5 Harvest Knives: The Right Tool for the Job

Most kitchens are equipped with a collection of knives used for different cooking tasks. The idea applies to gardening as well; the pruning knife that’s perfect for harvesting grapes may not be ideal for cutting precious stems of lavender.

Professional harvest cutlery is a welcome addition to the amateur gardener’s arsenal. Don’t need a grape harvesting knife (no grape vines in sight)? Think again, because tools designed for harvesting vegetables will work wonders for other gardening tasks. Grape harvesting knives are perfect for pruning woody shrubs, for instance, and celery knives cut thick-stemmed plants with ease.

Here is a round up of harvest cutlery to consider:

Above: Garrett Wade offers a selection of professional harvest knives. The pointed Lettuce Knife (L) offers a clean cut with two sharp surfaces; $9.50. The round-tipped Broccoli Knife (Center) allows for a circular cut around large stalks, limiting stalk damage; $9.50. A good all-purpose gardening tool, the Celery Knife (R) has side edges designed to reach around a thick stalk; $29.95.

Above: Burgon and Ball’s Vegetable Harvesting Knife has serrated teeth on a wide curved blade. Designed for easy harvesting of thick stemmed vegetables; $19.95 at Williams-Sonoma Agrarian.

Above: For the mushroom enthusiast, the Opinel Mushroom Knife features a thin, curved blade with a serrated back to remove mushroom cuticles. It has a beech wood handle with a boar hair brush for easy removal of soil. The blade folds into the handle for safe keeping; $26.95 at Opinel.

Above: The Zenport Lavendar Harvest Knife features a 6.5-inch curved, serrated carbon steel blade and a wooden handle with a notch that makes the handle easier to grip in wet weather. This tool is great for field crop harvesting, lavender harvesting, and weeding; $10.99 at Agricultural Solutions.

Above: Designed for grape picking, the Opinel No. 10 Pruning Knife is also a good option for shrub pruning or cutting ties; $24 at Amazon.

N.B.: For more, see all of our Garden Tool Features.