Gardening is tiring and time-consuming, so it's no wonder that some garden owners think about the benefits of some work. Hoeing the beds is an important point because this activity is always necessary.
Why and how should you hoe a bed?
Beds should be hoeed regularly to keep the soil loose, aerated and weed-free. However, you should not chop too deeply to avoid damaging the roots. Hoe when the sun is shining and the ground is dry so that the weeds dry out more quickly.
Create a new bed
If you want to create a new bed, hoeing is usually one of the first things you do. If the soil is nice and loose, the planting work is much easier to do. In addition, the irrigation water reaches the roots of your plants more easily. To better retain moisture in the soil, you can also cover the bed with some bark mulch.
Do I have to hoe my beds regularly?
By hoeing regularly, you can keep the soil of your bed permanently loose and at the same time it will always be well ventilated. This is supposed to stimulate your plants to grow more, unfortunately this also works on weeds. Since vegetable beds are usually not mulched, hoeing is often the preferred method of removing weeds from them.
Can I make mistakes when hacking?
Hacking is tiring but not particularly complicated. Nevertheless, mistakes can be made. If you hoe your soil too deeply, you can damage the roots of your plants. You should definitely avoid this. A claw or a pig's tooth (€14.00 on Amazon) may make this easier for you.
If you want to make your work a little easier, you can hoe when the soil is slightly moist. Unfortunately, this often doesn't work as desired because the weeds that have been chopped off grow back if they are not removed from the bed. However, if it is sunny and the soil is dry, then the bed does not need to be cleaned. The weeds simply dry up as long as they are not too big.
Can hoeing also harm my bed?
The most important things in brief:
- keeps the soil loose
- removes weeds
- ventilates the soil
- do not chop too deeply to avoid damaging the roots
- hoe when the sun is shining so the weeds dry out quicker
Tip
If the ground is moist when hoeing, the work is easier, but weeds often grow back. Either you hoe when the sun is shining or you collect the chopped weeds from the bed.
