open for another good one to buy.
 

flowerbug

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...
hmm... looks interesting. would give it a try, but would like to try before buying. it might be really useful in chopping up some things and breaking up dirt clods as i'm going along. might be one of those tools though that i'd end up using seasonally (in the beginning and end of the season) and not much during.
 

canesisters

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leaf rake : This is a section of the area I'm clearing out. My intention is to remove about 1/2 of the trees and then create a shade garden. This is between my back porch and the chicken coop. It's scrubby, messy, and obscures my view of half of the chicken yard. It's years deep in leaves - so I want to take the most recent layers for composting.
piney woods 12.21.jpg
 

Dirtmechanic

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leaf rake : This is a section of the area I'm clearing out. My intention is to remove about 1/2 of the trees and then create a shade garden. This is between my back porch and the chicken coop. It's scrubby, messy, and obscures my view of half of the chicken yard. It's years deep in leaves - so I want to take the most recent layers for composting.
View attachment 46505
You may need a pitchfork and a garden cart.
 

Dahlia

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Reviving this 'older' thread :)

I need a good leaf rake. One that will WORK. I've broken so many it's ridiculous. Metal ones, plastic ones, wide ones, skinny ones, springy ones, stiff ones...... Do any of you have one that you love? IS there such a thing? Maybe I should give up the idea of a good leaf rake and just use a manure fork?

Also - I think I'd like a stirrup hoe or scuffle hoe? Lots of mulched areas that get surface weeds that need to be cut before they make it down into the soil and get a good hold. I've looked a soooo many and they have such mixed reviews. My barn is FULL of cheap tools that do halfa$$ed jobs. I don't want to spend a bunch on one more to add to the collection - but I will spend a good bit for one that will last years.

Recommendations?
I have been using a flexible metal leaf rake that is fairly wide with a wooden handle. It has lasted over 20 years so far! There are probably better ones, but this one gets the job done. We lived in a neighborhood once where all of the leaves in the cul-de-sac blew into our yard every year and the leaves piled up high! This rake was a true lifesaver digging us out! :)
 

canesisters

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You may need a pitchfork and a garden cart.
Probably.... :eek:

To keep from overwhelming myself and ending up doing nothing, I'm planning to pull them out in narrow strips and then mow them into mulch before adding to the bins.
My bagger doesn't hold much, so just to do the 'lawn' area I've been parking my cart and dumping the bagger every 2nd pass or so - THEN moving the full cart to the bins.

I figure this will keep me busy for many afternoons this winter - 1 strip at a time.
 

canesisters

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I have been using a flexible metal leaf rake that is fairly wide with a wooden handle. It has lasted over 20 years so far! There are probably better ones, but this one gets the job done. We lived in a neighborhood once where all of the leaves in the cul-de-sac blew into our yard every year and the leaves piled up high! This rake was a true lifesaver digging us out! :)
you don't happen to know what brand it is, do you?
 

canesisters

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if you are actually busting sod (which is what it does sound like) i use a flat bladed shovel for that as that lets me cut chunks of sod by using the shovel sideways along the surface of the soil down a few inches.

a scuffle hoe isn't great in heavy mulches, but i have used it in crushed rinsed limestone to cut off weeds so i could remove them before they formed viable seeds and dropped them. so it is possible in some cases, but generally i don't think of it as a hoe for use in mulches that have larger chunks (like sometimes i've used pieces of bark).

the last scuffle hoe i bought ran me all of $7. that was for Mom to use since it had a thinner handle than the one i normally use. both of them have lasted years. mostly i use it for surface scraping of weeds where i'm barely getting the hoe in the ground because that is the best way to weed as it doesn't stir the soil layers and move seeds from outside the germination zone into the germination zone.

sometimes with the heavier soil areas i do have to use some muscle if i want to get the hoe down into the clay itself but i don't usually have to do that.

the primary issue with the scuffle hoe, for it to be the most useful, is that you do want to use it regularly enough that the weeds haven't developed tougher roots to cut through. so plan your time at once a week at the minimum. that way it goes a lot quicker.

as far as sod cutting, i have used a scuffle hoe to cut sod. it is possible to cut strips, takes a lot of muscle. the flat bladed shovel works easier.

rake? we have a plastic one with a broken tine on it. we have a metal one that is more for flattening out dirt in a garden but not for leaves. mostly with leaves we leaves 'em alone. we have a four pronger rake that is used a great deal, it's one of my most used tools in the gardens after the scuffle hoe and the flat bladed shovel. i've probably worn an inch of the steel prongers off over the past fifteen years. it still has some years of good use left in it too so i think we've gotten our money's worth out of it. sometimes we could use another one if we're both out working on the gardens. i keep my eyes open for another good one to buy.
Not busting sod...
I probably won't get within several inches of the actual soil level because of the years and years of layered, rotted leaves in there. My current 'rake' is a gigantic plastic thing that is nearly useless because it has no spring and is completely in line with the handle so it's award to use close to your body. I guess it's meant to keep stuck way out in front ... maybe for raking mowed grass up or something.
 

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