Good Gardening The Final Week: What We Learned After a Long Year

Welcome back to Good Gardening! In our Week 11 discussion, we wanted to know what the absolute must-have gardening tool is for our Good Gardeners. We got a lot of submissions. Here are some we liked…

Esther Colwell must have read my mind when, on the Sunday following Friday’s post, I began clearing the molding remains of my squash vines with my trusty “hori hori” a typical Japanese tool also called a “Leisure knife” (レジャーナイフ, rejā naifu) or “Sansai knife” (山菜ナイフ, sansai naifu). “Hori” is an onomatopoeia for a digging sound. In any case, Esther also uses one:

It was given to me many years ago by my aunt Marian, who also loved to garden,” Esther wrote in. “It is great for tough weeds like dandelion roots, blackberries, and poison oak.”

Certified Permaculturalist Monica Richards wrote it to say the only thing she ever uses is her, “pick-axe hoe-thingy.”

On social media, we heard Emily Stover give two thumbs up for the “halo hoe” which is a precision deweeding tool that can be used from the comfort of a standing position, the same position from which GNN Founder Geri Weis-Corbley uses a mini-rake for clearing debris around the trunks of important plants.

“They who sing in the summer must dance in the winter,” – Italian Proverb.

Topic Week 12: End of season lessons learned

Question 1: What have you learned after a full season of gardening?

Question 2: What mistakes did you make that you will get right next year?

Question 3: Did you learn anything new from GNNs Good Gardening?

Tell Us Here in The Comments… or, send your questions, tips, and photos to [email protected] Join our Facebook Good Gardens thread every Friday on the GNN Facebook Page…

Good gardening rules

• Green thumbs can help novice greenhorns.
• Share your gardening photos and resources.
• Garden jargon encouraged!

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