Long-Handled Weeding Tools—Favorites Old & New
Good cultivation has always been central to controlling weeds, and we've added more efficient weeding and cultivating tools for small-scale growers over the years. Each of these long-handled hand tools excels at one or more kinds of cultivation. Below we explain the three kinds, between rows, within the row and in paths, then cover newer tools and longtime favorites.
Types of Cultivation
Kinds of cultivation
The long-handled tools here are most useful in three places: between rows, between plants in a row, and along paths:
1 • Inter-Row Cultivation
Between-row cultivation, working the soil between rows in a bed, is what most cultivating tools do. The tool moves past the crop, stirring the soil surface and killing weeds nearby.
2 • In-Row Cultivation
In-row cultivation means working between plants in the same row. That's harder with tools pulled along the row, but some clever designs make it possible.
3 • Footpath Cultivation
Path cultivation is simple: kill the weeds in the path and loosen compacted soil.
Each tool below is marked with the kind(s) of cultivation it does best.
New Weeding & Cultivation Tools for Greater Efficiency
Cultivating between rows with the 6" tine weeding rake
Cultivating thread-stage weeds within the row at a New York farm education center
Tine-Weeding Rakes & Harrows
1 & 2 • Inter-Row & In-Row Cultivation
Fast and efficient, tine weeding rakes pull out new weeds at the thread stage, when they're easiest to kill. Drawn over established crops, they rip out tiny weeds and leave the crop unharmed and clean. Using them twice a week over established beds keeps weeds under control.
Tine rakes and harrows also clear debris and break up crusted soil, common in overwintered crops, and they don't disturb drip lines. Changing how hard you press on the handle is the trick to using them for different jobs.
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21" tine weeding rake
The 21" model is mostly used to tine-weed several rows of densely sown crops at once, especially close-spaced ones such as carrots, greens and salad mix.
Cultivating while the crop is young keeps salad and greens mixes fairly weed-free, so they sell better and take less time to harvest. -
6" and 9" tine weeding rakes
The narrow models are best between larger crops spaced 4–9" apart. Used this way they can stand in for any hoe and are much faster, as long as the weeds are at the thread stage. They also work over single-row crops or between rows.
Flex tine weeder
Tine Harrow
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Flex Tine Weeders
With staggered, curved tines, flex tine weeders work well in both young and established crops. Wider sizes are great for multiple rows of densely sown crops, and narrow ones for working between larger plants. -
Tine Harrows
Harrows act more aggressively than flex tine weeders, with angled teeth that scratch heavier soils yet also suit crops with upright, strappy leaves, such as onions and other monocots. A tine harrow can also level, fluff, aerate or dry a bed, or spread and work in amendments before or after planting.
These professional tools have removable tines, so they're more versatile and last longer. Take out the center tines, for example, to weed both sides of a single-row crop. Replacement tine kits are sold for each model.
See our tine weeding rake instructions for the basics of timing, conditions and technique…
Hit established weeds and thread-stage weeds at once: two weedings in one
5" wheel weeder
Wheel Weeders
Wheel weeders work best at a brisk walk. They combine two actions:
- A stirrup-hoe-style blade, adjustable for angle and height, that slices under larger established weeds.
- Light soil disturbance from the wheel, which sifts out smaller weeds from the thread stage up to about 4" tall.
Together they pull young weeds out and leave them on the surface to dry out and die.
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5"-Wide & 7"-Wide Wheel Weeders
The two narrower wheel weeders are best between several crop rows in a bed.
2 • In-Row Cultivation -
11"-Wide Wheel Weeder
The widest wheel weeder is ideal for weeding paths.
3 • Footpath Cultivation
Long-Time Long-Handled Favorites
These long-handled tools have stood the test of time, each with its own job. The right tool makes work quicker and more efficient, and a well-designed, ergonomic one can even make it enjoyable. Not convinced? Read on…
Stirrup Hoes
1, 2 & 3 • Inter-Row, In-Row & Footpath Cultivation
Stirrup hoes: efficient, versatile, tough
A grower favorite, thanks to its efficiency, versatility and toughness.
The stirrup hoe is an all-purpose hoe that covers ground fast. It slices roots on both the push and the pull, and is especially good between rows and in paths. The spring steel blade is tough enough for bigger weeds but rounded, so you can work close to the crop without nicking it.
Three widths are available, 3¼", 5" and 7", all with a sturdy ash handle to handle the extra strain of the push stroke. Replacement Blades are also available when you need them.
Collinear Hoes
1, 2 & 3 • Inter-Row, In-Row & Footpath Cultivation
Three collinear hoes: 3¾" fixed blade (left), 7" fixed blade (center) and 7" replaceable blade (right)
Designed by Eliot Coleman, the collinear hoe is a distinctive and very popular tool with a sharp rectangular blade that lies flat along (collinear with) the ground. It's a draw hoe: you pull it toward you to slice weeds just under the surface, where they wilt and die.
It's versatile, and especially good around low leafy crops such as head lettuce.
It was built for comfort from the start, meant to be used standing upright to spare your lower back. Hold it thumbs-up, like a broom. Sweep it back and forth for light weed pressure, or pull it harder as a draw hoe for larger weeds.
See our collinear hoe instructions for more…
With just-emerging weeds you can simply drag the wire weeder through the soil (left), or use a back-and-forth motion (right). Tilt it slightly to fit between close-spaced crops.
at a university student farm.
The Wire Weeder
1 & 2 • Inter-Row & In-Row Cultivation
The wire weeder, another very ergonomic Eliot Coleman design, works with pinpoint precision. Like the collinear hoe, it's used with a straight back and both thumbs up.
It's ideal for emerging weeds, especially around young or tightly spaced crops where you need a delicate touch. The edge is fairly blunt, so instead of cutting weeds it flips them over and exposes their roots to the sun.
A short-handled wire weeder is also available.
Trapezoid hoe: great for tough mid-size weeds
The Trapezoid Hoe
1, 2 & 3 • Inter-Row, In-Row & Footpath Cultivation
The trapezoid hoe shines on medium-size weeds. It's a classic chopping hoe with a distinctive trapezoid shape. The beveled spring steel blade is angled just enough to slip under the edges of plants, and the sharp corners handle stubborn roots.
It comes in 5" and 6½" widths, with Replacement Blades for both when seasons of hard use wear them down.
The CobraHead® long-handled precision weeder and cultivator
The Cobrahead® 1 & 2 • Inter-Row & In-Row Cultivation
The CobraHead's curved blade works like a steel fingernail. It weeds, cultivates, digs and makes furrows easily in nearly any soil.
The forged steel blade lasts for many seasons and is held with Allen screws, so it's easy to replace if ever needed.
Work the 3-tooth cultivator vigorously back and forth; it's especially good between rows.
The 3-Tooth Cultivator
2 & 3 • Inter-Row & Footpath Cultivation
Eliot Coleman designed the 3-tooth cultivator for a push-pull motion to mix in compost and fertilizer and loosen soil. Why include it here? It also cultivates between rows and in paths, and is very effective on newly sprouted weeds there, since its teeth bury and smother them.
Learn More
- Flame-weeding Tutorial • Article
- Weed problems? Tackling annual and perennial weeds • Article
- Choosing a wheel hoe • Article
- A two-part plan for season-long weed control • Article
