Grow Your Own Magazine

Dear all

I cant believe how hard it was to find a hoe that was not a Dutch hoe, but rather a hoe at a right angle. Well I found one and also some great priced other hand tools on http://www.diysupply.co.uk.

This is the hoe:
http://www.diysupply.co.uk/index.php...623c3dc2972487

(you'll need to copy paste the link).

If anyone has tips on good quality and inexpensive tools, please let us all know.

best
zlatko

ahhh yes, or called an azada

'get digging' azada link

the OH has recently bought one and after using it declares it ought to be beatified!

(aka a chillington hoe and their website has lots of different versions.)

I would also recommend the Azada. Used around the world and is many tools in one. I recommended this tool a few months ago on the vine based purely from reading the blurb about it. Unfortunately I had done all the work so no longer needed one. If I ever got an allotment however then this would be my first purchase. I think WiZeR bought one and is using it at this moment in time.
Jax

I have got one and they are fab...I have dug more of my allotment in one week than I did in a month with a spade, they are really, really good. Not to tiring to use either!
Helen

Yes I bought one and they are great. Also called a mattock.

__________________
Blogging Again at..
http://www.wizer.co.uk

I've had my navvy size mattock for years now and I think it is a superb piece of kit - wouldn't be without it.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

[size="1"]Journal updated Tuesday 5th August

Hi Zlatko, Welcome to the vine. Bit more expensive, but Wolf do an interchangable head that is exactly what you're talking about. I've got one. As I say bit expensive but at least my wife & in-laws can get me something usefull for B'days & crimbo now.

I've looked at Azada's (mattcks or back hoes if your West Indian) & often thought about getting one but never really got the idea of how it works. But with so many glowing Testemonies (sure you can get a poultice for that) I may well part with some of the hard earned stuff. Any particular brand to be reccommended Folks?

PS Welcome to the Vine Helenclare as well

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

nick check out my 'azada' link above - they import them from Spain.

But also if you google for Chillington they do lots under different brand names all round the world.

Think a mattock may be slightly different, azada hasn't got the pointy bit above the blade and the handle is longer.

Weldone SBP I've been looking for that site for ages!! I used to have it bookmarked on the old PC but lost it when the HDD went down. Couldn't remember what it was called !!

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

shame on you for not backing up your data!

Chillington link

I back the data up but not links as there were loads of them & some I only ever used once !!

I seem to remember writing to either this chap or the "fredshed" link about these & he said that these were better than the Chillton ones. COme to thinkof it it was the fredshed chap, co originally I asked about longer handle spade cos I'm nearly 6' & find that most give me backache as they are designed for shorter people. He said had I thought of an azada ( I thought why do I want a supermarket ) & he sent me this link.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

.....was only kidding about backing up!

'fredshed chap'?

I imagine the quality is to do with whether blade & handle fitting are forged in one or welded?

If you go to the Links Page the first one is Fredsshed - he does tool reviews

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

err you couldn't do a link to the links page could you can't seem to see it?

Sbp
You're right ! A azada is different from a mattock - I always thought they were the same thing but having looked at the site I see the difference now. I think my model, which is very old, is a sort of hybrid. It has the pick spike on one side but my digging blade is wider than those shown on the mattocks shown on the site. The head, both spike and blade are forged as one so not much chance of me breaking it - good to know as it's gonna do some real heavy duty work in the garden over the next couple of weeks.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

[size="1"]Journal updated Tuesday 5th August

I was longing to start a thread called 'what's your favourite tool' then realised what I'd be saying....
I have a strimmer on wheels which I love. its petrol driven, eats up weeds and long grass and stuff. is known throughout the family as the Zimmer Strimmer.

My favourite tool is my OH

Oh, did I really just say that? I think he'd give up helping me out if he knew I'd refered to him as a 'tool'

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

well, at least he's useful shortie!! more than you can say of a lot of men!
(mine's lovely tho)

do I detect a touch of Greenham common coming out here. I would love to answer you post SBP, but heaven knows what LJ would be googling

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

lol! I once got directed to a site whose name I'm not sure I should post here, but lets just say, it was a bunch of blokes displaying their Sticky Willies, so that people could give them a rating!!!!! kind of like 'do you garden at home or on a lottie', only rather more XXX rated.

I was at uni in a class ages back and decided to try and look up a website of the book company osborne. I had my lecturer stood behind me a a few Uni mates watching my screen too.

Any way, it certainly wasn't a book site I ended up at, if you catch my drift.

None of us could see the spelling mistake and wondered if their address was hijacked or something, but I was mighty embarassed!

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Getting back to garden tools... I've bought a thing in the 99p shop which is dead useful. It's got a 12" handle with a fork at right angles on one side and a thing shaped like a leaf on the other. Like a double-sided cultivator. Very handy for weeding in between things. Seems quite sturdy for 99p too.

My long handled dutch hoe with its sharp edge. It makes hoe hoe hoeing quite a pleasant task.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated at last - Saturday 9th at 2040hrs