The scuffle hoe for those of us who forget to weed early and often
Scuffle hoes are the most efficient weeding tool, but require that you weed early--just as the weed seeds start sprouting in early spring--and often. You must follow the King Herod Rule. Named after the biblical monarch who ordered the slaughter of infants, i.e. kill them while they're babies. For those who procrastinate and allow the fragile seedlings to mature into tough little plants, there is the Long Handled Cape Cod Hoe.
Like the more familiar Cape Cod Hand Weeder this tool has a forged L-shaped head that beheads weeds just below the soil. Kept sharp, it slides back and forth easily clearing a 5" or so wide path. The cutting blade is angled slightly backward to make sure it doesn't allow especially tough weeds to slip out of its grasp, uncut. The sharpened tip of the blade allows you to thrust it deep into the soil to extricate individual weeds that have matured to the point where even repeated shallow hoeing would not eliminate them.
The head is forged from your choice of 1/2", 5/8", or 3/4" diameter rod for extra strength to eliminate the risk of bending it under all reasonable circumstances. For general garden weeding in cultivated soils, or for extra reach with a lighter weight tool overall, the 1/2" version should be fine. We recommend the 5/8" version for the best balance between weight and strength, and most home owners working in or around planting beds should find this version to as durable as needed. The 3/4" version is truly heavy duty and meant for acreage or more wild or rural land type conditions.
Don't try to use these tools on large tree roots or to pry out rocks, please. We haft the Long Handled Cape Cod Hoe with a thick handle for extra durability. The 5/8" and 3/4" in particular are heavy sons-of-a-gun but beheading overgrown weeds is heavy son-of-a-gun work.
Get the 1/2" version of the tool on an 18” handle if you work at raised beds. This is also our accessible option making work for people who garden from a wheelchair ergonomic and easier on the back.
There are three ordering options:
- Choose a handle length based on your height or order the solid socket head with no handle.
- Choose right or left-handed
- Choose head size: standard small (1/2" - same size as hand tool, standard medium (slightly larger, 5/8” shaft), or large (3/4" shaft)
- This tool comes with a tang-and-ferrule (riveted) connection, but can be made upon request with a solid socket for an additional fee.
The size, shape, and weight of this item means we must charge an additional $10 shipping fee to our flat rate shipping rate to accommodate for the actual cost of shipping it.
