Alright, alright, alright. Did you read that with a Matthew McConaughey Texas twang? I recently listened to his book Green Lights while gardening so he is fresh in my mind. Most of us should be making our way towards lifting our heads and coming up for air. The crazy harvest season is likely winding down for many. I am personally ready for a slower pace.

Maybe I took on too much this season, and that was mostly intentional. I knew I’d be home every day due to the pandemic and wanted to push myself. Without my 2+ hour commute three days each week, I gained back all the time I need for gardening. I’ll be doing a lessons learned post soon and can’t wait to hear from others what your big successes were and what you’ll do differently next year.

In the meantime, I wanted to shout out a tool that I pretty much can’t live without. Have you heard of a hori hori knife?  I hadn’t either until one afternoon when I was volunteering at the local farm where I learn oh so much from everyone I talk to. Now it’s on my gardening belt and I don’t walk out the door without it. So what is it? Sounds kind of scary, right?

From what I’ve read it comes from Japanese culture and is a multi-purpose gardening tool. Initially it just looked like a big knife to me but then I started to really appreciate its versatility.

• Digging. It’s fantastic for digging in to remove deeply rooted unwanted weeds like Doc that pop up a lot in my garden and yard.
• Cutting. Similarly you can use the sharp edge to cut back a plant that has overgrown.
• Planting. I really like it as my go to for either creating a little trench to sprinkle seeds in, like I just did for radishes, or making individual spots for my starts such as broccoli or cabbage. It essentially replaces the need for a hand trowel. And it has marks for measuring depth if you are aiming to be precise.

Cactus tells me I look like Indiana Jones or Crocodile Dundee with it on my belt. But who cares – I love it!