Scythes Are Rapidly Gaining a Reputation for Being a Useful Tool in The Garden

Though more usually associated with the Grim Reaper, scythes are rapidly gaining a reputation for being a useful tool in the garden or at the allotment. From the lawn (yes, you can cut your lawn - and cut it short - with a scythe) to that tangle of nettles in the deepest darkest recess of your plot, there are plenty of applications for this blade on a stick. Though scything requires a little more skill than using a lawnmower or a strimmer, once you've picked it up, it will repay you in numerous ways. Cutting the lawn on a Sunday morning will be a virtually silent affair (except for that addictive swish-swish), you will no longer be at risk from whitefinger, flying stones or pulverised dog poo and you will have discovered a satisfying and meditative skill. If you have found your grandfather's old scythe rusting in the back of the shed and struggled to get it to work, don't worry. In the past few years, lightweight Austrian scythes have been introduced to the UK and they are a much more user-friendly tool (visit thescytheshop.co.uk for a selection). A new Austrian scythe will cost you between £120 and £180, depending on what kit you choose to go with it. A well-maintained scythe will last 30 or more years, and all the maintenance can be done yourself with a bit of practice. There a couple of key things to remember when scything for the first time. First, keep the blade on the ground - the aim is to cut in a semi-circle, taking an inch of vegetation at a time, rather than hacking your way through a foot of it. Second, make sure you have sharpened your blade thoroughly: a dull blade is to blame for a lot of bad technique. Although scything is, in the long run, much safer than using machines, you are still in charge of a big, sharp blade. If your first reaction to this post was to think, "I'd cut my foot off if I tried that," don't worry, you're very unlikely to cut your own foot off, but this is not the case with other people's feet - make sure you know where the people around you are at all times when using a scythe. You're most likely to hurt yourself when handling the blade: putting it on and off the snath (handle), or sharpening. Use a cut-proof Kevlar glove for these activities: you can buy one from around £5 in DIY shops. If you are just about to get around to cutting your wildflower area, now is the perfect time to try out a scythe. Because you are cutting the plants at ground level, they remain whole which makes it easy to remove them from the site – really important when you're trying to reduce the fertility of a patch of land to attract wildflowers. Source: theguardian