I was really surprised to find someone on our allotment using a Dutch hoe as if it was some sort of spade for digging up weeds so felt some explanation of different hoes and how to use them might be helpful.
How to Use a Hoe – Types of Hoe
The Draw Hoe and the Dutch Hoe
The draw hoe is useful for making a shallow trench of the sort we might use for planting peas, which is why we call it drawing a trench, but for weeding I don’t think you can beat the Dutch hoes. The draw hoe just isn’t as easy or effective for weeding.
It’s really important to keep your Dutch hoe sharp, I’ve a metal file in the shed for this or you can use a sharpening stone. Just a few strokes every 10 minutes or so keeps it in optimum condition.The idea is to cut through the weed stem just below ground level. Blunt hoes or hoeing when the soil is wet tends to pull the weeds out with the roots intact. This means that if there is a drop of rain the weed will re-root and grow back. Hence my harping on about a sharp hoe! Sharp hoes are far more effective and easier to use than blunt hoes.
Hi, most garden centres will stock them or you could order on line. I’ve used Harrod Horticultural before and found the products and customer service to be good. Their hoes are here http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/garden-hoes-cid132.html?Aff=JHAG
Thank you so much John, I didn´t know a dutch hoe, now I will order one – have been turning my other hoe round, to have the same effect, for years but the angle of the dutch hoe looks as if it will be easier to work with.
Kind regards
Lise
Can you give me directions on sharpening a dutch ho r. I just bought a new one and there is no sharp edge. Do you sharpen the bottom or top of the hoe. Do you sharpen the back side also ? What angle do you use? Thanks for any help you can give me.
We’re not after a razor’s edge – just good enough for weeds. Using a file or stone on the top side to form an angle between 20 and 30 degrees I suppose.
It’s not exact. I do run once across the back to remove any burrs
I really liked this video it was quite enjoyable and I am very glad as I know how to use a hoe now.
Thank you so much for the video. I used to pull weeds by hand but my back is now quite poor so I decided I ought to learn to hoe. Your demo was as clear as anything!! Now I can get rid of weeds without bending down.