Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: Petite graine on June 28, 2007, 02:46

Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 28, 2007, 02:46: Sorry, newish to gardening here...

I read a bit about hoes and I gather that it is used to cut the top of weeds and that kills them ? Is that right ? I must say I never heard about this method. I usually just dig them up and make sure I take the roots with it so that baffles me a bit.

What about a trowel ? I have seen mentioned a few times on this section of the forum, but to me, it is a masonery tool. I haven't a clue what you are talking about then. What do you use it for ?

Thanks
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: DD. on June 28, 2007, 07:54: Hoes - there are several types, but the main types are a push (Dutch) hoe..

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c182/G4IAR/l_DHM.jpg)

This is pushed through the soil and generally used when the weeds are very small. It just chops them off and saves the need for digging big ones up. (In theory!).

Draw hoe..

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c182/G4IAR/l_HWM15.jpg)

Can also be used for chopping off weeds, but this one is pulled towards you. (Possibly not the best picture). It can also be used for pulling soil to hill up potatoes etc.

Trowel..

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c182/G4IAR/l_LUK.jpg)

For digging small holes to plant bulbs, small plants etc.

Hope that helps!
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 28, 2007, 14:14: Thanks for the illustrated and complete answer ! :D

For the hoe, is there a reason why there is a triangular hole in the middle ? Do you put the weed in the middle ?

For the trowel, I understand better now ! I would just have called that a hand held spade :D

A trowel for me was that :

(http://www.hooverfence.com/tools/pointing-trowel-sm.jpg)

Thanks
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: DD. on June 28, 2007, 14:42: Quote from: "Petite graine"
Thanks for the illustrated and complete answer ! :D

For the hoe, is there a reason why there is a triangular hole in the middle ? Do you put the weed in the middle ?

No thats just the design. You push the front of the hoe through the soil & it chops the weeds off. The front is sharpened, but not as sharp as a carving knife!
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 28, 2007, 14:51: Ah OK, I can picture it now :wink: .

Thanks!
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: WG. on June 28, 2007, 14:53: Tee hee ... you've actually got a trowel pictured in your avatar. Second left of the ladybirds which seem to have been hung for treason.
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 28, 2007, 21:00: Quote from: "whisky_golf"
Tee hee ... you've actually got a trowel pictured in your avatar. Second left of the ladybirds which seem to have been hung for treason.
I was just going to say that WG :lol: :roll:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: DD. on June 28, 2007, 21:09: Quote from: "Aunt Sally"
Quote from: "whisky_golf"
Tee hee ... you've actually got a trowel pictured in your avatar. Second left of the ladybirds which seem to have been hung for treason.
I was just going to say that WG :lol: :roll:

I was polite enough not to.
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 28, 2007, 23:13: I'll bet there's a bomb in that flowerpot on the left though DD :shock:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: DD. on June 28, 2007, 23:39: Quote from: "Aunt Sally"
I'll bet there's a bomb in that flowerpot on the left though DD :shock:

Only a small tactical one. :lol:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 29, 2007, 00:32: It's just the name I had a problem with. I know what you mean now :D

Wouldn't you call it a spade too though?

There are so many new words I am learning at the moment. How exciting! :lol: :lol:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: DD. on June 29, 2007, 07:13: Quote from: "Petite graine"
It's just the name I had a problem with. I know what you mean now :D

Wouldn't you call it a spade too though?

There are so many new words I am learning at the moment. How exciting! :lol: :lol:

I don't know if you've heard of the expression, 'calling a spade a spade'.
Well, likewise, we call a trowel a trowel!
Spade (http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19970115)
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: brucesgirl on June 29, 2007, 08:42: Never mind Petite Graine - if I was gardening in France I wouldn't know what any of the tools were named.
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 29, 2007, 09:02: Thanks Bruce :D

DD, yes I've heard the expression. In France, we say "To call a cat a cat" :lol:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Petite graine on June 29, 2007, 09:05: Talking about new words, I amazed my husband the other day when I told him the difference between a pent shed and an apex one. He didn't have a clue and he is the English one ! :lol:
Title: What do you do with a hoe and a trowel ?
Post by: Trillium on July 05, 2007, 21:26: As DD says, unless the weeds are very small, I'd stick with digging them out, especially the long-rooted ones. Chop them up and you're simply multiplying your problem. And learning the full meaning of Exasperated.