The most overwhelming part of working on this yard has been getting the weeds under control. Having lived in two other homes with yards, I know that’s always the overwhelming part of a yard and I’m sure you would agree. Once they are permitted to run amuck, it takes a while to get things turned around. The yard was tended before we bought it but the woman of the house, who was an avid gardener, hadn’t been able to work in the garden as much as she did in her younger days. The weeds got even more out of control when we were focusing on the interior of the house and just did basic maintenance in the yard. I’ve been slowly working on the weedy areas, bit by bit, to try to get the overrun beds under control and then keep the places I’ve worked on maintained
I’ve had to battle some pretty persistent weeds and invasive plants in this yard including morning glory, English ivy, wild violets, crabgrass, and my very favorite Bishop’s Weed. So, I’ve been testing out all of the tools. Any weeding tools people or articles have recommended, I’ve been trying them. Another $10-30 for a tool seems like a worthwhile investment to find what will be most effective. I’m still testing, trying, and learning, but I wanted to share the ones that are my favorites so far.
favorite weeding tools | bucket
Apparently, my Opa was a collector of five-gallon buckets before the majority of the world figured out how handy they were and stores sold them empty. My mom kept touting five-gallon buckets when we first started cleaning up this yard. She would bring a few of her favorite weeding tools and would always add, “I’ll bring my buckets!” I had one or two but they were scattered around the garage for washing the cars and toting tools for projects, but I didn’t have any dedicated weeding buckets. Now, I have a stack of 2-3 that I can use for yard waste. They’re easy to carry around the yard and dump into a paper yard waste bag when full.
If I’m doing a lot of weeding and cleaning up, I’ll pull my garden cart (THIS is the one I have) around to have my buckets, tools, and waste bags all handy.
favorite weeding tools | waxed canvas tool bag
I bought a waxed canvas garden tool tote this Spring and I have loved having all of my garden tools in one organized place. I know right where everything is and having a cute bag for them is a good motivator to keep them clean. The one I bought is sold out, but there are similar ones HERE (for $26) and HERE (for $50.)
favorite weeding tools | hori hori knife
Now we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of the weeding tools. The one I grab most often is a Hori Hori knife (Japanese weeding knife.) It’s sort of a cross between a knife and a spade and it is so handy for digging out weeds loosening soil, and cutting roots. I’ve used THIS ONE ($8.99) by Fiskars for years, but I decided to try THIS one by Barebones ($62.74) which is sharper, a little prettier and comes with a sheath. That’s a pretty substantial price difference, so if you’re new to using a weeding knife, you might want to give the Fiskars one a try to see how you like it and how often you use it. I saw the Barebones Hori Hori knife recommended in several articles on weeding tools, so being the love of good tools that I am, I decided to try it out and I love it.
favorite weeding tools | triangle hand hoe
I bought this triangle hand hoe one not knowing what to expect at all and it has been one of my very favorite weeding tools. It isn’t super sharp, but it has a fine point and I’m mindful to always set it in a safe spot so I don’t inadvertently step on it. It is more like a weeding weapon than a weeding tool! But, the triangle shape and fine point is exactly what makes it so amazing. I find it especially good to use on wild violets and other perennial weeds with thick, connected roots. It does a nice job getting under them and easily coaxing them out. The curved neck of the handle also gives you good leverage when you’re digging in dense soil. Ours is mostly clay so it can be pretty hard to get through.
favorite weeding tools | weeding fork
I have a few different weeding forks, but I use this two-pronged fork by Sneeboer the most. I got turned onto Sneeboer Garden tools a few months ago and that is a dangerous rabbit hole to go down for a tool-lover! I bought a few with my birthday money and then added one or two at a time. I have a few tools still on my wish list, but it takes time to build up a collection when you’re buying finely crafted heirloom tools. I bought them from Garden Tool Co. and always get a personal e-mail from the owners thanking me for my purchase. I love supporting small business owners who clearly love what they do.
Anyway, I use weeding forks for weeds with stringy, mingling roots like Morning Glory and Bishop’s Weed. The fork allows me to gently get under the roots and follow their trial to get all of them out as best as I can. I do have a long-handled fork with four tynes that I use as well, but I tend to like sitting on the ground and working with hand tools when I’m pulling weeds. If I find a shady spot and put on some nice music, it can actually turn an annoying job into one that is therapeutic and even enjoyable.
favorite weeding tools | large kneeling pad
My back is telling me that I need to get a weeding stool, so let me know if you have any recommendations. (If you share a link, I’ll have to approve the comment before it’s visible.) But, I use this Hefty XL kneeling pad a lot. I was at Home Depot with my mom and she drew my attention to them. They are much larger and thicker than the average kneeling pad and we both ended up buying them. I bought one and she bought two so she could use one inside and one outside as a handy bit of cushioning on a replaced knee. I kneel on mine, but I probably sit on it more, which is why I like the larger size. Not only do I use it for weeding and gardening, but I use it when I’m painting and working on other projects on the driveway.
