Thursday, May 15, 2014

Claws and Bunnies

So you may have been noticing a few gardening posts here and there. I'll admit that my daughter's thumb is far greener than my own, and we've been enjoying getting out in the garden together.

This year we tried something new when preparing our tiny, tiny, tiny veggie plot. The Garden Claw!

I admit, I've been eyeing the 'claw' for years, but was worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype. We also have icky Texas-tough clay in our yard, so I was a bit skeptical that it would work in our yard. I finally broke down this year and emailed the company to ask if I could have one to try on our weed patch.

Here's our weed patch (ahem, veggie garden).  Normally I hand pull all the weeds and then pile mulch the area to keep them from returning.
 This time, using the claw, the job was literally done in minutes! And without bending over. And the best part is that unlike using chemicals or a tiller, I feel comfortable watching the kids in the backyard while I weed.
 Afterwords, you'll still have a mess of uprooted weeds. Normally I would just leave these and mulch right over them.  This time I raked them away, so you all could see a bit of before and after.


I'm super impressed with the Claw. In the month or so that I've had it, I used it to loosen soil and plant new planting, mix in compost, and start a new garden bed. It's easy for me to use it in our existing flower beds that have had the soil amended over the past few years. In areas where the soil was being tilled for the first time, it took a bit more elbow grease, but I was still able do it myself.

In the amazon reviews, there's a few complaints about the tines on the 'pro' model breaking. I tried my best, but I couldn't figure out how that could be. The tool is extremely sturdy. I spoke to a garden weasel representative, and they confirmed that they've redesigned the tool based on the complaints.
You may have noticed that there is an unweeded spot in the pictures above. We found a teeny baby bunny den that day! I don't know if you can see the tiny little ears.

They all made it, but I'd hate to think what would have happend if I had been using a tiller. Here they are a few days old.
I really recommend the Garden Claw to anyone who wants to garden especially with kids (and bunnies) around. They make 3 different kinds, the Original, Pro and Mini, so you are sure to find one that's perfect for you.  If you'd rather win one-- you can check out the Garden Weasel Facebook Page-- they have a tool giveaway each month!