After the heavy weeding I did this year, I have several tools that I highly recommend for weeding. I also have outdoor products to recommend that can help lengthen the life of your outdoor items. As someone who likes to keep her gardening tools to a minimum, I would only recommend these items because I find them to be effective.

The first item is called a “Kusakichi Nejiri Scraper (Long Handle & Neck)” ($15) and it is a Japanese weeding tool. I purchased this tool through Hida Tools from their website.

This is quite an extraordinary tool. It is used much like a hoe where you scrape the top of the soil but unlike a hoe where you dig and loosen the soil, this one gently cuts and pulls the weeds on top. Digging is minimal, you can direct the sharp point to dig at the more stubborn roots.

I find that using this tool cuts down on time dramatically. It is possible to clear an area quickly and from my experience, emerging weeds is reduced as the soil is less disturbed. It can be used among mulch and small rocks should you need to weed under. The best way to clear an area is to use it in one direction and then use it in a different direction and it will continue to cut and drag the weeds. The tool is also light and comfortable in my hands.

While shopping at Hida Tools, I recommend the lightweight and sharp “Bonsai Garden Trowel (Narrow Blade)” ($14). I find this to be a better precision tool when digging around my clay soil and especially digging out weeds. Because of the lightness, you will tire less when you have a big weed job.

I have a lot of brick in my garden and backyard area. Because we are a no pesticide garden, the tougher items to combat are weeds growing in between concrete or brick cracks. Even in bricked areas far away from the garden, a weed will inevitably grow there. While pricey, the Lee Valley Crack Weeder ($40) is a good tool.

I have used trowels and even a flat head screwdriver to dig out weeds in between the cracks but this weeder does something those tools do not. It can dig deep into the soil and pull out the entire root system from below. It will cut down on the amount of time using those other less effective tools and you can use this and clear an area rapidly. It is also a satisfying achievement to be able to dig out the heavily rooted oxalis.

Wood is a material that I like in my garden but with our extreme rain and heat, it can warp and ruin a piece of wood within a year. Enter the Behr Premium Waterproofing Wood Finish ($21 for one quart). I used this for my potting shed in 2023, a very rainy year for us. I used about 4 coats of sealant on the outside of this shed. After the end of that wet weather season, I added another coat just to prep it for the summer. The shed has held up really well. I would continue to add a coat or two every season and it should last for awhile. I also use it for any piece of wood decoration I may have. There is a slight distortion of the color of the wood, adding a bit of yellow tint to everything. After looking at it for awhile though, you will not notice.

The final item that I highly recommend is the E6000 Premium adhesive glue ($7 for 2 oz tube). As someone who lacks confidence is most glues, I avoided fixing my beloved terra cotta bird when it broke. Hearing many positive remarks on the regular E6000 glue, I felt confident that the outdoors version of this glue would be successful. And it is.

I have previously used the brand of glue with an animal, as it was highly recommended, but I was completely disappointed in the product, with it being unable to stick ceramic properly let alone having it survive more than a day in the outside weather. The E6000 Premium comes in a gel form and you have a clean and accurate adhesion of your pieces. I have used it to fix cracked pots and even used it on my composite raised beds where a few of the pieces broke due to expansion. As someone who hates to wastefully purchase a glue to find that it isn’t adhering, I highly recommend this impressive glue.

I hope this post has been useful to you with some of those nagging issues plaguing your garden. I have much confidence in these items and as a full disclaimer, I was not paid to make this post.