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Great Gardening Tool

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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I don't know if this has been posted before but I just ordered one of these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHEmnURcXdg

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Saybian Morgan

gardener

Posts: 582

Location: Lower Mainland British Columbia Canada Zone 8a/ Manchester Jamaica

posted 13 years ago

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DAVe! where did you order this badboy from I'm In Asap!, cuzz I've already choked on at least 1000 sq ft of sod already this year and I got at least 500 more to go this month.

the only tool that surpasses it is the Bamboo spade, I've been removing tree's like butter with that tool, pure strength at any angle need. I'm so scared they'll stop selling it I might order another one in case of apocalypse. It's like hitting a steel spade with a hammer but one handed and no hammer, the most strengnous part of the job is actually lifting the spade.

http://www.midatlanticbamboo.com/bamboo-spade/bamboo-spade.htm

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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SaybianTv wrote:
DAVe! where did you order this badboy from I'm In Asap!, cuzz I've already choked on at least 1000 sq ft of sod already this year and I got at least 500 more to go this month.

the only tool that surpasses it is the Bamboo spade, I've been removing tree's like butter with that tool, pure strength at any angle need. I'm so scared they'll stop selling it I might order another one in case of apocalypse. It's like hitting a steel spade with a hammer but one handed and no hammer, the most strengnous part of the job is actually lifting the spade.

http://www.midatlanticbamboo.com/bamboo-spade/bamboo-spade.htm

I got mine from Kentucky but you can get one here:
http://scytheworks.ca/

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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It looks like a perfectly designed hoe for compacted soil.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

John Polk

steward

Posts: 7926

Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane

350

posted 13 years ago

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I had a short handled version of that hoe. Prepped a garden patch in no time! I'll have to get a long handled one for the larger areas. Worked great.

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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Just in case here is where I ordered mine from:
http://earthtoolsbcs.com/html/other_shovels.html
It has a 145CM handle.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

Posts: 1528

Location: zone 7

posted 13 years ago

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we have one of those. i prefer my heavy duty garden mattock.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Warren David

Posts: 187

posted 13 years ago

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Hoes like that are commonplace in Ibiza, Spain. We have one. They make what could be a hard job, a little easier but it's still hard work.
There's a wide range of hoes available here. They definitely have their uses in this rocky soil. It's unlikely they will stop selling them here for a very long time unless somebody comes up with something better.

BTW, the square ended hoes are very often used for mixing concrete or mortar in wheelbarrows or troughs, etc. It's not a bad way of doing it if you havn't got access to some sort of mixer.

Ken Peavey

steward

Posts: 2482

Location: FL

140

posted 13 years ago

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I would get one right now except that the sand that is Florida would not offer much use for the rig.

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Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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I live in the Va. and it is red Piedmont clay.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Posts: 43

Location: Pennsylvania, Zone 5B

posted 13 years ago

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I also prefer the mattock. I'm not afraid I'll ruin it when I need to pry out a rock.

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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It is made for breaking up compacted soil not heavy duty deep digging.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

John Polk

steward

Posts: 7926

Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane

350

posted 13 years ago

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Every tool has its place and function. If your rocks will fit between the tines, this tool works great. If your rocks are larger than the gap between the tines, then a mattocks would be better suited until the large stones have been removed. There is no one-size-fits-all tool, but this design certainly has its place in my tool shed
.
The first time around on rocky virgin soil, a mattocks works well. The next season, this hoe will be a work horse and time saver. After that, once your soil has been conditioned, a broad fork should be all you need to loosen soil and mix in compost.

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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I don't envision using a broad fork. I have what appears to be a haphazard approach to my gardening. It really does have a plan though, just not very rigid. Lots of small beds. I used to use my mattock quite a bit when I had a bigger place for digging sunken beds. Not exactly swales but beds designed to conserve water. I wish I could find a bigger place but for now I am primarily container gardening. Even my sweet potatoes are in a 4 ft. high welded wire cylinder that is lined with burlap and soil. The sweet potatoes grow out the sides and top. At harvest it is full of those red skinned orange fleshed lovelies and easy to empty. I make a cylinder out of 1x2 inch hardware cloth with a bottom of half inch hardware cloth. It is slightly larger than a lid for a 5 gallon plastic bucket. I put the bucket lid in the bottom and line it with two layers of burlap then fill it with soil that has lots of perlite mixed in so it is very light weight soil. Then I punch little holes all over the sides to put sweet potato slips and of course the top soil are too. It turns into a green cylinder of salad greens and also sweets at harvest time. I have made several of them to increase my yields with such limited space. They work for lots of different vegetables too. Much of my garden has a concrete base because that was supposed to be a patio. I live in a mobile home park so I put 4 of those on the concrete surrounded by straw bales to reduce moisture loss. That also give me lots more room for other planters that sit on the straw bales. Without land I gotta do what I gotta do.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Abe Connally

Posts: 1502

Location: Chihuahua Desert

posted 13 years ago

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I'm not sure I see the difference between this tool and a pick axe. We use the pick for digging things up, and it's hard work, for sure.