I used to really hate weeding. It wasn’t that I just hated it, but I felt utterly overwhelmed by it. I would see a weedy swath of an untended garden bed and not even know where to start. I detested the way it looked messy and unkept, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I would get up some gumption and attack one area only to have it all grow back in just a couple of weeks. I started weeding our yard in Minnesota with the “one bucket a day” plan and that taught me slow and steady progress was sustainable and effective. I’ve approached this yard with that mindset and have been working on small sections at a time, knowing this is the work that happens over years, decades, and a lifetime, not like painting a room that’s done in a day or two. I think that’s what took me so long to get into gardening, but I’m learning the value of embracing projects that require tending, nurturing, and time.
Weeds are definitely not the good stuff of gardening, but good stuff can still be discovered while weeding.
So, what are your favorite weeding tools?
22 Responses
I am a bucket gardening gal also. I start with the “I’ll fill one bucket”, thought knowing I will continue on! If it is a BIG gardening day I use my Fisker collapsible garden container. I like that it collapses easily when I am not using it, saving space. Fisker Loppers are my tool of choice when working on tree branches. We have several trees on our property and those make easy work of taking care of any branches that I need to deal with. For my flowers and hostas I love Fiskers pruning snips to snip off any hosta leaves that the slugs have gotten to and to snip away anything that needs to be freshened up. I also do not leave the garage without my kneeling pad….it is a life saver. I enjoy all my tools as well and have continued to increase my inventory each season. Happy gardening!
You have a great collection. One that I could add is my “twist cultivator.” It’s good where the weeds are especially thick or when cultivating a new bed out of grass – it pulls tufts out with ease.
I realized the other day while weeding the front yard that was waving to folks with the hori hori knife in my hand. It explained some of the looks I was getting. I use it for everything, from weeding to planting to cutting back in a pinch. It and shears are all I carry, which simplifies things a lot.
Next to a long slow rain for days, your best weeding tool is always MULCH! I just gather bags of leaves in the fall from the side of the road and empty them among my shrubs, as I am now too old at seventy to haul forty five bags of wood mulch from Lowe’s. There is a considerable price difference as well.
I recently switched from my now degraded kneeling pad to the deep seat garden kneeler from Gardeners Supply Company. It flips over to be used as a seat and the legs fold in for easy storage. Not cheap but seems sturdy for this 72 year old gardener.
Margaret I totally agree that garden kneeler/seat from Gardeners Supply is the best, I have two.
Marion, I used to be a bucket gal but didn’t care for the look. Now use “Elk 33-gallon Multipurpose Garden Leaf Wastebags. Make me happier seeing them instead of a plastic bucket it they get left in the garden.
Smiled reading this post as my favourite tools are, in order, a bucket, my cart and my hori-hori. Oh, and good gloves 🧤
Very useful tools. I can’t imagine why you would be digging up beautiful wild violets though.
Karen, my thoughts as well. I love our wild violets.
That Hori Hori Knife is the shiz! I bought it in a bespoke box for my husband thinking “it’s a knife, he’ll like it.” Not realizing it was a gardeners tool he quickly pointed out that he’d never use that thing! It sat on a shelf until this summer when I was trying to dig ditch lilies (which grow deep and have mini bulbs supporting them) around our mailbox that were overgrown. He walked out with it in his hand and said “I bet this thing will help.” Oh my goodness!! What a game changer. I love that it is sturdy enough to dig in our TN clay soil and has a serrated blade on the other side for sawing. It’s my favorite, most used tool now. I also want to purchase a standing weeder. They have them on Amazon. I also purchased on clearance recently at Walmart a hand forked weeder and I’ve been impressed with it and how it lifts Bermuda Grass. Only $2 and it was so worth it!
Thanks for the helpful list! I agree with all of this.
I’d like to add one thing, though… Each spring, Costco sells fabulous gardening gloves in a mega pack. This means that you can have one pair of gloves for “clean garden work” and one pair of gloves for “messy garden work”–and still have plenty of unused gloves for the following year.
