Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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quixoticgeek
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Fork this.It seems that I am not having much luck with forks. I have managed to bend the tines on several cheap ones. Thinking that it was false economy to get a fork that bends after a few weeks use, I splashed out on something a bit more expensive. After almost a year of use, it now also sports the trademark bent tine that shows that it lost against my garden.
So I am in the market for a new fork. Ideally I want one that is not likely to bend in normal gardening use (I am not using this to dig concrete, just normal veg plot use!) even better if it comes with some form of guarantee. What do other people use?
J
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12Bore
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Dynamite? 
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baldybloke
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My Grandad's old one, still going strong. Try carboots or a secondhand tool shop.
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Ty Gwyn
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My Grandad's old one, still going strong. Try carboots or a secondhand tool shop. |
Second that,old makes like Elwell for instance,better than the modern rubbish on the market,
The Tines on an Elwell don`t bend,just wear away with 3 generations use.
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gz
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use a mattock 
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cab
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Second the mattock idea. A fork isn't necessarily the right tool for breaking ground, especially when its very firm.
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robkb
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a third vote for the mattock - goes through solid ground like a hot knife through butter, and is easier on your back.
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Shane
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Make that four votes for a mattock. It was a revelation when someone tipped me and I bought one!
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Dee J
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Another vote for the mattock here... and even the pick-axe on some of our soil!
If you want a strong fork, go for a plain steel one, either an old one, or a new one from a builders merchant. Avoid stainless steel, as these seem to sacrifice strength for corrosion resistance.
BTW... anyone else use a crome in the garden for final plot preparation prior to planting? It's a Norfolk name for a long-tined rake, traditionally made from a fork head on a long handle, with the fork prongs bent at a right-angle.....
Dee
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gz
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I use a wide, fairly long tined rake, it gets the bits of cattail I've missed 
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