Tools for the job

[jlottie]

I was given an ancient right angled fork a couple of years ago by a lottie neighbour and have found that it is the tool I use most on my plot. Quite by accident I found this site that also has "down turned" spades. Has anyone used one of these before and if so what are the pro's and con's

http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm

[running_muttley]

Lots of people use the "Down Turned" spades on the allotment but I found them a bit too big for me, I'm 5'4''. I ordered light weight mattock pix with 3 heads from here:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0

Expensive but my plot was basically a bramble patch and hadn't been touched for years. They're great, light but do the job well. Couldn't have managed without them.

[Poledragon]

I've got the 7" azada from GetDigging and it's great! (I'm 5'3") I use it a lot both at home and on the lottie. We also picked up one from Croatia when we were out there last year - it's pretty much all they use on their plots. Everyone out there seems to have a small field that they grow things in, and the azada is used for everything from digging over virgin ground to earthing up spuds, to planting trees and weeding.

The one we got out there has a point to it, although not as sharp as GetDigging's pointed azada. More like his regular spade shape. But they're very useful and good for those with bad backs as once you get the hang of it, it takes little effort to turn over the ground. Excellent for incorporating compost/manure into raised beds, making trenches, hacking up turves...

The only thing I don't use it for it digging up the back half of my lottie as I've still got a bad couch grass problem there, and it would just chop all the roots into tiny bits and make it even worse. So I'll hang onto my fork for a little longer.

[supersprout]

thanks for that link running_mutley, the azadas are getting a bit heavy for me now, like the looked of the three pronged attack!