Wheel Hoe Selection Guide
About the Wheel Hoe
Wheel hoes became common in the U.S. in the late 1800s with the Planet Jr., an affordable tool that boosted output on small farms where horses, and later engines, were scarce. Around 1900 and for decades after, many market gardeners and small farmers plowed with a single horse in spring and then cultivated the rest of the season with wheel hoes.
Today the wheel hoe is still a great cultivating tool for small market gardens, urban plots, high tunnels, greenhouses, homesteads and serious home gardens. Light, versatile and easy to steer, it gives you more leverage than a regular hoe, so you cover ground faster.
Wheel hoe advantages include:
- No engine needed.
- Cultivation with no fuel or fumes, in the field or under cover.
- An ergonomic design that lets you stand upright while you work.
- Versatility, with many attachments and adjustments for different crops and row layouts.
- A good fit for no-till and low-till systems.
- Durability, with few moving parts to break.
What Is Cultivation?
Cultivation just means stirring the top layer of soil to kill small weeds that have come up and those about to break the surface. Eliot Coleman puts the difference neatly in The New Organic Grower: cultivation heads weeds off before they become a problem, while weeding deals with the problem after it happens.
“Cultivation prevents weed problems; weeding cleans them up.”
Types of cultivation
With the right attachments, a wheel hoe can cultivate and weed in three main ways.
- In-row cultivation: working between plants in the same row.
- Between-row cultivation: working between rows in the same bed.
- Path cultivation: killing weeds in the path and loosening compacted soil.
Choosing your wheel hoe
We carry two styles of wheel hoe that together handle all three kinds of cultivation.
- Single-Wheel Hoes work best in paths and between rows.
- Double-Wheel Hoes are mainly for in-row work, cultivating both sides of a row in one pass. Note: make sure your crop spacing and height suit the hoe's design; details below.
Wheel Hoe Models
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Terrateck Single Wheel Hoe
Made in: France
Uses: Between rows and in paths
Weight: 16.5 lb (7.5 kg)Description: The Terrateck single wheel hoe is light and versatile, with lots of attachments and adjustments. Its arms can be offset so you can cultivate the bed while walking in the path. Attachments swap quickly in the field with no tools, and with a secondary tool mount you can "stack" two attachments to hit weeds in two zones at once. Attachments are sold separately.
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Terrateck Double Wheel Hoe
Made in: France
Uses: In the row, between rows and in paths
Weight: 19.8 lb (9 kg)
Description: The double wheel hoe straddles the row to cultivate both sides in one pass, and with attachments such as Finger Weedersit also works in the row. Like the single model it's light and can be set up with offset arms to cultivate beds from the path. It has more accessories than the single, all quick to attach in the field, and you can also pair two attachments to target weeds in two zones at once. It suits crops up to 8" tall with at least 7¼" spacing. Attachments are sold separately. -
Glaser Wheel Hoe
Glaser wheel hoeMade in: Germany (chassis) and USA (ashwood handles)
Uses: In the row, between rows and in paths
Weight: 15.2 lb (6.9 kg) with the 8" oscillating hoe; 16.4 lb (7.4 kg) with the 12" oscillating hoe
Description: Modeled on the original late-1800s Planet Jr., the Glaser single wheel hoe is light, strong and very easy to steer. The arms can be offset so you can work the bed from the path, and several attachments are available. For in-row work, the hiller attachment throws soil against one side of a row at a time. It comes with a 12" or 8" center-mounted oscillating stirrup hoe. (An oscillating blade pivots back and forth instead of staying fixed.)
Choosing Your Wheel Hoe Attachments
The most-used cultivating attachments are standard blades such as oscillating stirrup hoes, plus sweeps and discs for hilling. We carry these along with many other attachments for different crops and jobs for every wheel hoe model we sell.
See the attachment and compatibility table for what fits each model.
- Collinear hoe blades: Made for shallow cultivation, the collinear hoe has been called a "soil shaver" by Eliot Coleman for its smooth, precise cut just under the surface. The sharp inner edge slices thread-stage weeds and lifts them to the top. Good between rows and in paths. Several widths fit the Terrateck single wheel hoe.
- Stirrup hoe: This classic tool is also called an oscillating hoe, or hula hoe. Sharp on both edges, it cuts weeds on both the push and the pull as the blade rocks back and forth. It's strong enough for thread-stage and bigger weeds. Ideal between rows and in paths. Available for Glaser single and double wheel hoes.
