JOHNNY'S COLLINEAR HOE REVIEW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqVV5i8f-_c  

Since we pretty much only use hand tools in our garden (plowing with a broad fork and grubbing hoe and cultivating/weeding either by hand or hoes), our tools are very important to us. Over the last few years, we've bought a few tools from Johnny's Selected Seeds, but none that we've enjoyed more than our latest purchase: the 3 3/4" fixed-blade collinear hoe. Our soil is tough and rocky at times so having a fixed-blade collinear hoe is a necessity for us. We also own a 7" "replaceable blade" collinear hoe from Johnny's that we beat the fire out of in our soil. That replaceable blade collinear is a hoe I would recommend for softer, cleaner soils than we can accomplish here in Bugtussle. For everything else, go with the fixed blade.It should be said that although I would not necessarily recommend the 3 3/4" hoe for extensive cultivation as, well, the blade is small and you will wear yourself out. It's great, however, for precision cultivation, getting between carrots and beets, cut lettuce and arugula. In other words, this is an ideal spring and fall and small garden hoe, when you are not having to get around rows and rows of potato, tomato, or pepper plants. For the bigger jobs, we prefer to employ a larger blade, something 6" - 8".Designed by famed farmer Eliot Coleman, another notable perk to this hoe is the long Maine Ashwood handle coupled with the blade which does not sit perpendicular to the handle like most hoes, but rather at a slight angle. This gives the gardener the unique ability to stand straight up while they cultivate, not only saving one's back, but a significant amount of energy to boot.As our farming mentor Eric says, you just can't beat hand cultivating (as opposed to tractor cultivation) when it comes to effectiveness. And for us, I would say you can't beat using this 3 3/4", long-handled, fixed-blade collinear hoe for that hand cultivation.Sharpen the blade yearly, and make sure to keep the handle treated with linseed oil to extend its life.- Jesse.

IN THE GARDEN.

This past week, we:Started the sweet potato slip bed. We save the best shaped sweet potatoes all winter, bury them under sand and then cover it with wire mesh and a plastic tarp. Once the bed heats up and the potatoes start to sprout we will remove the plastic. These little sprouts are what we plant to get sweet potatoes! We potted up tomatoes into 4 - inch soil blocks (since they are getting too big for the smaller blocks, but it is still too cold to plant them). Jesse and I put up plant variety markers in our own garden. We cut up our seed potatoes and planted nearly a quarter acre. Yukon Gold, Kennebec, and Red Lasoda. And tonight it is supposed to FROST! Oh, spring.- Hannah.

ON THE HUNT.

We've been mushroom hunting like crazy lately. We heard that morels have been found in our county, and the kids and Jesse and I spent a long day searching for them. We mostly ended up with fiddlehead ferns. What about you - has anybody been so lucky yet?  

THIS & THAT.

Some random photos from the past week.The quince is in full bloom. Charlie is in heat right now....so....this has been happening a lot. Mow and Hannah hanging out in the woods.We may be off-the-grid, but our handy radio lets us keep up with our wildcats. GO BIG BLUE! Transplanting lettuce before the rain.