Miroslav Chodak

I'm beginning to redo our garden and need your help with identifying existing plants left over from the previous (now abandoned) ornamental garden.

#1

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#2
I believe this is just some weed.

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#3
About to start flowering. Completely disappears underground during winter and sprouts out again in spring.

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#4
Very tiny (2 inches tall) with light blue flowers (already done).

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#5
My wife says this is Geranium. Has small purple flowers (already done).

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#6
I don't believe this was intentionally planted.

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#7
This must be some well-known herb, no?

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#8
Has yellow flowers (yet to bloom).

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#9
A tiny cutie.

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#10

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Eric Hanson wrote:I would avoid the hula hoe.

Eric, I am confused about the difference between a hula hoe and a scuffle hoe. Maybe they look different, but they both have both edges sharpened and can be pushed forward or drawn back. So, they perform the same type of action. Or?

Thank you, KC!

Kc Simmons wrote:[Scuffle/hula hoe is] my go-to tool to remove the things that are a little too vigorous for regular chop & drop. When the blade is sharp, and at the right angle, I can sweep it right below the soil surface and cut the base of the plant while still leaving the majority of the root system in the soil to decompose.

That's precisely why I was looking for it in our shops. I still don't understand why it's not available. Maybe I will discover it with some specialized provider.

Good point about serrated vs smooth blades, btw!

Thank you, Eric! Good advice!

Eric Hanson wrote:the best hoe depends on your actual usage...  

...Are you weeding in a bed that has growing crops?  I would try a sweep hoe.

Yes, I need to weed in beds with growing crops.

By sweep hoe, you mean something like this?

Eric Hanson wrote:a scuffle hoe is my least favorite hoe as it is hard on the back and the ground.  I would use a sharp scuffle hoe instead.

Are you sure that's what you meant to say? :)

A beginner gardener here...

When shopping for a weed-removal tool, I came to a realization that hula hoe is NOT available in my country!

I guess, I can order one from abroad, but the total absence of this product in our shops is puzzling. It probably also means other types of hoe are used instead.

Please help me better understand the pros and cons of different types of hoes for weed-removal. Alternatively, what do you recommend I use for raised beds with compost mulch on top?

This is what I was looking for...

Hula hoe
Action: Back and forth scrubbing motion
Purpose: weeding in medium or soft soil
What makes this hoe stand apart is that it has moving parts, which lets it scrape through the soil at a shallow angle (15 to 20 degrees) as you push and pull the hoe both forward and backward.


... and this is what's available:

Draw hoe #1
Action: Pull / Scrape
Purpose: weeding in hard or soft soil
The blade seems to be at a wrong angle (for pulling action), and the neck is so thick that I'm not sure it can be adjusted.


Draw hoe #2
Action: Pull / Scrape
Purpose: weeding in hard or soft soil
Same as above, but with a thinner neck (possibly adjustable).


Draw hoe #3
Action: Pull / Scrape
Purpose: weeding in hard or soft soil
Not sure if the image is large enough to see, but the neck attaches to the blade at a different place (from top, rather than from side/edge).


Draw hoe #4
Action: Pull / Scrape
Purpose: weeding in hard or soft soil
Two thinner necks connecting the blade on each side. Possibly the most adjustable version?


Sweeping Hoe
Action: Push-Pull
Purpose: weeding in loose or soft soil
This is probably (?) closest to a hula hoe in that it allows back-n-forth action just under the soil surface to cut or uproot small weeds. Unfortunately, the neck seems rather thick and not easy to adjust. Also, it has no moving parts, so the angle of approach is fixed.


Dutch hoe
Action: Push
Purpose: weeding in loose or soft soil
Just like the previous one, but allows only for the push action.



... and that's basically it! There are more variations (mostly in terms of width), but the types are the ones above.

What do you recommend for weeding in raised beds (with compost mulch)?

What is your favorite weed-removal tool?

Thank you, Cristo! Good points regarding the fruit trees.

I'm currently leaning towards the mini food forest idea, by creating guilds around fruit trees, which would include also berry bushes and herbs.

Cristo Balete wrote:A winding, level path snaking its way down the slope would let you put a couple of raised beds in the sunnier parts

I'm afraid, the slope is too steep and too short for that. Or. maybe I didn't understand what you mean. Can you show me an example?

To give you a better idea of the area, I'm attaching a picture I just took today (we're in the middle of heavy pruning). You can see the neighbor's house and remnants of a non-functioning irrigation system.

Sebastian Köln wrote:you could fit 5 normal trees.

How about dwarf-size trees (not taller than 3-4 m, 10-13 ft)? How many of those do you recon I could comfortably fit there?

Or, is there a reason I should NOT be considering dwarf-size trees? I don't want to plant trees that are too tall, because they would shade the other parts of the land, too much.

Update: a friend of mine suggested a mini food forest. I like the idea because, if set up well, it should require minimum maintenance and basically take care of itself (all that's needed is chopping-n-dropping and picking/harvesting).

How many fruit trees should I plant on a strip that size (35x7 m; 115x25 ft), especially, considering the light/shade conditions? I'm thinking apples, pears, plums and peaches... all dwarf. Of course, leaving space for berry bushes and other-layer plants...

Thanks for your suggestions, Thomas!

thomas rubino wrote:...till it up and plant shade tolerant vegetables... A chicken coop (no rooster) could be there as well.  

I might plant some veggies at the top end of the strip, but I am concerned that if the soil is disturbed on the slope itself, it will just get washed down with the next heavier rain. Terracing would require retaining walls, which is not a project I'm willing to get into atm. I like the chicken coop idea, though! Btw, why no rooster?

My property is located in Hungary (hardiness zone 7b) on a South-southeast facing hill that gets full sun exposure all day long.

The bottom part of the property is a very steep strip of roughly 35m x 7.5m (115 ft x 25 ft). Most of the day, it is shaded by the neighbor's house and is currently planted with a random mixture of trees and bushes (mainly to keep the area green and to prevent soil erosion).

We call it "the jungle", because it's thick, difficult to access and gets very little (if any) attention. We prune it heavily once every few years to make it appear more civilized and to encourage more growth.

Here's a rough sketch of our property to give you an idea of the property profile and the location of the strip:



I'm looking for ideas on what to do with the strip in order to make it more useful/productive. It gets limited sun, due to the location of the neighbor's house and it's not super-easy to access due to its steepness. Also, I don't want to plant too high trees as not to shade other parts of the property.

Here's a 3D rendering from Google Maps that also shows the location of the neighbor's house (the photo appears to be taken in summer, early in the morning):



What do you think I should/could do with it? All ideas welcome!