- Bio-discs: These small disc harrows are great for in-row weed control and for hilling young crops such as onions, beets, corn and carrots. An accessory for the Terrateck double wheel hoe; take out the inner coulters for more aggressive hilling.
- Hilling blades: The hilling blade, also called a ridger or a furrower, is basically a small V-plow for opening deep furrows for planting or building ridges to hill potatoes, leeks, onions, beans and peas. It also helps lift root crops at harvest and bury the edges of plastic mulch. Hillers work best in well-prepared soil. Models fit the Glaser single and the Terrateck wheel hoes.
- Spring tine harrows: Flexible tines scratch the surface and pull out thread-stage weeds. They work best in loose, lightly crusted soil without long stems or straw, and can be used together with other attachments for more thorough weed control. Fine or heavy wire versions, for Terrateck wheel hoes only.
- L-Blades and Preci-Discs: These attachments cultivate precisely along both sides of young crops. On a Terrateck hoe, L-blades are used mostly on upright crops and can be set to cut weeds right up to the base of the plant. Preci-discs pair 45° blades with vertical coulters that keep the hoe tracking straight and limit breakup of soil crust that could shift and damage seedlings.
- Finger weeders: Mounted in matched, angled pairs on a tool bar, finger weeders are one of the few tools that tackle thread-stage weeds within the row, cracking the soil from the root zone up so weed roots and sprouting seeds lose contact with soil moisture. The flexible fingers work safely around crops with sturdy stems, such as carrots, corn, brassicas and lettuce, and can be stacked with other attachments. Two versions, for medium to heavy soil and for soft or sandy soil, fit the Terrateck double wheel hoe only.
- Torsion weeders: Like finger weeders, torsion weeders target weeds in the row. Their stiff wires can be set to work right up to crop stems, and they're especially handy under low, spreading crops such as head lettuce.
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Tine cultivators: These let the soil breathe and water soak in. The Eliot Coleman–designed 3-tine cultivator for the Glaser wheel hoe has curved tines with flat tips that quickly break up crusted, compacted soil. Mount it behind the oscillating hoe to loosen soil and cut weeds at the same time; it's also useful for working in compost and fertilizer.
Terrateck wheel hoes take either a 3-tine or a 5-tine cultivator. Both loosen crusted soil and remove larger weeds; the heavier 5-tine model is wider and digs deeper and harder in tough topsoil to remove late-stage weeds, clean up paths or pull out crop residue after harvest.
How to Use a Wheel Hoe Effectively
- Keep blades sharp for the best results. Dull blades waste time. A sharp blade lets the hoe work at its best, which means less effort for you. We carry sharpeners and hones for exactly this.
- Keep a steady pace. A rhythmic push-pull motion with your body helps break up crusted and heavier soils.
- Find what feels right. Where you hold the handles depends on your center of gravity, upper and lower body strength and personal preference. Experiment with different attachments to find the angles and effort that feel most comfortable for your body.
Additional Features to Consider
Stacking attachments: Some wheel hoes can take combined, or stacked, attachments to cover a wider area in one pass. The Terrateck double wheel hoe, for instance, can carry both finger weeders and preci-discs (see photo).
Offsets: Most of our models can be fitted with offset arms so you can cultivate beds from the path. Staying in the path keeps you from stepping on freshly cut weeds and helping them re-root, and from compacting bed soil. (The Terrateck offset handle assembly can't be used with finger weeders.)
Hardware: Some wheel hoes, such as the Terrateck models, use quick Y-bolt clamps so attachments can be swapped by hand in the field without tools.
Mounting accessories: Terrateck wheel hoes accept mounting accessories, such as the secondary tool mount, for attaching different cultivating tools.
See our Terrateck and Glaser attachment and compatibility table for details on options.
Learn More
Use this guide alongside current product specs to compare wheel hoe options. Questions? Reach us through our contact page and mention the product or section you're asking about.
Additional Resources
- Attachment and compatibility table • Chart
- Printable version of this article • PDF tech sheet
- Weed problems? Tackling annual and perennial weeds • Article
- Flame-weeding Tutorial, from a market gardener in Québec • Article
- Long-handled weeding and cultivating tools, classic and modern • Article
