Garden Cultivators

Richard L. Parish, PhD, PE

If you have a small garden, or you have a larger garden and are energetic, there are many manual cultivation tools available for your use. A powered rotary tiller is not always necessary.

High-wheeled cultivators: These are an excellent choice for opening, covering, and cultivating fairly long rows. These cultivators have one large wheel (about two feet in diameter) and a pair of handles. The traditional models have a wooden frame, but newer styles use a steel frame. You usually have a choice of three tools that can be mounted on the cultivator. A small, straight shovel is used to make planting furrows. A small twisted moldboard plow can be used to cover planting furrows or to throw soil on a row of crops (hilling sweetcorn or potatoes, for instance). The primary tool is a 5-pronged cultivator that can be used to loosen soil and remove small weeds. These machines are relatively easy to push and steer. They allow you to cultivate between narrow rows and also get close to crop rows. The cost is typically under $100.

Long-handled hoes: This is the traditional cultivating tool for small gardens. Hoes come in many shapes and old-timers will argue vigorously about the relative advantages of their favorite. More important than shape is keeping the blade sharp. You should file a hoe blade as needed to keep a sharp edge.

Scuffle hoes: These are designed to cut in two directions - on both the push and pull strokes, thus they can work twice as fast as a conventional hoe. Furthermore, they don’t have to be lifted out of the ground. Many have blades that are shaped in a loop. The loop may be rigidly attached to the toolhead, or the loop may be free to wobble through a short arc. Again, personal preference will dictate your choice. These hoes allow faster and easier cultivation than a standard garden hoe.

Scuffle hoes with spiked wheels: These combination tools go a step further. They have a row of spiked wheels mounted behind the scuffle hoe blade. As the blade undercuts the soil crust and the weeds, the spiked wheels break up the crust and knock soil off of the roots of the weeds. This allows you to move faster since multiple passes are less necessary.

Pronged cultivators: They are similar to the pronged attachments for high-wheel cultivators, but have a long handle for manual operation. They are good at soil loosening and can root out larger weeds. They can operate in only one direction.

More exotic cultivators: These are available from many sources. They include angled pairs of rotating tines, one-sided scuffle hoes, and others.

In summary, there are many types of manual cultivation tools that can do an effective job of removing weeds and loosening soil. Most will work, but you will probably find one or two that you like best. Experienced gardeners tend to have a shed full of cultivation tools; some they swear by and some they swear at. My favorites are a scuffle hoe (with and without the spiked wheels) and a high-wheeled cultivator.