In 2021, I sought a tool to make the process of weeding more efficient (an endeavor that in concept would likely make my old-school mother roll her eyes). Although I’ve used hand weeders and cultivators in the past, both of these options still required quite a bit more work than I was looking to put in. They also didn’t allow me to clear large annual garden beds of weeds quickly.
But the stirrup hoe (which is sold under a variety of names, including scuffle hoe, action hoe, loop hoe, and hula hoe) is different. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to, well, a stirrup, its design and functionality are very clever. The Craftsman Action Hoe, which I now use on an almost-daily basis in the garden, has a durable yet lightweight 54-inch hardwood handle attached to a flat, steel blade-head that slightly oscillates back and forth; a simple push and pull action severs weed roots with minimal soil disturbance. Its trapezoidal shape allows for easy maneuvering between plants for highly effective weeding without disrupting or (god forbid) injuring my precious garden.
The stirrup hoe is so much better than the hand weeders and cultivators I’ve used in the past because I can weed from a standing position that reduces the strain on my body. The tool can be leveraged for a variety of soil conditions, from my own dense clay soil to the more lightweight soil in my raised vegetable garden beds. And the ease of use allows me to weed an immense amount of surface area containing small- to medium-size weeds at one time (large weeds require hand weeding or a different tool altogether). After I used the stirrup hoe for a variety of weed-related needs, I realized the once-tedious task could actually be … fun? And, even better, I could weed significantly faster than with previous methods I’ve tried.
Because I work at Wirecutter, I couldn’t just let my own anecdotal evidence speak for itself. I felt compelled to put together my own (vaguely scientific) experiment to prove this new method is far superior to what I’ve tried in the past.
