Best Garden Weed Tool
When deciding what tools to use to weed your gardens you need to decide what the end goal is. If you plan to till the ground after weeding than simply cutting the weeds back before tilling will work fine. If you are working on weeding existing garden beds than Weed Pullers, Action hoes, Hand Cultivator and shovels are the best weed tools. We will explore below the many weed tool options in further detail.
What tools do I need to weed a garden?
The answer in none. There are some great tools for weeding the garden but I have found over the years that in most cases the best answer is to hand pull the weeds. I know its not the answer most want to hear but hand pulling weeds often insures the most root is removed for a longer time between weeding. However if you have a large space or cant hand pull weeds there are some great tools for the job. Here is 5 tools to remove weeds with tips and cost included.
- Weed Puller: Weed pullers come in many styles look for easy release options you don’t want to constantly clean the tool of stuck weeds. $30-$60
- Action Hoes: One of the best tools on this list make sure to check length of handle to insure you don’t lean over to far which can lead too back pain. $25-$59
- Hand Rake: You want to look for multiple weld points where the handle meets the tool end. Good quality tools will have multiple welds. $7-$35
- Shovel: Squared shovels (paid link) often known as spades are best for weeding. Your not trying to dig holes just cut roots. $30-$75 Learn more about shovels in this post.
- Tiller: If your starting fresh a tiller can be a great way to clean up and remove weeds from an area. $120-$600
What tool is best for cutting weeds?
Some of you maybe looking to simple cut weeds in a large area. Although this may seem like a easy idea it often leads to more work in the long run. But if you’re looking for a quick temporary solution to your weeding issues the best weed cutting tools are a scythe or Trimmer. To help you pick here is 5 Scythes and 5 Trimmers with cost.
Scythe
- Seymour Midwest 21409: Top of the line but requires blade purchase separately $93.89
- Cacagoo: All around good quality at a affordable price $137.99
- Tidyard: Mid of the pack handles are great $75.69
- Fisker Hand Scythe: A cheap hand held for small areas $16.00
- Ars Nejiri Kama: For small areas between established plants $34.50
Trimmers
- Black and Decker LST300: Battery powered easy to handle $79.00
- DR Pilot 22″ Trimmer Mower 174cc: This power house of a trimmer is for big hard areas $389.99
- Sun Joe TRJ13STE: Inexpensive but performs well for price. $39.00
- Southland SOWST4317 43cc: A step down from the DR pilot but great trimmer $184.49
- Truper Sb-12 hand trimmer: If you are working out in field this is a light weight option $39.69
Do weed pullers really work?
We get this question a lot and it really depends on your situation. I will start by saying weed pullers don’t work well on all weeds. Some weeds are simply too large to allow the metal tines to get deep enough to remove the whole root. The other problem with weed pullers are they are often slower to use than other methods. On average I would say weed pullers work well if the following conditions are met:
- The weeds being pulled are not over 6″ tall.
- The number of weeds needing to be pulled are less than 50 in a single session.
- You are not limited by time.
- The individual weeding is limited in their ability to bend or get up and down easily. This is a great tool for older or limited people and requires less effort than other methods.
Now that we covered weeding tools lets take a look at tools for tilling the garden.
What Tool To Use To Till A Garden?
When starting a new garden it can be hard to know what to use for tilling a garden. Do you need a big gas powered tiller? Would a battery powered or hand tilling option be better? As a general rule if you need to till a large space consider a gas powered self-drive tiller. If you have less than a quarter acre to till battery or manual tillers will work . Giving conditions best types of tillers to use are:
Hand Tillers: Work best when ground has been tilled or worked in the past year. Or to work nutrients into the top few inches. Not great for large areas or hard unworked soil. Find out how to test your soil to see what nutrients it may need in this post.
Battery Powered Tillers: Its nice to not have to deal with gas and oil and the seasonal hassle that comes with them to store. If you have a smaller space to till and your soil is not too rocky than this is a great option. However a large draw back to consider is that the battery time on these tillers is around 30-40 minutes. You may find your self having to stop to recharge the batteries for around 3 hours. If you plan around this, these are great options.
Small Gas Tillers: Next up is the sub 50cc tillers. These will be all most home gardeners will need. If you have a small lot to till this will get it done with a few exceptions. These smaller tillers will have a hard time in very heavy clay or very rocky soil. If your soil has a lot of rocks, renting or buying a large 200cc plus will most likely be necessary.
Large Walk Behind Tillers: Now we are into the 200cc plus tillers. These tillers are designed to handle very rocky and clay heavy tilling jobs. They often include features like self driving wheel which you will want these machines can be difficult to handle without them and counter rotating tilling for better till quality. A major drawback to these machines is cost ranging from $1200 to $5,000 on average. Because of cost lets look at where you can rent a tiller.
Where can I rent a tiller?
You can rent a tiller at most big box hardware stores. You may want to also look in your area for machine rental stores. The stores that specialize in machine rentals will be able to help you pick the tiller you need. They also generally have a better selection of rentals. Some things to consider when renting a tiller include:
- How long do you need the tiller?
- Is gas included in the cost of rental?
- Is the tiller insured or are you responsible for any needed repairs. Remember tillers are prone to damage.
- How will you haul the tiller and do they provide drop off and pick up.
Do you need a tiller for your garden?
Before going out and spending money on a tiller decide if you need one. There are many methods including No Dig, Hay mounds, Containers and garden beds that don’t require any tilling and can be easier to maintain. Every garden is different and has its own challenges so focus on what’s right for you and happy gardening. Read this post for organic ways to remove weeds.
For one till-free option, check out our post on raised garden beds!
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