Tool, maybe electric hoe, for easy weeding

Question

As I get older, I find it increasingly difficult to keep my vegetable patch weed-free.

I have a rotavator which is useful when the ground is bare, but it is difficult to control and sprays soil around. I have thought of a weed burner, but, in my experience, that kills leaves rather than the whole plant - so regular repeat treatments are necessary.

Looking for an electric hoe, I saw some tools, probably best thought of as 'mini-rotavators', that look interesting, but lack any detail about controllability.

I would welcome any suggestions for easily weeding between plants, without damaging the crops.

Answer 1

One approach involves a small weed eater. The idea here is that rather than uproot the weed you keep knocking growth back close to soil surface. This will discourage some plants immediately since they want and need to grow tall. Other weeds will fight back by forming a rosette and try to squeeze in a seed head close to the ground but you can get them by close observation and clever use of the weed eater head.

I have used this technique somewhat effectively in an asparagus bed; you have to keep at it to keep the weeds down but it is a lot better than trying to remove weed roots muddled in with shallow crowns. It also relies on having your crops in nice lines or having clearly defined crops where you can navigate around the important plants.

Choosing a small and low powered weed eater minimizes damage to young soft crops if you lose concentration or have weak eyesight and stray away from the inter-crop bands, but of course if your weeds get woody then larger artillery will be required. Get the weeds early when they are young and soft.

Alternatively consider hilling. We know hilling very well in the context of potatoes, where you draw soil from inter-row spaces over the emerging plants. This severs the weed at the root and pulls soil over emerging weeds close to the crop line. It works for some crops but not for others; tomatoes will not mind but lettuces are a bit soft at the base.

Answer 2

There are a few things to consider -

Although opinion is split, it may be worth shifting to no-till gardening. The proponents of this argue that among many other things (Refs: https://www.epicgardening.com/benefits-of-no-till-gardening/ ) -

• it is less work
• reduces weeds - especially over time by reducing the "seed bank", and makes weeding easier (get them while they are young!)
• Increases soil diversity and creates better soil.

There are some hand tools you may want to consider using -

• Weed Sticks/Weed Wicks/Weeding Brush/Weed Wand - these are effectively sticks with a wicking area. Pour in your glyphosate and simply walk round and wipe on weeds to spot kill. (I could not find good international links - maybe its more a NZ/Aussie thing - but https://www.amazon.com.au/Yates-Zero-Weeding-Applicator-Roundup/dp/B07L3G726X gives you an idea - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKexJVfUiQ goes through a way to make your own one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqIBMYFdvHg shows how to use the more commercial type variant.
• Weed Pullers / Weed Extractors - these come in different forms, but the idea is they allow you to pull up weeds without bending down. (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=weed+puller&crid=1GPJTCFBXDEJJ&sprefix=weed+pull will show you a list on Amazon)

Answer 3

Mulch.

The "tool" is mulch.

The weed that can't grow does not need to be weeded.

You don't have to go "no till" (or you can) - you can till, and mulch, and pull mulch aside to plant, or till and seed, and mulch copiously wherever you have not seeded, and between plants as soon as they grow enough to be taller than the mulch is thick, and increase that thickness as they grow until weeds can't make it up there, either. If you are transplanting, you can mulch deeply around plants when you transplant them.