What is a hoe used for?

Une binette est un outil de jardinage destiné au désherbage et au travail superficiel du sol. Elle se compose d’une lame métallique plate (ou parfois légèrement inclinée) fixée à un manche court ou long. Utilisations principales : - Désherbage superficiel : couper les jeunes mauvaises herbes juste sous la surface du sol. - Aérer et émietter la couche supérieure du sol entre les rangs. - Tracer de petits sillons, recouvrir des semis ou buter légèrement autour des plantes. - Travail rapide sur grandes surfaces quand on utilise une binette à long manche. Variantes courantes : - Binette plate (ou binette classique) : lame rectangulaire, polyvalente. - Binette ronde ou en cœur : pour grattage et précision près des plantes. - Binette oscillante ou à lame affûtée : pour couper les racines en raclant la surface. - Sarcloirs et binettes-anglaises : formes adaptées à des usages spécifiques. Conseils d’utilisation : - Passer la binette quand les mauvaises herbes sont jeunes et que le sol est sec pour un résultat net. - Travailler en brossant ou en raclant la surface, éviter d’enterrer les racines épaisses. - Affûter et nettoyer la lame régulièrement pour faciliter le travail et éviter la rouille. En résumé : la binette est un outil simple mais très efficace pour l’entretien du potager et des massifs, permettant un désherbage rapide et un entretien superficiel du sol sans recours systématique au binage profond.

A hoe is a gardening tool made up of a handle generally in ash wood and a sharp steel blade fixed at a right angle or an acute angle to that handle.

The term ‘hoe’ comes from the Latin bini, meaning ‘to do twice’. Hoeing is therefore the action of going over the ground ‘a second time’ after digging the ground.

A hoe is used to loosen and aerate the surface layer of the soil, and to weed in vegetable beds as well as in ornamental gardens.

There are long-handled hoes for garden work. But there are also hoes with a very short handle, called flower hoes, for working in tubs and window boxes or in small areas.

The blade of the hoe can vary in width: for example a traditional hoe with a 16 cm blade or a rose hoe with a narrow 8 cm blade. Wide blades allow work to be done more quickly when there is enough space, whereas narrow blades can slip easily between plants.

Some hoe blades take on more original shapes: V-blade hoe for precision weeding (even between paving stones), Japanese triangular-headed hoe, heart-shaped hoe, spork-shaped hoe… The latter is used more like a digging fork than as a true hoe.

How and why to use a hoe?

A hoe is a fairly versatile garden tool that can be used in the vegetable patch as well as the ornamental garden. A hoe is used for:

• Hoeing: A hoe is used to hoe. That is to say to break the superficial crust of the soil. This operation, hoeing, allows better penetration of water and air into the top layer of soil. Better aeration of soil around plant roots limits proliferation of moulds. Moreover, this aeration (and the warming that follows) accelerates mineralisation of organic matter, temporarily supplying available nitrogen near plants. Hoeing also reduces evaporation of water at soil surface by breaking capillary rise. “A good hoeing is worth two waterings” Let’s not forget the old adage…
• Weeding: this term refers to scraping the soil with the cutting blade in order to eliminate, to cut the roots of adventive plants and weeds between vegetable ranks or within a border.
• Hilling: hilling consists of bringing soil up to the base of certain plants such as potatoes or beans.

To use a hoe, simply hold the wooden handle with both hands, place the blade on the soil and pull the tool towards you with small jerks. Each slight insertion of the blade into the soil will loosen it and/or sever roots of adventive plants. Keep in mind throughout the operation to keep your back straight.

Care: a hoe is a tool that requires maintenance. Tool must be cleaned after each use and the blade sharpened regularly. The wood handle should receive a little linseed oil in winter.