As many of you know, Carol at May Dreams Garden recently held a free giveaway contest to win a Cobrahead short-handled weeder. And the family that owns and operates Cobrahead most graciously gave a free weeder to all participants. I am a lucky recipient, so my review of this tool is completely un-objective, which I want to state at the outset.
Free or otherwise, I have to say that this Cobrahead short-handled weeder is an extremely efficient tool for a busy, harried gardener. I am a working mother with two kids under the age of 5. Needless to say, weeding often falls by the wayside in the litany of activities and chores that must get accomplished on a daily basis around here. Weeding, when it happens, usually takes place during my youngest's nap while my oldest "helps" me (which is actually quite cute and a great way to get kids involved in the outdoors, despite the inefficiency). So my weeding efforts must be fast and effective, because they certainly aren't frequent, and this Cobrahead tool allowed me to be exactly that!
After 3-plus days of rain, I finally wandered back into the garden yesterday to fight back the water-fueled weeds I knew were taking over. It was nap time, I had my helper, and little time to spare. But the dandelions, errant turf grass, and purslane were no match! The Cobrahead short-handled weeder sliced beneath them, uprooted them effortlessly, and allowed me to get those hard-to-reach places behind our obnoxiously typical foundation-planting yews.
The curved shape of the weeder facilitated getting into the weeds' root systems and popping them out of the ground. I'm sure the extremely moist soil helped make this process easier, but the ergonomics of the tool itself did the real work. Consequently, my entire front bed was weeded well before my helper's attention span tired of weeding and turned to checking the pepper plants and playing whiffle ball.
So there you have it! The Cobrahead short-handled weeder gets two thumbs up! If you're a busy gardener (and who isn't? It's not like I'm the only one with a hectic schedule. We all do!), you should seriously consider investing in one of these, if you haven't already won one thanks to Carol and Cobrahead!
7 comments:
Getting the kiddies off to an early start in the garden is a good idea. My son used to like to pull Buckthorn seedings when he was little (before he became addicted to Nintendo DS). Your evaluation may have been biased, but it was honest nonetheless. It is a great tool.
I missed out on Carol's give-away because it was held while I was away. Fortunately, though, I bought a Cobrahead at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show back in March (or Feb.??). I agree, it's a great tool, especially for those deep-rooted weeds that resist pulling. Naptime used to be the only time I could get anything accomplished around the house, too:) Back in the day, an hour of "Sesame Street" also provided a little cleaning time.
Hi Rose, how lucky you are to have that tool! I met the owners at the Spring Fling in Austin and bought the tool, having them autograph the label. HA Now where is that label I wonder? Anyway, it is to useful and let's some of us with weak hand strenth really get down to those weed roots. Love it! Same as Rose said, Sesame Street was gardening time for me, back in the day. And I love goldenrod too. :-)
Frances
Last week I was helping with the cleanup of a neighborhood school's garden, and my Cobrahead weeder kept disappearing. Everyone wanted to try it out, and once they did, nearly everyone wanted one. When it was time to go I had to track it down. It was definitely the most popular tool there.
I met Cobrahead family member Geoff Valdes at a farmer's market in Austin several years ago and bought a short-handled Cobrahead from him. I won a long-handled one at the 2008 Spring Fling in Austin. I find them both invaluable. I wish I'd entered Carol's contest ... I could use another short-handled one! Enjoy yours as often as the kiddos will let you!
I missed out on the giveaway...but I am glad that it is a tool that is living up to its reputation. I've discovered a deep rooted invasive in the garden and I need a cobra head to rip it by its very deep roots...
My son was not interested in the garden at all! Nothing enticed him.
gail
I'm really pleased you like the Cobrahead and are one of the winners! So come check out my blog where I've tagged some of my favorite midwestern garden bloggers for a Meme, including you!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
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