what's your favorite weeding tool?

[DonnaMarieNJ]

What I'm looking for is hand held, I guess - more control that way.

I also saw the tool that you step on and twist, and it pulls up the weed, like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Uproot...s=weeding+tool


and then I also saw in amazon the torch (!) to "burn off your weeds", etc.:

http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-19...ywords=weeding

But what I REALLY want is something to help me pull the weeds IN BETWEEN the tomato plants, so it has to be a bit narrower. Hand held comfortable handle.

What is your favorite weeding tool and why?

Thanks in advance and let me know if those tools I mentioned above are worth it. Thanks!!!

Donna

[Worth1]

Roundup.

Worth

[gssgarden]

My Daughter!!


Greg

my fingers

After more than 40 years on the same half acre which I hand-dug to get rid of all the couch grass, I don't get weeds unless I bring in some soil or compost. The trick (after all the grass rhizomes were removed) was to do a quick all-over job on whatever weed was getting ready to flower, ignoring all others until they started making buds. So, I've had 40 years of no weeds setting seed.

This is not to say that I don't have plants that want to take over - all of them natives like salmon berry, thimbleberry, trailing blackberry, blackcaps, Oregon grape etc.

[Cole_Robbie]

I like a hoe that I have just sharpened with an angle grinder.

[KarenO]

a needle weeder and a small loop hoe for fine work around plants in the garden or flower beds. Not sure how I ever lived without that loop hoe since I can do almost all of my weeding, even close to plants while standing as opposed to crouching or kneeling
KarenO

[DavidP]

I like an onion hoe, designed for working in close to plants, works great for raised beds.

http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/hal...e-by-sneeboer/

[habitat_gardener]

Hori hori. I go after mostly perennial weeds such as bindweed and bermuda grass in compacted paths, so I like a tool that gives me some leverage.

For small annuals in my raised beds, I use my fingers.

[Douglas14]

My favorite is my hands. I just like the precision of hand weeding. And my garden has plenty of weed seeds. I also like mulch as a preventative measure.

[peppero]

My hands work best in my mulched, raised bed garden.


jon

[taboule]

Originally Posted by KarenO

a needle weeder ......
KarenO

That is the best and life got easier when I found one at a flee market for $1, almost new. From a store these nice tools cost a pretty penny -still worth it.

[kayrobbins]

My favorite is the CobraHead. I have the short handled and the long handled. I use the short handled one the most.

http://www.cobrahead.com/cobrahead-w...nd-cultivator/

http://www.cobrahead.com/cobrahead-l...nd-cultivator/

[ScottinAtlanta]

Year 1, hoe. Year 2, sharp trowel, Year 3, hands.

The volume of weeds deceases year on year if you keep at it.

[ddsack]

The small hand weeder that looks like a screwdriver with a forked end. I buy them cheap for a dollar or two, and leave them scattered around different parts of the garden so I can do unplanned spot weeding as I pass by.

[Noreaster]

I had the same question for YEARS. And regardless, still had to pull 'em out one way or another. Hated it.

Until (duh) realizing that there's one tool which will eliminate them from EVER breaking ground in my tomato beds to begin with:

Thick black plastic. And where hole is cut through the plastic for planting, a good amount of black mulch surrounding the stem (about 6 inches each side).

As far as flower beds, our solution is dense amount of ground cover between plants, e.g. Dead Nettle, Sweet William. Some weeds show up here, but not many !