Hoeing.
It is a good idea to have a whetstone handy when you start hoeing. A blunt blade will certainly not make our work easier.
There are several types of hoes that differ in the shape and size of the blade and the length of the handle. Dutch hoe is perfect for weeding.
Standing upright, we strike vigorously with the hoe, cutting off weeds from their roots.
I most often use a hoe in my vegetable garden, When I want, that the free surfaces of the earth remain clean. Great caution should be exercised in such places, so as not to cut through crops or their roots.
Some gardeners in similar places prefer hoes with blades set at right angles to the shank and connected to it by a bent neck. With such hoes, we can cut the soil much more precisely in the vicinity of arable crops.
Hoeing is primarily used to remove annual weeds, although we can also cut off the roots of perennial weeds with a hoe. In the case of the latter, the procedure works only then, when we do it regularly. I once dug a part of the garden covered with sorrel very thoroughly (Oxalis corymbosa). For the first year, I hoeed the bed once a week; every two weeks in the following year.
The course of hoeing:
1. Dutch hoe is perfect for weeding. We will make our work much easier, commencing hoeing, when the weeds are still young. In the case of more mature ones, the work requires more effort.
2. Using a hoe with a blade at right angles to the handle, it is easier to remove individual clumps of weeds. We can cut plants with it much harder and more precisely than with a Dutch hoe.
3. Short-handled hoes work best in places, to which access is restricted, and for jobs that require greater precision.