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Saybian Morgan

gardener

Posts: 582

Location: Lower Mainland British Columbia Canada Zone 8a/ Manchester Jamaica

posted 13 years ago

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Why oh Why didn't that place in vancouver island accept online payment's, the only person I hand checks to is my accountant.

My freaking back, i spent the hole day shoveling like a bastard when what I needed was an earth fork.
Landlord left at 4am, by 12pm his entire lawn was dugg up and left with grass facing down.
By god if that clover doesn't sprout, grow, and put a green sheen over that waste of my bloody time compacted lawn by the time he get's back from vegas.

GRRRRR...... end quote

As a standard panicker, i threw all the duck food into the dirt as well, I hope bird feed millet will sprout. I can't take this stress, Im getting alfalfa in the morning.

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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SaybianTv wrote:
Why oh Why didn't that place in vancouver island accept online payment's, the only person I hand checks to is my accountant.

My freaking back, i spent the hole day shoveling like a bastard when what I needed was an earth fork.
Landlord left at 4am, by 12pm his entire lawn was dugg up and left with grass facing down.
By god if that clover doesn't sprout, grow, and put a green sheen over that waste of my bloody time compacted lawn by the time he get's back from vegas.

GRRRRR...... end quote

I am sorry about to hear of you ordering problems my friend. The thread has become amusing regarding everyone defending their choice of tools. I ordered one of these after watching the video demonstrating the tool. I like it so I ordered one. I have a mattock and a pick axe and lots of other digging/gardening tools but this one fills a space missing with the others. I should have ordered two of them and sent one to you.

As a standard panicker, i threw all the duck food into the dirt as well, I hope bird feed millet will sprout. I can't take this stress, Im getting alfalfa in the morning.

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Posts: 56

posted 13 years ago

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I'm a fan of the azada for digging (link below) but that tool looks good for compacted rocky spots.

http://www.easydigging.com/Garden_Tool/Grub_Hoe_Grubbing.html

Marissa Little

Posts: 63

posted 13 years ago

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Ha! I guess I've never seen one of these in a store online or in person. Many many years ago, my dad bought one of these (just the head) at a junk store in Central Mexico, thinking it was an interesting looking piece of metal. He fashioned a handle and it quickly became one of our favorite tools. Since then, he has backsmithed several versions of it. "Magna Grecia Hoe" - now we have a name for it!

Marissa
Sand Holler Farm
Dale TX

Dave Bennett

Posts: 686

posted 13 years ago

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I showed this tool to my friend Don who is the keyboard player I use when I have a show to play. He is a blacksmith/farrier although if you ask him he will tell you that he a an equine podiatrist. LOL He took me out to his garage and showed me something similar that he had hand welded using a horseshoe for the tines. His version is much more robust than mine. Slightly longer thicker tines and a slightly wider blade. Beautifully crafted hammer welded also very well work hardened and tempered. It's his favorite gardening tool. Looks very similar to the one I just bought. He told me that I should have asked him to make one for me. LOL

"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"

Haru Yasumi

Posts: 102

posted 13 years ago

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Very nice - I can think of several times in the past a tool like this would have come in great handy. Thanks for the link too. It's nice that you can order just the head on it too

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Jeffrey Hodgins

Posts: 166

Location: Yucatan Puebla Ontario BC

posted 12 years ago

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I offten use a straight digging hoe (no rocks) I just use the corner of it. The secret is to follow through with each swing throwing the soil and grass 3 feet. It takes a lot of strength but I can loosen a 10'x10' patch of Big Stem Bermuda Grass in 10 minutes. Raking the vine like grass out is a bigger job but the tractor or animal plow just flip it under protecting it deep in the ground where it continues to absorb nutrients, slowing growth of crops and inevitably regrowing.

A plain pick axe works good to (if) you know how to swing it.

Connect and pull at the same time with these tools. Like a gardening kung-fu master.

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Eric Callahan

Posts: 34

Location: Maine

posted 12 years ago

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Seems like the two prongs results in less surface area=less friction I guess. allows for a lighter tool. It looks cool, we usually just use a filed grub hoe to skim the sod off the top if we need clear soil (for later use, sod is good stuff). I dont really see the need to dig rocks out unless you really have to.

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