Gardening is a hobby beloved by millions of people across the planet. In fact, in the USA alone, over three quarters of households are gardening. Some have small gardens in their window sill, while others dedicate a large portion of their yard to gardening.
Whether you want to grow food to eat, grow flowers to add some color in your yard or simply like the feeling of accomplishment you get from growing things, a garden can be a wonderful addition to any yard. Gardening can even be great for your body and mind.
Of course, in order to successfully garden, there will be some tools you will need. One of the most versatile and useful items in the repertoire of any gardener is a garden hoe. Having a high-quality and well-made garden hoe (like these ones) can make your gardening tasks a whole lot easier.
This article is going to look closer at garden hoes and go over the different types of garden hoes, and also talk about some of their uses in the garden.
Different Types of Garden Hoe and Their Uses
While you might think that all garden hoes are the same, that is not the case. There are actually several different kinds of hoes, each with their own unique use cases. To keep things simple, we are going to look at some of the primary categories of garden hoes, and go over what they are generally used for in the garden.
Digging Hoes
As you can tell by the name, these types of hoes are primarily used for digging in the garden. They can assist you with weeding, with tilling the soil and can make it easy to dig trenches. Hoes in this category include grub hoes, grape hoes, and field hoes. Also, hoes with tines such as the fork hoe, or potato fork can also fit in this category.
Flat Hoes
A flat garden hoe is primarily used for weeding as it has a flat blade that lays just under the ground. By moving the hoe back and forth in a push/pull fashion, you will be able to easily and effortlessly remove weeds. These types of hoes include the heart hoe, winged weeder, diamond hoe and the speed hoe, just to name a few. They work best in loose ground, as they need to be slightly under the surface of the ground to get the pesky weeds.
Sweeping Hoes
These hoes use a sweeping action with the handle held straight to get rid of weeds. They are often used for small weeds and are among the newest types of garden hoes on the market. Some of the hoes in this category include loop hoes, collinear hoes and swage hoes.
Draw Hoes
When most people think of a traditional garden hoe, they are often thinking of a draw hoe. The hoes are used by pulling towards you, and primarily have the task for breaking up the ground or soil, and getting weeds out of the ground. These hoes do not go deep in the soil, so the head of the hoe is quite light. Some common types of draw hoes include the paddle hoes, pattern hoes, and the onion hoe.
Reciprocating Hoes
These hoes have a blade that moves and allows for efficient weeding. It can be used lightly or aggressively, depending on your goal. Lightly if you are weeding near crop plants, but more aggressively if you are preparing soil or weeding away from plants. These include the oscillating hoe, action hoe, hula hoe and the stirrup hoe.
There are also some smaller hand-held hoes that make it easy for more precise or detailed jobs. Before ever tackling a gardening task that requires a hoe, be sure that you are using the right one for the job. In conclusion, we hope that this article has been able to help you learn about the different types of garden hoes, as well as their many uses in the garden.