Best Knives for Gardening and Harvesting

On this week’s episode, the guys talk about the best knives for gardening and general use around the homestead. They each chose five of their favorite knives that they use frequently around their garden and farm. They first talk about the different types of metal present on modern-day knives and discuss the differences between high-carbon steel and stainless steel. They mention that high-carbon steel is your older type steels that are easier to sharpen, but requires more maintenance and care. The high-performance stainless steels, which have become increasingly popular as of late, are great but can take longer to sharpen because the metal is harder. The Bushlore Knife has a walnut handle and 1080 high carbon steel. Similar to the Bushlore is our smaller Sapien Knife that is high carbon steel also. The guys talk a little bit about the Old Hickory knives that are made for harvesting and for kitchen or food preparation. These knives include the cabbage knife which is made for cutting greens, lettuce, or cabbage. Similar to the cabbage knife is the California knife. Travis' favorite knives include the ESEE-3, the Morakniv Craftline, the Kershaw Leek and his newly acquired Benchmade 940. Greg's favorite knives include Buck folders and several made by Bark River Knives. They conclude that the Kershaw Leek and the Bushlore Knife are the best two knives for the money.

Show and Tell Segment

On the Show & Tell segment, Travis has a head of Parris Island Romaine Lettuce that he grew in his vegetable garden. He recently sprinkled some Chilean Nitrate and used his Hoss Wheel Hoe to cultivate alongside the row and that's when his lettuce really started taking off. They give the lettuce a taste test and talk about the flavor compared to traditional iceberg lettuce. Greg mentions that romaine is his favorite type of lettuce to grow. They discuss how romaine is great for making Caesar salads or using for lettuce wraps with chicken, pork or shrimp. They talk about when using hybrid seeds you should make sure that you put one per seed tray. Greg prefers to seed by hand because it is a lot easier with those pelleted seeds. Greg shows his little mini greenhouse that he has a rooted fig cutting in that they had previously demonstrated on a video. It has some buddings and he will soon move it out to the greenhouse. They guys also discuss a little bit about the new seed room and the new products that will becoming to the Hoss Tools website very soon.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, they answer questions about starting spring crops in seed trays and the frequency at which soil samples should be taken in the garden. They explain that they usually start spring transplants around early to mid-February. Some spring transplants would include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, and watermelons. Travis does not recommend transplanting squash in the seed trays because they may experience some transplant shock. Greg explains soil sampling and suggests that the potassium, or "potash", levels shouldn't change much between winter and spring. He explains that potash is a little bit mobile in the soil so when doing an application of potash you should do it pre-plant a couple of three weeks before planting. Greg recommends not sampling the soil again as those nutrients should still be there for spring planting. Always remember when doing a soil sample and reading your phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen levels you should apply them two to three weeks before planting not three or four months in advance.

Tool of the Week

Bushlore Garden Knife

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgB4iD_2tmk