After my garden tiller broke down last year, I found the easiest way to keep weeds out of my tomatoes was to cut them down with a motor powered string trimmer. It worked and I only lost three plants by decapitation the whole summer!
By nature I'm a lazy man and I really didn't want to have to hoe the entire garden by hand. My idea of using the weed trimmer came because it seemed like a simple way to get rid of the weeds, at least down to the roots.
My first step was to buy a new grass cutter that would make the job easier. After visiting several hardware stores and lawn supply merchants, I developed a few tips on what to look for in a trimmer:
.01 Select the string trimmer that is right for the job. If you only have a small amount of grass to trim, don't purchase a monster machine unless you just want to impress your neighbors. Get the right one for the job and both you and the grass will be happy.
.02 Decide whether you need an electric grass trimmer or a gasoline powered device. If you are only giving a small lawn a trim around the ears, then the electric is the right one for you. If you don't have a long extension cord, then maybe a cordless weed trimmer is the answer for your light cutting needs. Most of them will run from 20-25 minutes on a charge.
I like gasoline engines on string trimmers because using an electric or cordless machine just doesn't seem manly. After all, yard work is supposed to be a man's job and it seems sort of sissified to rely on a trimmer that has to be plugged into a socket or runs on a battery.
Bigger and more rugged terrain requires a larger trimmer with a heavier cutting line, .080 or larger. If you really have a rough plot of ground that is cluttered with brush and finger sized trees, you may need a steel cutting blade or a small chain adapter that will cut heavy vegetation.
.03 Then there are weed whackers disguised as lawn mowers; grass trimmers on wheels. We have all seen the television ads of a smiling farmer type guy pushing a walk-behind string trimmer, busily cutting weeds, trees and shrubbery as if he were using a bush hog. Bush hogs are a heavy steel mower attachment that is pulled behind a heavy tractor that can cut through brush and even small trees.
.04 Four-cycle engines: The big problem for me with the standard two-cycle engine that has been on the market for years is keeping the oil to gasoline mixture perfect, which has been almost impossible for me to do. These small motors never seem to run correctly after the first tank of gas.
I have recently discovered the four-cycle grass trimmer that does not run on a gas/oil mixture. Treat it like your old reliable lawn mower that always starts after the second pull. Just put oil in the designated slot and enjoy the power.
.05 Don't forget the safety glasses! As far as outdoor labor is concerned, I have lived by the WWJW rule. For the uninitiated that stands for What Would John Wayne Do? This line of reasoning has not always served me well for I have destroyed a couple of pairs of glasses from pebbles and stones kicked up by the trimmer.
Buy a trimmer that you want to have fun with and enjoy your gardening or lawn work.
