Our Story

Back in 1987, I bought a wheel hoe made in Europe to speed up the hard work of weeding 9 acres of organic vegetables. It worked amazingly well, but in about a year it was coming apart. I kept thinking about how to make a sturdier wheel hoe that stood up to farm use. By 1990, I made one and it worked well, so I made ten and started selling them. I’ve been at it ever since.

My motivation is to provide tools for organic farmers to make their work easier. If you’re not using herbicides, you need a tool like a wheel hoe to efficiently manage your weeds. You'll get your weeding done in a fraction of the time it would take with a hand hoe.

We added broadforks to our product line in 2010. They were very popular right away, and over the last few years we've improved them quite a bit. We now have lightweight, super strong broadforks that can replace a rototiller for garden bed preparation. Prepare to be impressed.

We used the wheel hoe for many hours this weekend. I wish I had bought one years ago. It has and will continue to greatly simplify how we plant our small plantings of vegetables.

Dale Willoughby
Willoughby Farm

Have questions? We’re happy to answer all sorts of gardening questions and give advice about which tool is the best fit for you and your garden.

David Grau

Valley Oak Tool Company
info@valleyoaktool.com
(530) 342-6188