How to Make a Weeder

By Lawrence Cummins

Planting and tending a garden can be a useful and pleasing project. President Kimball has said, “We have asked, and repeated again and again, that you plant trees and shrubs and vegetables and berry gardens to beautify your properties and help provide for your needs” (Ensign, May 1979, pages 4–5).

To help you control the weeds in your garden, particularly when it’s in the early growing stage, this handy weeder quickly and easily keeps weeds from overrunning your garden.

You will need: short length of tubing or metal pipe, 2″ (5 cm) piece of dowel same diameter as inside diameter of tubing, 12″ (30 cm) strip of 3/16″–1/4″ (5 mm–6.5 mm) flat spring steel such as that used to secure heavy cardboard boxes or packing cases, pliers, rasp or pocketknife, hammer, and file.

1. Bend strip of steel (see illustration).

2. Slightly flatten opposite sides of dowel with rasp, or shave with pocketknife.

3. Force dowel and ends of metal strip into end of tubing (see illustration). Tap other end of tubing with hammer while holding exposed dowel against solid surface. Continue tapping dowel until it doesn’t show when looking at weeder from side.

4. If metal strip is thick enough, a sharper edge can be made on cutting surface with file.