Name: Blackberry Hoe - 5 lb Head
Rating: 4.43 (7 reviews)

When Bob and Rita bought their acreage in Boring, Oregon, it came with a generous endowment of Himalayan blackberry, an invader that is to the Northwest what the Kudzu is to the Southeast. Bob spent days grubbing out blackberry thicket, canes, root runs and seedlings. After removing 20-foot-long, one-inch-thick canes from a holly tree he decided that if you're really bad and end up in Hell for eternity, that's probably what the devil makes you do. He used various tools for grubbing out both blackberry and a foot-thick mat of English ivy from the property.

The lack of a single tool suited to the task led Bob to invent our Blackberry Hoe. The tool combines a four inch wide mattock blade for excavating and cutting roots with a large, V-notched claw. The blade is used to dig out the main crown and to follow the spreading roots which sink new taproots every few feet. The claw is used to uproot each of the outlying taproots as they are encountered. The Blackberry hoe is equipped with a 36-inch long hickory railroad pick handle so you have plenty of levering power. The hoe head is made of 3/8-inch thick steel. It's a brute of a tool. To extract small blackberry seedlings you swing the tool to drive the mattock blade full depth just at the far side of the seedling. A bit of levering and a hearty tug pulls out a slab of soil including the seedling.

For grubbing thickly matted ivy I find the best technique is to use a sharp spade or edging tool to cut the ivy patch into a grid of 2-foot squares. Drive the blade through the roots deep into the soil. Then, starting with the outermost sections of the grid, use the Blackberry Hoe's blade to chop away the mat of vines flush with the ground. Then use the claw to pry up underground roots. You can use the Blackberry's Hoe's blade for making the initial grid cuts but a spade can be driven deeper and makes a neater job of it. You'll find lots of other uses for a Blackberry Hoe. If you're plagued by industrial size dandelions, burdock and thistle, the tool does an excellent job of roguing them out. As with all bladed tools, sharpen often. Don't wait until the blade is dead dull to file the edge. Instead, work like a butcher, honing frequently to maintain a keen edge.

As of 2026 we are able to offer this tool in four different versions, with or without handle. Your options are:

The style we have been offering for more than 10 years is a 5 lb head with V-shaped tines (best for lifting lots of smaller corums and dirt)
The new Magna Graecia style version in a 5 lb head with U-shaped tines (better for heavy duty prying out larger corums and lifting less dirt)
A 2.5 lb version of the classic style (V-shaped tines) on a thinner handle (better for people needing a lighter tool and for carrying deep into properties or along trails)
A 2.5 lb version of the new Magna Graecia style version (U-shaped tines) on a thinner handle (better for people needing a lighter tool and for carrying deep into properties or along trails)

5 stars: 5 (71%)
4 stars: 0 (0%)
3 stars: 2 (29%)
2 stars: 0 (0%)
1 star: 0 (0%)

it is somewhat useful for blackberry, but I found it too heavy and awkward, the v-cut is too far from handle to allow for good uprooting leverage, the v picks are not hardened and tempered because I had problems with them bending, the head and handle should be assembled and glued before sale.

Pick isn't as sturdy as I thought

I love the design, and it did a great job on the first set of blackberries i targeted. I used it to pull roots on another plant, though, and was surprised when one of the two tines of the pick bent. I just ordered another head and will be more careful to use it only on blackberries.

WCC blackberry destroying machine

I worked as a crew member in the Washington Conservation Corp and we would travel for work JUST to rip out himalayan blackberry for months out of the year. So when I say this is the BEST tool for ripping out blackberry roots from the cold hard ground you better believe it. I don't work with the Corp anymore but will likely buy one of these bad boys just in case I run across a blackberry in need of removal. Makes grubbing out this horrible plant feel like a stroll through a garden harvesting some crops. Phenomenal tool, if you remove any blackberry you will not regret this purchase!

Addresses the thickest of blackberry vines

I'm in an ambitious project where I'm daily tackling the largest of blackberry vines, and I could not do it without this tool! It's a pleasure to use this tool and I'm getting stronger using it! (Better than going to the gym:-)

Good for the work

Just wanted to thank you for making your fabulous blackberry hoe and shipping it to me in Vancouver BC. My brother and I share a family cabin on Galiano Island that has been overrun with Himalayan blackberry and we have been working hard to remove it and replace it with a native grass meadow. It�s a multi-year project but it would have been hopeless without your blackberry hoe. It�s the perfect tool for extracting the roots and tubers. I know we�ll be using it for years. Thanks again. And don�t be surprised if we order another one. Cheers!

My Precious

Used this to take out a massive yucca root system yesterday. My shovel acted like I had hit rock, but this chopped and pried it up beautifully! I (almost) look forward to using it on my blackberry invasion.

Killer Tool

We bought this at the Mother Earth News Fair in Albany, Oregon last weekend. I have tried it on small and large blackberry plants. No more bending over to pullout the plants! This works great! I was waffling on buying it because of the price, my wife said to get it! I am really glad I did! It is well worth the cost. Beautiful workmanship on the tool. Looks like it will stand up to years of blackberry extraction.

Blackberry Hoe - Original and New Styles

Blackberry Hoe - Original and New Styles