"Roy" wrote in message
...
On 26 May 2004 07:07:19 -0700, (Max) wrote:

===Blarneystone wrote:
=== I've got a very small 8ft by 8ft garden that has tomato and bean
plants.
=== My problem is that for some reason each year thousands of little
grass
=== type of weeds pop up. They are difficult to get to do to sheer
number and
=== closeness to the other veggie plants.
===
=== Is there a small weeding tool that might help? Or do you have any
=== recommendations. It seems I'll weed one day and they have
returned the
=== next.
===
===
===I really like this hoe from Lee Valley: http://tinyurl.com/2h4by
===
===With the small blade I have good control and get as close as I want.
It's
===also ideal for weeding large mulched areas with weeds scattered here
and
===there; all the while standing up with a straight back, no stooping.
===
===
===Max

I usually pen up a few of my geese (brown china) in my garden after
the plants get some size to them, and they dop a mavelous job of
ridding all weeds.........after the initial burst of new weeds in the
spring, and the geese have things under control, I mulch it heavily
before itgets really hot out in this area, and I am pretty well
weedfree in the veggie garden the rest of the season. Have yet to have
planated plants get eaten by my geese, as they prefer nice young
tender greens be it grass or weeds, so once a plant is approx 6" tall
in come the geese.

I do use a typical garden hoe on occasion and have tried that stirrup
type, but found it cumbersome or awkward, for me at least. I did make
a home brew hoe out of an old machette blade that broke ata the
handle. Its on a pole attached at about an 80 deg angle and is
approximately 7" long, which is great for slicing under the soils and
cutting those roots.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

Utilizing the geese is a great idea. And you get the added benefit of them
fertilizing your garden at the same time.

Brigitte