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January 7, 2022

The Cape Cod Weeder: My Constant Companion

What’s a Cape Cod Weeder, you ask? Well, as many of my clients can attest, it is one of my Never-Do-Without tools that rarely leaves my gloved hand. Yeah, I know, there are nearly as many kinds of weeding tools on the market as kitchen gadgets, most with limited versatility. I don’t know about you, but I like to keep things simple, relying on just a few versatile simple tools for most of my gardening tasks. So let me introduce you to the Cape Cod Weeder, and you can see for yourself.

De Wit Cape Cod Reader — De Wit Cape Cod Weeder (left-handed)

What are its features?

10-18″ long, depending on the brand (select brands listed below)
Single forged tine with a weeding head
Weeding head:
- pointed tip
- angled inward and rotated
- smooth, beveled weeding edge that is not knife-sharp
Simple with minimal maintenance!

What’s it good for?

Removing weeds!

This is a no-brainer right? Yes, this is the primary use of the weeder, but there are all kinds of weeding tasks, and the Cape Cod weeder addresses many of them:

Uprooting established weeds and vines. The pointed tip, angled head, and beveled edge are perfect for getting under a weed’s rootball and lifting it free. The edge is not so sharp that it cuts through the roots leaving them in the soil (grr!), but it is fine enough to maneuver through the soil. This makes it great for going after “tough guys” like grape, greenbrier, English Ivy, Bermuda gras!
Removing newly germinated weeds, or clearing an area for planting. The beveled edge can be scraped along the soil surface to quickly remove itty-bitty “just-hatched” weeds…you know, like those early spring weedlings that pop up when it’s chilly outside and your fingers want to be rooting around in the cold soil. No more picking every little weed one at a time with your fingers.
Weeding in hard-to-reach spots. The long single tine is great for getting weeds under shrubs and thorny plants, in stonework joints and crevices, or in tight places where your hand can’t easily get to. With a little skill, you can weed deftly around established plants without pulling up the wrong plant
Loosening small patches of soil. This tool is great for “spot-cultivating” areas and working soil before popping in a plant or two. I often weed the area with the tool, then run it through the soil to soften it up just a bit in preparation for installing new plants. It’s not a substitute for a hoe or other cultivator for large patches of soil, but it’s superior to those larger tools for small or tight spaces.

Assisting in plant removal and transplanting:

You can also use the tool to help pull up small stumps and roots of woody plants, as well as lift the root balls of plants you wish to transplant elsewhere. I often use my Cape Cod weeder, along with my other “main squeeze” Gimli, a short spearhead spade, for these garden tasks. In fact, this Dynamic Duo is my best option for jobs too big for a trowel and too small for a regular shovel. (I’ll post a review for Gimli soon)

Maneuvering stones, tiles, and other hardscape components

The product descriptions probably won’t list this…but I discovered the value of this tool for maneuvering stones and pavers while building a patio one very chilly winter. That day I was working alone, and it was frustrating trying to get my thick-gloved fingers under stones so I could place and level them. Using this tool as my “finger” to get under the edge of a stone, I could lift stones quickly–and save the fingertips of my gloves as well. Sometimes “thinking outside the box” comes about when there’s a need and limited options available! Maybe you’ll discover similar novel uses for this tool!

Backscratcher

Yep…it’s great for this too…although sometimes I prefer a small hand rake or the bark of a big oak tree 🙂

What’s it NOT good for?

Cutting back or dividing

In the pictures, it may look like this tool has a sharp knife-like blade. It does not–intentionally. This makes it not-so-good for cutting back things like grasses in winter/spring, cutting root suckers or dividing clumps of grasses or daylilies. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it won’t be pretty. For jobs like these, consider other tools such as a hand scythe or sickle, root knife, spearhead spade, or if you’ve got a beastly mess of Arundo donax, try an axe.

Taking up sod

While this tool is excellent for weeding, it doesn’t extend to removing large swaths of grass or sod, for example, when converting parts of the lawn to garden beds. You can probably guess how I learned this lesson, and yes, for short bits of sod when you don’t have prescribed tools at the ready, it can get the job done. But I recommend trying out your foresight, planning ahead, and using more efficient approaches.

Weeding really tight paver joints

Because there is a slight bevel and angle to the weeder head, it may not fit into very tight paver joints. In such cases, try using a patio or crack weeder.

Who sells Cape Cod weeders?

There are a few brands of Cape Cod weeders out there, each varies slightly in design.

De Wit. De Wit sells left and right handed weeders, and these have been my go-to weeders because I often “switch hit” to prevent overuse injuries in my hands and wrists. These sell on Amazon for about $38-47.
A.M. Leonard. This weeder is right handed only, and is slightly longer than the De Wit. These sell on Amazon for about $37.
Carrot Designs. Like the A.M. Leonard, this weeder is right handed only, is slightly longer than the De Wit with a smaller weeding head. These sell on Amazon for about $30.
Red Pig Tools. Red Pig’s weeders are hand forged, super tough, and they allow for some customization when ordering. You can ask for right or left handed, and for longer or shorter tines. I love Red Pig’s tools! Their standard weeder is about $35, and they also sell a made-to-order long handled version for about $60-75. This is great option for those who can’t spend much time kneeling or bending over.

BTW…

You may wonder, as I did, what’s the history of the Cape Cod weeder? Well, all I could discover on the Grand Treasury of Knowledge (a.k.a., the Internet) was that it was invented by a few women “many years ago” on Cape Cod (surprised?). Just exactly when and by exactly whom, I couldn’t discover. But the tool went mainstream in the 1980’s when Snow & Neally of Bangor, Maine began making and selling them on the national and then global market.

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