The snow may be blowing outside, but warm and toasty inside we’re scheming for the coming season. Ordering seeds, finding piglets, and today, putting a new handle on our Row Hoe.

When we picked up the old Row Hoe from a friend, neither of us realized how useful it would prove. It may be a rusted old garden tool from the era of the victory garden, but when I first took  it by the handle and pushed it through the soil I was astounded at the ease with which it cleaned the weeds from between a row of onions. Simple but elegant in it’s design, an 8″ diameter cast iron roller wheel loosens the soil ahead of a knife that cuts the weeds off an inch or so below ground level. Or, simply flip the handle over and push it the other direction to engage several knives to uproot mid-sized weeds.

After a month or two of heavy use this past summer, the (70 year old) handle broke. In the hustle and bustle of late summer, we turned to our other wheel hoes instead of fixing the Row Hoe, but each time remarked on the Row Hoe’s superiority.

Now that the Row Hoe is fixed, this might be the first time I’ve been excited for the weeds to sprout!