hoes in waiting
Despite — or possibly because of — the dusting of snow on my car this morning, I’m dreaming of the first sunny, breezy summer day when I break in my new stirrup hoes — also known as action, hula, or scuffle hoes. I’ve been saving the “golden” hoe that Elden gave me for my birthday one year (trust me, I was thrilled!) for the first hoeing at our farm. I invested in three more stirrup hoes this spring, hoping that I’ll have help from friends and family — and possibly farm members — this summer.
When my dad helped me break ground with the plow at Stone’s Throw Farm last fall, we made three small fields: one is about 1 acre, and the other two are 1/2 acre fields. It doesn’t sound like much, but when we were done, my dad did one of those take-off-the-cap, scratch-the-head, and replace-the-cap moves, and said, “I don’t know … it looks like a lot of hoeing to me!”
It takes a little while to get the hang of it, but using a stirrup hoe can be a good experience, especially if you catch the weeds when they’re very small. You just have to find your rhythm, settle in, and think of how happy your veggie plants will be without all the weeds stealing nutrients from the soil and hogging the sunshine. A weed-free bed is a beautiful sight for a farmer’s eyes.
Stone's Throw Farm 
My Gram used to hoe and weed every morning. You could literally walk between every plant in her garden. It was so beautiful. So, hoe with a passion girl!