The present invention relates to gardening and landscaping implements used to prepare or cultivate earth or eradicate unwanted plants. In particular, the present invention provides a novel construction of a hoe.
A conventional hoe has a singular blade design that may be square, rectangular, triangular, or diamond in shape. Conventional hoes have a blade that lies in a single plane. The blade of the hoe is connected to a shaft that is held by the user. The edges of conventional hoes are straight.
There are drawbacks in conventional hoe designs that limit the usefulness of such hoes. For example, conventional blade designs are not optimally configured. Consequently, users expend substantial energy to pull the blade through earth or soil or plants. If the moisture content of the earth or soil is low, the used must expend even more energy. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved hoe that more easily cuts through earth and soil and unwanted plants or plant parts.
Another problem with existing hoes is that they do not afford the user very much precision in cutting through or pulling out unwanted plant material, such as weeds. This lack of precision may result in the user harming adjacent, wanted plants, such as garden flowers. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved hoe that relatively easily moves through earth and soil. Further, there is a need for a hoe that cuts through plant material easily. Still further, there is a need for a hoe that allows the user to cultivate an area with precision so that wanted plants or plant parts are not harmed.
The present invention may be used by landscaping professionals or the weekend gardener to cultivate an area. The special features of the present invention facilitate easy push or pull action that uses less energy and saves time with forward and backward motion. The instrument has features that reduce the risk of damage to wanted plants. Accordingly, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and provides multiple advantageous functions in a single implement.
The preferred embodiment addresses these issues by providing a garden tool having a blade defining a blade plane and a handle connected to the blade and extending away from the blade at an angle offset from perpendicular to the blade. The blade has a leading edge extending away from the handle, and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge. The trailing edge has profile with a protruding point.