Grow it Green: Great Garden Tools

WELCOME TO TODAY’S GREAT GREEN. WE’RE HERE AT FARM TO UNH, A LEARNING FARM FOR STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY. AND I’M TALKING WITH SEAN O’BRIEN. AND TODAY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WEEDING YOUR GARDEN. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WAYS TO MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT CAN BE A KIND OF OVERWHELMING TASK SOMETIMES. IT CERTAINLY CAN BE. YEAH. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, I FEEL LIKE. SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT 3/4 TOOLS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR, YOUR TASK EASIER AND MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER FOR WEEDING YOUR GARDEN. SO THE FIRST ONE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS THIS THIS LITTLE GUY HERE. SO THIS IS KIND OF A, A PRECISION TOOL, I WOULD CALL IT, OKAY, FOR WEEDING SMALL SPACES. SO IF YOU’VE GOT A BIG GARDEN, A QUARTER ACRE OR, YOU KNOW, OR EVEN JUST, YOU KNOW, A BIG SPACE, THIS IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE THE BEST TOOL FOR YOU. BUT IF YOU HAVE RAISED BEDS OR A SMALLER SPACE IN GENERAL, THIS CAN REALLY JUST LIKE GET IN BETWEEN YOUR PLANTS AND REALLY JUST PULL OUT THOSE WEEDS. SO THIS IS A GREAT TOOL FOR SMALLER SPACES, MORE PRECISE. THAT’S RIGHT. SO THIS TOOL RIGHT HERE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT IS A KNIFE. BUT THIS IS CALLED A HOARY HOARY OKAY. AND SO THIS IS A TOOL THAT HAS MANY USES. AND IT CAN BE USED FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN YOUR GARDEN. IT DOES HAVE A BLADE ON BOTH SIDES. THIS IS A SERRATED BLADE. THIS CAN BE USED AS A TROWEL. IT CAN BE USED FOR DIGGING. YOU CAN SEE THESE THESE NOTCHES HERE. AND THESE TELL YOU LIKE HOW DEEP YOU’RE DIGGING DOWN. SO IF YOU’RE PLANTING, THIS CAN BE A GREAT TOOL FOR THAT. THAT’S AWESOME. IT CAN BE USED, YOU KNOW, THE KNIFE EDGES CAN CUT WEEDS AWAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SOME LIKE REALLY PERSISTENT WEEDS, LIKE DANDELIONS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU CAN CUT THOSE OFF DOWN BELOW GROUND. AND IT’S GOT THIS LITTLE NOTCH FOR CUTTING TWINE OR STRING OR WHATEVER. SO THIS IS A REALLY HANDY TOOL. SO THEN WE ARE MOVING ON TO BIGGER GARDEN SPACES. AND FIRST I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS. THIS IS A STIRRUP HOE. OKAY. SO THIS IS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU’VE GOT AN IN-GROUND GARDEN, THIS IS A REALLY HANDY TOOL FOR GETTING A LOT OF WEEDS OUT OF YOUR GARDEN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. SO IT KIND OF HINGES HERE AND YOU JUST KIND OF GO BACK AND FORTH ON YOUR SOIL ON THE TOP OF THE SOIL, AND IT WILL JUST CUT OFF THE WEEDS. AND SO YOU CAN COVER A LOT OF AREA IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITH THAT. AND THEN THIS LAST ONE HERE IS ALSO FOR BIGGER GARDEN SPACES. OKAY, THIS IS CALLED A ROGUE HOE. AND IT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, IT’S, IT’S SHAPED BACK ON ITSELF LIKE THIS. AND YOU KIND OF JUST SCRAPE THE SURFACE. IT’S SIMILAR TO THE STIRRUP HOE AND YOU’RE JUST KIND OF SLICING OFF THE WEEDS WHERE THEY ARE. OKAY. I FEEL LIKE THAT’S MORE OF THE TYPICAL HOE THAT YOU THINK OF WHEN PEOPLE MENTION THAT TOOL. IT’S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT SHAPE, BUT I FIND THAT THIS WORKS REALLY WELL TO JUST LIKE SLICE OFF THOSE WEEDS. OKAY, THE WEEDS WILL COME BACK, BUT IT’LL BE EASY TO KNOCK THEM DOWN AGAIN WITH THIS. OKAY. THAT’S GREAT. ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND FOR FOLKS TRYING TO TAME THEIR GARDEN AND GET RID OF THOSE WEEDS? I MEAN, FINDING THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB AND TO FIND THE MOST ERGONOMIC TOOL. BOTH OF THOSE THINGS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU’RE BENDING OVER A LOT, THEN YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY USING SOMETHING THAT HAS A LONGER HANDLE TO IT. IT’S HARD WHEN YOU’VE GOT RAISED BEDS OR A SMALL GARDEN SPACE, YOU KNOW, A KNEE PAD WORKS REALLY WELL IF YOU’RE, YOU KNOW, IF YOUR KNEES ARE STARTING TO HURT YOU OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT YEAH, AWESOME. GREAT ADVICE, GREAT TIPS AND SOME REALLY INTERESTING TOOLS THAT HOPEFULLY Y

Sean O’Brien with UNH Cooperative Extension talks with Jacqueline Thomas about the best gardening tools for the start of the summer season.