Weeding is an essential part of gardening and whether you love it or hate it, it has to be done and with the best garden hoe for weeding it will be less of a job than you might think.
As a vegetable gardener, you want to make sure your plants have the water and nutrients they need to give you a good yield.
So keeping weeds under control is an important job throughout the season. But with the huge choice of hoes on offer, it can be difficult to decide which one is the best for you.
But don’t worry, our experts have put together a list of the 5 best garden hoes for weeding available at the moment to help you out.
#1: AB Tools Dutch Hoe
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Features:
- type: Dutch hoe
- 138cm long
- material hoe head: carbon steel, ensuring durability
- tubular steel handle with rubber grip for comfort and safety
To Consider:
- best garden hoe for weeding on our list
- excellent customer reviews
- great price
- blade head is 150mm wide, so ideal for weeding between rows of plants
- lightweight (800g)
- ideal for annual weeds and perennials with shallow roots
- easy storage with hole at the end of the handle
This sturdy hoe is well priced and as it is made of steel it is also durable. The length of the handle means you don’t have to bend down, saving your back. No wonder our experts liked it so much and chose it as the best garden hoe for weeding.
#2: GARDENA Combisystem Hand Hoe:
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Features:
- type: draw and fork hoe
- 36.6cm long
- hoe head width: 65mm – other widths are available
- material: high quality steel with droplets coating, protecting it from corrosion
- plastic handle with soft components for comfort and ergonomic shape to fit well in the hand
To Consider:
- second-best garden hoe for weeding on our list
- great customer reviews
- great price
- lightweight (330g), which means it will be comfortable to work with even for long periods
- tool will fit any GARDENA handle so can be switched from handheld to be used on a pole
- ideal for weeding and loosening and aerating the soil
- because it is handheld, you work it on more compacted soil too
Using a hoe can become uncomfortable and tiresome, especially when you have to weed a big area. But in our opinion, with this lightweight draw hoe, you can work for hours and still find it comfortable. That’s why it’s the second-best garden hoe for weeding on our list.
#3: Spear & Jackson Dutch Hoe
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Features:
- type: Dutch hoe
- length: 170.5cm
- blade width: 130mm
- handle material: aluminium
- mirror polished stainless steel blade head, making it rust resistant and reduces soil adhesion to a minimum
To Consider:
- third-best garden hoe for weeding on our list
- great customer reviews
- lightweight (780g) – this means it is suitable, even if you have reduced strength, an injured shoulder or are prone to backache
- the long handle will make weeding an easy job whether you are tall or small and with a soft-feel grip you can work with it for hours
- ideal to weed a vegetable bed with soft soil full of annual weeds
- both edges are chamfered, so it will cut the weeds on the forward and backwards stroke
While not the cheapest hoe, it is made from quality materials that will make this tool last for many years, which we think is always a good thing. The extra long handle will ensure that you don’t have to bend down, even if you are taller, which is why it’s the third-best garden hoe for weeding on our expert’s list.
#4: AMES Mini Action Hoe
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Features:
- type: stirrup hoe
- length: 42.24cm
- wooden handle
To Consider:
- fourth-best garden hoe for weeding on our list
- great customer views
- ideal for perennials with longer weed roots as it cuts them below the soil surface
- lightweight (249g)
- gel grip for cushioned comfort
Being a handheld hoe, it is ideal for weeding between plants, as it gives you good control over your motions to prevent your vegetables from getting hurt. Perennial weeds will stand no chance!
#5: Silverline Draw Hoe
Check current stock levels, price, and reviews on Amazon
Features:
- type: draw hoe
- length: 135cm
- blade head width: 150mm
- pressed steel head
- tubular steel shaft with rubber grip
- weight: 1.15kg
To Consider:
- fifth-best garden hoe for weeding on our list
- great customer reviews
- great price
- hoe head has epoxy coating to make it easier to maintain the tool
- easy storage with handing hole in handle
A draw hoe that will make quick work of your weeding without busting your budget, which is what we like a lot. And when you are finished it will just hang up in the shed, out of the way.
What Type Of Hoe Is Best For Weeding?
When it comes to choosing the best garden hoe for weeding your garden, it is important to know what types of hoes there are.
Because every type of hoe is designed differently, they are suitable for different tasks when it comes to weeding.
Let’s have a look at the different types of hoe and when and how they are used.
Dutch Hoe
The Dutch hoe is the most common garden hoe in use. It has a sharp blade that is wide with a hole on the top.
It is used to weed beds with soft soil and is ideal for annual weeds, such as chickweed.
When using a Dutch hoe to weed, you skim it along the soil surface. The sharp blade will then cut the weeds off.
In dry conditions, you can leave the weeds on the surface of the soil to dry out. If the soil is wet, you better pick up the weeds to prevent the weed roots from re-establishing themselves.
A lot of gardeners consider the Dutch hoe the best garden hoe for weeding, because you can work upright, which means your back won’t suffer, and you can get your garden beds done quickly.
The blade of this type of hoe is also small enough to be able to weed between rows of vegetables, keeping them clear of unwanted weeds.
Therefore, it’s a must-have in a vegetable garden.
However, it won’t work for compacted or heavy clay soil. To get through that kind of soil will be hard work with a Dutch hoe and could cause backache.
If you need to get rid of tougher weeds like dandelions, which have deep tap roots, you will struggle with a Dutch hoe.
While you will still be able to cut them off, their stubborn roots will just continue to grow.
