Market Farming

[Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>]

sojourner wrote:

> What's a co-linear hoe?

Holly,

It's a hoe designed by Eliot Coleman. (Col for Coleman and linear for the 
blade being in
line with the handle. I spent some time trying to figure out where the 2 
parallel lines
were until I read an explanation of the name.) A lot of people have 
knock-offs now, but I
think Johnny's carries the original.

The beauty of this hoe is that you put your thumbs "up" on the handle like 
using a broom.
This allows you to keep your back straight- important for those of us who 
have been
stooping for years. The blade will slice just under the surface, killing 
weeds without
turning new seeds up. It's fast and easy, once you get the hang of it.

When buying one, get the replaceable blade model with thin spring steel 
blades. These
work better than the original thick, hardened tool steel blades or thick 
spring steel and
don't break. Also, if you use short strokes close to the body and keep the 
blades
parallel to the soil surface, the blade will self-sharpen in the soil. the 
tool steel
blades were a pain because they broke and I had to carry a stone to sharpen 
them every 30
min. or so.

Alex