I swear we are secretly sisters!! Between our color schemes and painting and knitting! I love my Hori Hori, I bought one for my best friend for her birthday this year. I also have a “one bucket a day” plan–for weeding and deadheading. I figure that keeps me “kind of” on top of the flower beds, without killing my back. Checking out the forked weeder, looks like a winner.
The garden kneeler from Garden Supply is my all time favorite “tool”. I use it inside and outside. The handles are so helpful for getting up from kneeling with these 71 year old knees
My favorite tool is a dull knife from a thrift store. I only just had my original knife of 35 years use finally bite the dust! The handle snapped off. So now I’m about a year in to using my 2nd thrift store knife for weeding! I wonder if it will last as long?
I think the plant that you are calling “morning glory” is likely bindweed. That is a formidable opponent. It has roots that go down 20 feet and can’t be killed by poisons, so a big pain to deal with. It does die out over time though through persistent removal of the green tops, I have had success in large areas over time!
Another thing to consider is that the weeds are indicators of your soil. That is, the weeds you get are working at healing the soil. For example, bindweed only grows in very fertile soil, so it is actually a good sign. Many weeds bring nutrients to depleted soil.
Oh no. I looked it up and I think you are right. It’s bindweed. 😭 Well, I’ve already been plucking off new growth and that seems to be the way to beat it, so I’ll just keep doing that.
Thanks for your perspective on weeds as indicators. It’s always nice to look on the bright side!
I enjoyed browsing the Garden Tool website. Many of those puppies aren’t tools, they’re weapons. And I love it! You need weapons when gardening, as you are learning. I’m also enjoying seeing how you are maturing in your approach to gardening. It takes time to experiment and learn “the how” of gardening. I remember my mother’s attempts to get my help in weeding her flower beds when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was having none of that.
Now, at 78, it’s one of my favorite garden chores. It’s so therapeutic getting rid of the unwanted weeds. And finding the lovely garden worms when digging is a treat. Keep up the good work and don’t give up the fight.
A bucket is a necessity for any yard work. If I have a big job, then I will pull out our wheel barrow. That knife looks like it would do a fabulous job. I saw Sara from SimplySouthernCottage recommend the Costway Garden Cart from Walmart. It has wheels and you sit on it. May not be what you are looking for. For me, it would be better than kneeling on these old knees. Thanks for your shares. I’m anxious for yard work but it has been thunderstorms all week and into this weekend.
My #1 tool for gardening are my knee pads. I think they were my husband’s originally, but I use them the most! They are heavy duty construction kneepads that have Velcro straps and specify right and left so they fit your knees perfectly. In fact, your knees are kind of suspended in them! I can kneel in rocks/gravel with them. I’m in my 70’s and have lower back issues, so weeding on my knees is much more comfortable than bending or sitting. I use my dandelion digger more than any other tool, for all kinds of weeds. I love my wagon (similar to yours) and 1/2 bushel baskets for collection.
Another great post! I live in the upper Midwest with heavy clay soil. The “twist cultivator” works great and is my go-to tool for breaking new ground. Also, saturating the ground with water on and off for a day before I begin (if it doesn’t rain) is a must. Once an area is established and it’s just a matter of maintaining, Grandpa’s Weeder makes quick work of creeping Charlie, dandelions, and thistle. I think it was invented in the early 1920s. Its long handle allows you stand upright and eject the weed with its root intact in literally seconds. Found it on one of the all-night shopping channels. It’s my #1 workhorse favorite.
I got a Grandpa’s Weeder for Mother’s Day this year. It does work great!
I can do anything in the yard as long as I am sitting down. I just use a $5 plastic stool. It’s lightweight and easy to move around. I find it therapeutic too to just sit and weed. Thank you for sharing your tools. I look forward to all of your posts.
Lowes sells a kneeling pad by Kobalt in the PLUMBING section. It’s very large, thick, and firm. It has held up SO well for years. It’s very reasonably priced at $11. Well worth the price.
I also have an old screwdriver I keep in my garden kit, I love it for leveraging out tap roots. My hori hori is newer to me and works great. But the screwdriver worked great for years too and was free. 🙂
I’ve come to love the Hula Hoe this year. I have a long handled and short handled version. Terrific for clearing out weeds (or self seeded plants…I’m eyeballing you, salvia!) from larger areas. VERY easy to use.
I love my spearhead spade shovel and my root assassin shovel. With a narrow blade, you can stand and dig up shallow weeds or dig holes for planting. I use them all the time.