A hori hori does almost everything I need a hand tool to do. Most often I use it to weed, either by popping up them up, or by digging deep and cutting the root. I also use it to plant smaller plants, using it sort of like a trowel. I also deadhead with it, cut open bags, trim twine and generally walk around the garden feeling like a badass (carrying a giant knife will do that).
Last year I talked about the hori horis I’ve loved before. I ended up getting the A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife and I’ve been using it for a year (and wrote about it here). I’ve found it to have some important benefits over other soil knives I’ve used. For one, the handle is rounded and much more comfortable in your hand. It is also bright orange which is a much bigger deal than I realized. Because I often stick my knife in the ground, I used to lose them all the time. For weeks at a time. The orange helps with that a lot.
So today I’m giving away an A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife to one lucky reader. This one’s on me because that’s how much I like this thing. I bet you will too.
To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below to login and leave a comment telling me about your favorite garden tool.
IMPORTANT: In order to leave a comment, you need to go to the bottom of the post and click on “50 comments” (or whatever the number is up to) in order to leave your comment. I’ve made it bigger and highlighted it to help you find it. Additional entries are available by liking The Impatient Gardener on Twitter or Instagram.
Yesterday, several people reported problems with commenting. I’ve changed the commenting form view in hopes that that will help (apparently with the way it was, you had to have third party cookies turned on in your browser). If you have a hard time commenting, just drop me an email at [email protected] and I’ll make sure you’re entered.
I’ll pick a winner on May 6. And don’t forget, you can still enter to win a Perfect Garden Hose.
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65 Responses
as crazy as it sounds, my favorite garden tool right now is a pair of needle nose pilers. i have SO many tree seedlings popping up in my garden since this spring has been comparatively rainy here in austin. i use the pliers to pull the seedlings out by the root so they don't come back. it doesn't always work, but it gets most of them!
Dandelions are killing me right now, so i love my dandelion weeding tool. love the idea of using needle nose pliers!
Changes with the seasons — My pruning shears are my favorite right now. We bought a new house and so many of the bushes are overgrown and look sad and tangly.
My favorite tool is my pruners. I don't go out into the garden without them. They are great for clipping stray branches or picking flowers.
I think big. Mine would be the lawn mower! Nothing like fresh cut grass.
This knife is my favorite garden tool! I lost mine that I'd had for several years, during a recent move. No idea what happened to it buy wow, I was happy to see this one pop up in your giveaway!
This is a fantastic tool. It could be used for a lot of things. Thanks!
Mine is just an old-fashioned weeder. It gets the job done, but I'd love to try something like the knife. Thanks for the giveaway!
I love the little hand rake thingy (Ha! I don't even know it's real name!)
I don't really have a favorite tool yet… With a huge lawn, probably our riding mower. 🙂 But I'm hoping to start paring down grass for gardens so that will likely change.
My favorite tool is a weeded. I don't know the proper name. It has a long wooden handle and a forked metal piece on the end. I feel very satisfied when I am able to get weed and root out of the ground,
My small hand clippers and hand shovel. I keep them in a bucket with my gloves because I'm always walking around deadheading and pulling weeds. This tool looks very useful.
I have a few really old ones. this tool is wonderful I use it for everything its the only thing I can get in our rock hard clay
My pruning shears are my go to. But this sounds amazing
My favorite tool is my spade. I cannot live without it.
Fork prong weeder is the tool I wouldn't be without right now.
I love my hori hori. Mine doesn't have a bottle opener on it. Now that would be perfect for the end of a long work day. 😉
I love my 3 fingered hoe/rake because I love breaking up the soil and pullin' weeds. Good for my head ; )
love my pruners. I've lost and found them 100 times, tut I still have them.
http://squiggibuildsahouse.blogspot.com/
Tami
sounds fabulous. thanks!
Jennie Brooks
I've wanted one of these tools since I heard about them in MG class!
I've never had one, but think I probably would wonder why I hadn't all of these years!
Sorry, third attempt to post should be the charm. Slow learner here. Definitely a step up from the old kitchen knife that I use all the time put in the garden.
Neat tool! I could use one like that!
Pruners for sure!
Nifty tool….my first time seeing this…you've rocked my world. I could definitely use this tool!
I bought a dump garden cart. Sure does make garden chores so much easier.
i love my little spade, but the hori-hori could easily become my favorite tool this time of year.
I have an ancient garden fork that I use for weeding. It's perfect.
I love my half moon edger – i use it every week!
I don't have a favorite, so clearly I need a hori-hori! I enjoy my trowel that has a scoop, because it gets dirt out of the hole for me, though I still need a regular trowel to get the depth I need.
i use the heck out of my trowel!
It would have to be my kiddos' little spade. It was meant to keep them busy but I find myself using it over and over because it does more work in less time that a trowel!!
I would love to win the hori hori knife! [email protected]
My favorite too is my Felco hand pruners. Carry with me every where in the garden. Thank you for the chance to win the knife.
My favorite tool is my hand spade. Most of my gardening is in raised beds so it makes planting much easier than a large spade.
I'd always wanted it!
What a useful tool! I will be adding this to my list of things to look for during my next garden center trip!
The hori hori is a tool I would love to try! My favorite tool is the soil scoop. Before I found one it was always a pain to scoop with a trowel.
Those are the bomb! I gave my son one that looked like an army weapon. He LOVED it.
I had a garden knife once and lost it some where This is a great tool to have in the garden
I'd have to say my favorite tool is a good pair of gloves!
My hand cultivator. Getting harder and harder to get up again after I use it! Old lady here! Dee Fedor Falicki
I keep hearing about soil knives and I really want one? O, Hori Hori, where have you been all my life?
This knife looks ah-ma-zing!
I'm just getting back to working in the yard after a long absence so I don't really have a favorite tool – I think this knife might be it, tho!
I'm just getting back to working in the yard after a long absence so I don't really have a favorite tool – I think this knife might be it, tho!
You convinced me that I need one of these knives 🙂
My favorite tool right now is my broadfork. It's a thing of beauty to loosen spring soil!
I really need this tool! New yard new garden!
It might be this knife!
I love my big shovel 🙂
[email protected]
new tool to me. I would love to win!
new tool to me. I would love to win!
My favorite garden tool is my hand pruners – but this soil knife seems like it would really come in handy!
Love my hand pruners…now lusting for a soil knife
I have not used the hori hori. I have ruined too many kitchen knives to replicate the use of this one garden tool. Any gardener would welcome this addition to their gardening tool kit. Thank you for the giveaway!
I love digging my hands in to our raised beds 🙂 most useful tool I've found so far!
Whenever I out into the yard I try to carry my skinny trowel with me as there is inevitably a weed to dig out and this makes it happen! I wondered why I might need a knife until i read that you use it for deadheading, cutting bags and twine. I guess I need one in my bag of tricks.
I've been wishing for one of these and finally got one for my birthday. I love it and would love to have a second one to gift to my mother.
Hmmm….I think mine would be small pruners! Thanks and God bless! ILuvTheEucharist @ aol.com
My favorite tool is my little bear gryls pocket knife. This time of year it is cutting twice and opening bags. Later it will be pruning, cutting asparagus and harvesting other vegetables…
Definitely, my hand trowel. It comes in handy.
My favourite garden tool is my pruners. I never wander without them.
My favorite gardening tool is my kneeling pad. lol