That said, if you keep on top of it, the roots will weaken each time you cut the leaves and over time they will die. But it is a long process.
For pesky weeds like these, you are better off using a different garden hoe.
Stirrup Hoe
The stirrup hoe, also sometimes called an oscillating hoe, has a blade that is shaped like a stirrup, hence the name.
With a sharp edge on both sides of the blade, it will cut weeds when you pull and push.
Because it goes deeper into the soil than the Dutch hoe, it cuts the roots deeper. Especially on the pull motion, which is very useful on lager weeds. Therefore, it is considered the best garden hoe for weeding out larger and more persistent weeds.
Due to the double-edged blade, you cut weeds in both the pulling and the pushing motion, so you will make quick work of your weeding.
Using a stirrup hoe is harder work though, so you might not want to weed in this manner for too long, especially if you have a handheld stirrup hoe.
Draw Hoe
This type of garden hoe is basically just a small rectangular paddle on a handle. The blade is set at 90° from the handle.
You use it by pulling, or drawing, it towards you in a pulling and chopping motion. Because you drive the blade into the soil during the chopping motion, you can use it on soft and hard soil.
Depending on whether you have a heavy-duty draw hoe, you can use it for larger weeds.
However, for more heavy-duty work the hoe has to be heavier, so it will be harder work. But it’s a great way to get rid of more persistent weeds.
Some gardeners consider this the best garden hoe for weeding because it can deal with big and small weeds, depending on the type, but it is also useful for other tasks.
For example, you can use a draw hoe to hill up potatoes and break up compacted soil in your beds in spring. And you can also dig with it, so it’s a multipurpose garden tool.
Onion Hoe
This is a specialised handheld tool to weed around onions. Because you tend to plant onions close together, weeding between them can become difficult.
So the onion hoe is small enough to get to the weeds without damaging your onions.
While it was designed to weed around onions, it does also do a good job in rock gardens and on patios, making it the best garden hoe for weeding between plants or other difficult places.
Heart-Shaped Hoe
This type of hoe has a round blade with a pointy tip, almost like a heart, hence the name.
If you have compacted or hard soil, then this tool will be perfect for you. It’s great at digging out weeds that have a spreading weed system, such as clover.
And you can also use it to dig drenches or a furrow for vegetable seeds.
Is Weeding With A Hoe Effective?
The short answer is yes. But you have to use the right weeding tool because the best garden hoe for weeding is the one that is most suitable for the task.
As you have seen above, each type of hoe is differently designed to perform different tasks.
So if you have a vegetable bed full of annual weeds you want to get rid of before planting out courgettes or tomatoes, a Dutch hoe is ideal.
It will quickly skim through the soil, cutting the weeds and bringing them to the top. While it is possible to weed a vegetable bed by hand, it will take much longer and can also strain your back, as you have to bend down.
But you have to keep in mind that larger weeds, with deeper roots, will be more difficult to get rid of this way. So to make it as effective as possible, remove these first by digging them out with a trowel or a fork or use a handheld draw hoe.
How Often Should You Hoe Your Garden?
This is a question every novice gardener asks. The answer is: regularly.
Weeds are easiest to get rid of with a hoe when they are still small. So by keeping on top of it, you make sure that they don’t become tough weeds to remove. And the best garden hoe for weeding can make this job much easier.
Most gardeners weed their beds at the end of the growing season in autumn to reduce weed growth in spring.
Then in spring, use a Dutch hoe to weed your vegetable beds, getting rid of any annual weeds that had the audacity to come up.
During summer, many weeds will come up, so you want to hoe your beds and borders every few weeks.
If you want to know more about this topic, read our article about how to control weeds in your vegetable garden.
How Do You Pull Weeds Without Bending?
Bending down to weed your vegetable beds can be quite strenuous on your back. And the best garden hoe for weeding is the one that lets you do your task comfortably.
Weeding with a long-handled hoe is ideal to save you back. Most types of hoes, such as draw and Dutch hoes, come with long handles.
And some manufactures, such as GARDENA, allow you to change the handles, so that you can use a hoe with a long or a short handle, depending on what you need.
When you are looking for a long-handled garden hoe of any type, make sure that you get one with a handle that works for your height.
If you are tall, a shorter handle might still make you bend, even if not fully. And this could cause backache.
The Spear & Jackson Dutch hoe we are recommending in our list of the best garden hoes for weeding has an extra long handle, which will work even for tall gardeners.
If you want to pull out perennial weeds with long roots such as dandelions, you might want to invest in a weed puller.
These tools allow you to pull out weeds such as dandelions or thistle in an upright position. The way weed pullers are designed, you don’t need too much pressure either to pull out the weeds.
We recommend the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller, because it is made from good quality materials that will last.
And it works great to get these pesky weeds out of your soil or lawn.
- Weed puller for weed control with a diameter of max. 4 cm, For a sustainable and environmentally friendly weed control, Ideal for the extraction of dandelions, thistles, nettles and other root crops in loose soils, vegetable garden or garden
- Traps the roots of the weeds between the claws of the weed puller (up to 10 cm underground), Extracts the plant along with its roots thanks to a patented mechanism of claws, With a little pressure on the handle the claws open and the weeds are released straight into a waiting wheelbarrow and off the lawn
- Work in an upright position: No strain on the muscles and shoulders thanks to the long handle, Practical non-slip handle for a better hold
Now that you know which is the best garden hoe for weeding, you will find it easy to choose the best tool for you. Weeds will have no chance in your garden!
