[sarah1983jane]

Hi, Daft blonde question I know but...
someone gave me agarden hoe, the sort with a flat front then 2 side bits that joins the shank.
Its great for chopping weed heads off and getting under leafy plants but should I be picking up the weed heads or id it ok to just let them stay on the soil surface?
Do you think hoeing is good enough or should I be hand picking the weeds?

My allotment is 10 beds that are 2 meters by 5 meters each so its a huge space for little me to hand pick every weed.

Any tips are most welcome - or if any one has any chickens that are trained to identify weeds and eat just the weeds I would love to buy some!

[DD.]

I'm idle.

I leave them in situ as an example to other weeds that dare to grow. Mind you, some can re-root if the weather is damp.

[mumofstig]

I leave them where they are to shrivel
If they regrow.............that's when I make the effort to move them 

[Springlands]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment-tips/how-to-hoe.php

This might help - if link works. 

[Salmo]

An old saying is "hoe when there are no weeds" may seem daft. When you have the odd spare 5 minutes just run up your rows with a hoe to chop off any tiny weeds. As well as the ones you can see you will also kill any germinating under the surface.

The bigger you allow the weeds to get the harder it is to hoe.

Hoe as close to the crop as you dare. That will just leave just a  few weeds in the row to hand pull.

If the weeds are tiny leave them on the soil. If they have got a bit big then it is best to take them off, especially chickweed which re-roots very easily.

[DD.]

I don't usually have a problem with chickweed, but find that Groundsel is a so and so for re-rooting.

[digalotty]

hoe on dry sunny days so that the sun dries them out and kills them off 

[DD.]

I find this wind pretty effective as well. 

[Springlands]

I find this wind pretty effective as well. 

Unfortunately it is killing of everything else as well - it has really finished of my beans. 

[JayG]

One of my dutch hoes is a quality stainless steel jobby but still came with no discernible edge to it; works much better after a few minutes with a coarse and then fine file to bevel the edge!

Let the blade do the work (until you get to chickweed stems which even a sharp hoe seems to bounce off!)   

[fatcat1955]

Try to keep a sharp edge on your hoe too.

[DD.]

I bought a swoe last year, (not this brand though):

Swoe

Not sure how I managed without one. Highly recommended.

[fatcat1955]

Look's like a sand wedge.

[DD.]

You would eat this one! 

It's sharp, it's got blades on all three edges and being angled slices through weeds better.

[Christine]

I wouldn't know how to use a hoe anymore as I've had a swoe so long. I can do party tricks with it to the amusement of those who have never seen one before.