Wheel hoe

The Valley Oak Wheel Hoe may be the single greatest hand tool that we use on the farm these days.  The blade/hoop attachment slices easily and cleanly through the invasives that we are continually fighting like thistle, burdock and curly dock.  This is a fun tool to use:  no bending or kneeling and it's gratifying to slice through a thick thistle plant and root! 

 

This photo shows the end of a garlic bed that wasn't fully planted with garlic.  I first cleared it with the wheel hoe blade attachment and then attached the 3 tine cultivator which allowed me to clear the "trash" from the bed and then loosened the soil.  I then put in some beet seeds.

Wheel Hoe - made in the USA.  Ours was purchased through the

great folks at Green Heron Tools 

 

 

 Chard in the foreground, kale in the back.  Buckwheat cover to the right.  The buckwheat is really taking it's time this spring to get going.  Some of the weeds are getting ahead of the buckwheat so the smother benefits might be minimal. 

Today, right out the front door on the county road at our church-house was a young turkey. 

New broadfork

We have two new farm implements.

New trailer for hauling (hauling stuff!)

And we decided to experiment with a broadfork. Thanks to Barb for telling us about Gulland Forge. A-used-to-be-in Wisconsin based (now Kentucky) forger and artisan who handcrafts broadforks.



Bill is making great progress on the new ReAdapted shop. Sparky is running again too thanks to a new starter.

In garlic news, we've completed our garlic seed bank purchases. Our MOSA organic inspector called last week and they will be out to inspect in mid-October.


Church/home garden is looking great. I think I've finally gotten ahead of the quack grass this year thanks to the wheel hoe with the tine cultivator attachment. 3 passes have really cleared out the majority of the quack! This is the best looking garden I've had in years. (Although Bill tells me the farm garden is even better! I haven't been there in a couple of weeks; will be there tomorrow.)

Mustard greens, turnips, chard