My Grandmother loved to grow a garden. The whole family would enjoy her vegetables from asparagus and corn to okra and tomatoes. Every morning would find her out weeding the rows with her trusty, rusty hoe before the midday sun brought unbearable heat.

Whether they grow vegetables, fruit, or flowers, any gardener knows that weeds can be a major problem.

Enter the wire weeder. This tool uses a heavy gauge wire to get rid of weeds. There are hand-held versions for younger folks who like to crawl on the ground on their hands and knees. But for those of us who like to do things standing up, there are long-handled versions as well. The prices though!

NeversinkTools by Connor Crickmore (a famous market gardener) has wire weeders in multiple sizes and kit configurations. To get a very basic setup of a one hoe handle, one wire weeder, and an attachment head to attach the weeder onto the handle will set you back $79.87. If you would like several sizes and types of wire weeders with a carabiner to hook them all to your belt loop you could buy them as a set for $442.12 on sale!

Another option is a basic wire weeder from Two Bad Cats, LLC for $49.99.

Or…you can go the DIY way and make your own for free!

First, you will need to gather the materials:

• Old, wooden handle from a worn-out mop or broom.
• Piece of wire to make the weeder head. The heavier the gauge, the stronger your weeder will be.
• Old baling wire to attach the weeder head to the handle.
• Duct tape

Bend the heavy gauge wire into the desired shape and size for your weeder leaving the two ends long enough to attach to the handle. Make sure the weeder head is wide enough to go between your rows in one pass. (You may make multiple weeders of various sizes if needed.)

While holding the weeder head ends against the handle, use the baling wire to wrap around all several times attaching the head to the handle. Lastly, use duct tape to reinforce your new creation.

Your new wire weeder will pull out weeds as you navigate through your beds without damaging nearby plants or drip tape. It works best on young weeds.

If only my grandma had such a weeder! Her hoeing could have been more efficient saving her time for more enjoyable garden chores like picking fresh veggies to eat!

Below you can see a demo of our wire weeder. We had a hard time finding some weeds to show you how it works because there aren’t any left!