save time, money and energy
Other Field Tools for Small Farms
We started Small Farm Works in 2006 to have a platform to sell the paper chain pot transplanting system. But we never saw the business as ONLY being about paper pots. There are so many other needs out there in terms of tools, resources and processes to make small farms more profitable and enjoyable! Plus, we have a bunch of cool ideas for innovations based on our experience as small-scale farmers.
We will be gradually adding new products over time. If you have needs or ideas, we love to hear from other growers about their tool and equipment needs. Please contact us!
Cultivation Tools
We perceive a great need for effective weed management on organic and sustainable vegetable farms. Although we firmly believe good timing is far more important than the tool, there is certainly a need for scale-appropriate, affordable, and effective tools. There are a growing number of innovative tools available to small-scale farmers and we want to introduce some Japanese tools to the array of options.
We are in the process of seeking and evaluating various tools to offer in our on-line store and would love to have your feedback on those tools that look the most promising given your farm scale and weed management needs.
Let us know what you think!
Interested?
We want to deliver the tools you need. If you are interested in any of the above tools (which we don't yet carry), please let us know. If interest is high, we'll make it happen!
MAGIC CULTIVATOR
The Magic Cultivator (that’s a direct translation from the Japanese) is a hand-torsion weeder featuring two adjustable sprung wires that run right in the row followed by two sharpened blades and then a pair of tine rakes. This tool is designed to help remove in-row weeds and weeds very close to the row. It needs to be used when the weeds are just germinating (white thread stage) and the crop being weeded is less than about 8" tall. Based on our initial experience in 2017, I think it is a good tool to have at the ready. One nice thing about early cultivations is they are fast and easy. Such was certainly the case with pushing the Magic Cultivator through our allium beds. Here's another perspective in a Japanese video.
2-WHEEL TRACTOR IN-ROW TINE CULTIVATORS
These long, sweeping tines are a common cultivation tool in Japan, made for both tractor tool bars as well as smaller versions for walk-behind, 2-wheel tractors. We think these have great potential although their functionality is likely much better in lighter soils than heavy clay soils. We are import a set of these for testing in 2018 at various locations, including a partnership with Michigan State University.
HAND-PUSHED IN-ROW TINE CULTIVATOR
This is the non-motorized version of the tine weeder described above. It looks a little hard to push but we plan to import one for testing purposes.
"Q HOE" HOOP WEEDER
This hand tool comes in blade widths of 3”, 5.5”, 6.7” and 8”. The blade is sharp on both sides, allowing use in both directions. An aluminum handle makes the entire tool very light… making it easy to handle and reducing fatigue while working.
