What’s called the “potato fork” in this article is what my family calls a “cultivator.”
Types of Garden Hoe
21–28 of 28 posts
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#22If you can get an old or broken disk from a farmer and have the ability ( or find someone who does) to cut and weld it, man can you make a good hoe. It will outlast several generations of your family. I found the best Hoe to be kind of like a field Hoe but the size of a small pizza slice, about 6 inches at the cutting edge and about 5 inches to the shaft insert.
In general the metal part of the hoe will only wear out in the constant use/multi generational use. Most of time the problem is the interface between the head and the handle that causes the most issues.
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#23There's a set of hoes now manufactured by Wolf Garten, that are light and sturdy, offering all the types that homesteader needs, including this beast which once you discover you are not going back: https://wolfgarten.us/collections/interlocken/products/wolf-... I recommend the wooden handle, have had mine for the past 17 years. Not affiliated in any way, just a huge fan based on experience with these tools in small s…
Also been using Wolf tools for 20 years - I really love the way that you can have multiple tool heads shared between 2-3 handles: significantly saves space in my garden shed. The handles are propped up in one corner and the heads are all on individual nails high on a wall, such that I can store other stuff beneath them. If the heads were permanently attached to their handles, I'd have lost a whole wall to the tools.
The interchange mechanism is very robust - I've only had one fail in all that time, and the handle is still actually usable (the little red press button came off but the underlying locking mechanism is still functional).
They also sell short handles that mean that you can use the tool heads while crouched down close to the ground, something that is virtually impossible with a conventional long handle.
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#24Such a perfect HN submission. I'm pretty uninterested in gardening and yet love the implications and insight of seeing this kind of specialized knowledge, both the article and commentary.
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#25I was looking for something like this. Thanks.
For digging, in the hardest dirt I use a mattock/adze style tool (adze on one end, pick on the other). In more reasonable dirt a "grub hoe", and finally a flat shovel in the softest of stuff.
For moving dirt, a big scooping shovel (think snow scooping); the "american standard" hoe is for shaping dirt on the ground (a rake for dirt).
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#26If you can get an old or broken disk from a farmer and have the ability ( or find someone who does) to cut and weld it, man can you make a good hoe. It will outlast several generations of your family. I found the best Hoe to be kind of like a field Hoe but the size of a small pizza slice, about 6 inches at the cutting edge and about 5 inches to the shaft insert.
In general the metal part of the hoe will only wear out in the constant use/multi generational use. Most of time the problem is the interface between the head and the handle that causes the most issues.
This seems to be a common problem for tools that use a metal head and a wooden handle. Hammers, trowels, shovels, etc.
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#27Such a perfect HN submission. I'm pretty uninterested in gardening and yet love the implications and insight of seeing this kind of specialized knowledge, both the article and commentary.
Strange that someone would downvote this. Do you think HN should only have articles about computer-related topics?
I doubt I would have even encountered this article, much less ever thought about the kinds of garden issues that lead to different kinds of hoe design, without HN. It’s always fun to see the depth of culture behind a hat might seem to be a trivial topic on the surface.
Re: Types of Garden Hoe
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
In general the metal part of the hoe will only wear out in the constant use/multi generational use. Most of time the problem is the interface between the head and the handle that causes the most issues.
This seems to be a common problem for tools that use a metal head and a wooden handle. Hammers, trowels, shovels, etc.
It's a materials trade off. You could make a metal handled hoe, but it would be heavy for the users, and it would transfer the impact vibrations up to the user making it uncomfortable to use.
Instead things like wood and fiberglass are used that are lighter, but it does come with the weaker interface.