2nd March 2022: For those of you who have caught the growing enthusiasm for Ho-Mis, you may like to see them being made! Watch at https://youtu.be/2w7c6Z1kyJ0
2 days later, Dorothy added the extra tip "Another tip- I have put bright coloured tape on the handle – less easy to lose on my large plot!"
25th June 2019: Following recent mentions in The Daily Telegraph and (twice!) on BBC Gardeners' Question Time, we have been handling a LARGE number of orders from new customers. Here is some typical feedback from 'H. from Aberdeenshire':–
Having received my box I really regret not getting a second little Ho-mi.
I got duplicates of the others planning one for the house, one for our
allotment and having given it a go I could do with one for the plot. It
is very nippy for getting in around the bottom of my plants
(strawberries, raspberries and a rather vicious and vindictive
rose-it kept attacking the postman so I cut it back) and scooping out
weeds without damaging the wanted plant. Or me having to get close in
the case of that rose. In particular, spreading marigolds, buttercups
and dandelions. The garden is now littered with
decapitated dandelions. I know your meant to take the root out, but
life's not perfect and I was having tremendous fun whilst listening to
the birds so I'm happy enough. Also it's small blade gets pretty deep
and limits the lawn damage. I'm not the biggest
fan of lawn pot holes.
The large Ho-Mi is great for raking up weeds, twigs and leaf litter,
scooping it out of the bed, breaking up the soil, mixing in soil
improver (manure), smoothing the bed and raking seeds in. It was
amazing for getting under semi established plants I put in
a few weeks ago, scooping them and their root mass up so I can take out
a plant beside them that didn't make it, replace it, tamp the soil down
then gently put my strawberries back in. I was also able to gently pry
apart seedlings with the root balls intact,
carry them to a new location on the blade and plant them too. Both are
great for gently lifting sprawling foliage, having a look underneath and
then getting the dandelion out or impaling snails/slugs. It's been all
go, fun and games in the garden. I've got
so much caught up on in far less time than usual.
My left handed Husband who protests he's used to gardening right handed
has had a swing about with the Ambi (for him), right and mini and loves
the balance of the ambi. I possibly should have got him a left and ambi,
but I wanted him to have the freedom to
use both hands and be using the same thing in both locations.
It's so much better than that horrible cumbersome unwieldy trowel for
EVERYTHING. We will probably be donating (banishing) the trowel to the
local school. The impossible to sharpen Dutch hoe will be following it
once we get the handles drilled out. No more
poking the weeds.
Surprisingly few people seem to want to try the 'Ambi' Ho-Mi, whether in its standard short-handled version or with a longer handle. I always use my standard 'Ambi' for weeding in the raised beds of our polytunnel. It seems to give me the flexibility to work in either direction. I am right-handed, but 'lefties' seem to find the same effect.
Here is some feedback from Andrew of Ellesmere, who has just started with his long-handled 'Ambi':–
Just a quick word to say that I am very happy with my ambidextrous Ho Mi, having used it for the first time this morning.
The working angle allied to the sharpness of the blade was perfect for both hoeing a Rose bed and turning in fertiliser.
Excellent product.
Andrew 16th April 2019
And now for some feedback on the LEFT-HANDED Ho-Mi . . .First, from Nick, who first asked us about whether they made a left-handed version . . .
"Thanks Dave,
Just to reiterate; the weighting of the tool makes this a pleasure to use, particularly in raised beds - for those of us who like getting "up close and personal" with things.
Definitely a perfect gift for the left-handed gardener who's fed-up of using tools upside-down! Experiment with the grip to find the most comfortable point - that's the best angle.
Glad to hear you've already had some interest. Nick"
. . . and also from Andi. She can tell her own story:
"Dear Dave and Val,
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how I'm getting on with my new left handed Ho-mi. I'm a professional gardener who only uses hand tools (luckily I'm a champion scyther!) I've been using Japanese razor hoes for a couple of years and they are brilliant but I still needed to supplement with a trowel or hand fork on occasion.
The Ho-mi is looking like taking over as my tool of choice. As you say in your website it is exceedingly versatile and having a broader blade than the razor hoe means it works better for digging holes and moving soil. The point is great for popping dandelions and daisies out of lawns.
The balance seems good in my hand and the pull action obviously reduces wrist strain compared with traditional trowels and hand forks.
The one thing I would like to do is sharpen the straight edge and I wondered what you would recommend to be the best way to do this? I think the steel is too hard to peen on an anvil and I don't have a grinder. Chainsaw file perhaps?
Best regards,
Andi"
N.B. If you want to sharpen your Ho-Mi (and we have), we suggest using a coarse sharpening stone to start with, then maybe finishing off with a finer stone or a metal file.
Hi Dave,
Just a note to say I'm very pleased with the Ho Mi hand
tool, I never knew one tool could do so much. It is certainly
a help in minimalizing my toolkit!
Thank you for providing such a great service and supplying
the handiest tools around.
Best wishes,
Tara (from Ireland)
ARCHAEOLOGISTS, please note! Here's the latest from Mel in Devon (30th September 2016):
Hi Dave, Thanks for a wonderful product. Could I recommend in
your advertising/booklet you mention the ambi ho-mi could be
useful for archaeologists? I am one and it is the best tool for
"cleaning" archaeological sites when a hoe is not at hand. Some
people use an onion hoe but this is so much better! Thanks again for wonderful service. Much appreciated, Mel
Joyce from West Way Allotments,Stafford writes (29 Jul 2016): "Hi Dave, I have been using the tools on my allotment, they are fantastic! My husband thought that they would cause problems for me in my hands and wrists as I have RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis), but was able to cultivate soil using them far longer than I normally can using a hand fork." and then again (02 Aug 2016): "I showed a fellow allotmenteer the Ho-Mi and she agreed with me that it is a fantastic piece of kit.So much so that asked for your web address as she is going to buy one for herself."
Zoe in Nottingham says: "I bought a small handled ho-mi from you, probably over a year ago, and had the kit for the long handled as a present which I've managed to get around to putting together and using. I just wanted to say that although both are great, it's the short handled ho mi that I just cannot be parted with. I use it every time I garden or go to the allotment for all manner of things. I have the usual pernicious weeds at my allotment, dandelions, buttercups and couch grass and the ho mi is fantastic at eking them out. I use it as a make shift spade for digging too or 'chipping' out weeds from hard, dry ground. The physical benefits of the short handled ho mi are that you don't need any particular strength to get the most out of it and I rarely get blisters unlike other tools as it's very well balanced. Like any gardener I have many tools for various activities and I would be frustrated if I ever lost or had one or other stolen; with the ho mi though I think I would go so far as to say I would shed a tear or two it's so integral to my gardening.
8th July 2012 Latest comments from Matt C. of Exeter – he has been persevering with his long-handled Ho-Mi. We suggested he might get some help by looking at how Eliot Coleman uses a Collinear Hoe (see the YouTube video), but he found a way that suited him better:– "I tried using the long handled ho-mi like a collinear hoe but couldn't quite get on with it, I found that the angle and curve of the blade didn't lend themselves to being used exactly like that.
However, after trying it out for a few days I found the method that suits me. Hold the ho-mi with your right hand at the top of the handle with the thumb on top of the handle pointing down. With your left hand hold the handle about a third of the way down with the left thumb pointing up. Hold it across the front of you with the ho-mi pointing out to your left, the blade sits on the ground about 2 and a half feet away. When you sight down the handle the blade should be pointing to about 4 o'clock so that the blade sits flat on the ground. You can then pull the blade towards you just under the surface of the ground, cutting down any weeds. If the ground is stony or hard (e.g. after all the rain we've had recently), you can rotate the handle so that the point of the blade points nearer to 6 o'clock, this really breaks up the soil. It can also help to sharpen the edge of the ho-mi blade with a file.
It is great for weeding and perfect for drawing a furrow to plant seeds. I'm glad I kept trying with it!"
* * * * *
More comments, this time from Matt C. of Exeter: (12-June-12) "The Ho-Mi arrived on Saturday morning and the small one never left my side for the rest of the weekend. Such a fantastically versatile tool - weeding, cultivating, digging, transplanting, grubbing out dandelions from the lawn. It's a brilliant little tool.
Looking forward to using the long handled version." and then, on 17th June, "I've been trying out the long handled version. Personally I prefer the short handled one, but maybe I just need some more practice. I'll give it some more time to see if I get the knack of using it with a long handle, but I may try cutting the handle down to maybe 1 metre long....
But, the short handled ho-mi is just brilliant!
Hoping the sun comes out soon." We agree, Matt! Hope you'll come back with some more thoughts on the long-handled version, when you had the opportunity to try it out a bit more.
* * * * *
Here are the first comments (30-May-12) from Christine in Exmouth, a Ho-Mi user for several years:-
"The standard Ho-Mi is my favourite garden tool and when I lost one that originally came as a gift from Australia a few years ago, I felt absolutely bereft until I managed to source and replace it. I now give them as gifts to friends and family who I feel will appreciate them and keep one in reserve in case I lose another one! I now tie a red ribbon to the handle to lessen that likelihood. The Ho-Mi is a tool that simply does so many garden jobs: breaking up hard soil, digging holes for planting, wonderful for weeding and getting at stubborn roots etc. I can't imagine why this hasn't been sold in all garden centres, except that it replaces so many other tools that sellers and producers might lose out on sales of the usual garden implements."
Good for two reasons: 1) You don't lose it so easily and 2) You don't find it by spiking yourself with the sharp point!
If you live near Exmouth and would like to 'try before you buy', just email us and we will put you in touch with Christine.
