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The ultimate companion tool to Root Trainers

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  • The ultimate companion tool to Root Trainers

    After faffing about for ages with a hand trowel trying to dig a hole deep enough to plant my root trainer grown seedlings without the sides collapsing in on it, I had a burst of inspiration. Why not use my bulb planter? And it's perfect! It digs a hole that's the perfect depth and width for my seedlings to go in, the sides of the hole don't collapse in, and once I've popped the seedling in, releasing the soil on top of the hole fills it in completely while burying the seedling a little deeper giving it added stability. Who knew a bulb planter could be so useful!!
    I do Charity Wild food walks. Check out www.msitu.co.uk

  • #2
    I use a bulb planter too, its much less aggravating of my arthritis than trying to grip & dig with a trowel (I have a "stamp-on" long handled bulb planter; I tried one of the thin-tin hand-held bulb planters, but it just buckled )

    I fill the bulb-planter-made holes with water, and then plant. The ground under the "hole" is thus nice and wet, and that moisture will last for a week or more, and encourages the roots to grow down where there will be more water through the season than at the surface.

    Also use it for planting out my Parsnips (grown in newspaper pots). I make a double-deep hole (jumping up and down on the bulb planter!) to get a really deep hole which I back-fill with sieved soil so no stones to make the parsnips fork.
    K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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    • #3
      I have 4 bulb planters; and use them for planting out everything pretty much! Esp good for 12 modules to a seed tray sized modules.

      The teachers that I work with all love them too and will be getting one each for their birthdays.

      They are great for leeks as well, one per hole.

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      • #4
        I only bought mine this year and its been ever so handy.
        Location....East Midlands.

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        • #5
          I have a long handled one that I use for planting spuds, its great!

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          • #6
            Can you recommend one please zaz?
            Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
            By singing-'Oh how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade,
            While better men than we go out and start their working lives
            At grubbing weeds from gravel paths with broken dinner-knives. ~ Rudyard Kipling

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            • #7
              Pictures please these things sound a godsend!
              To see a world in a grain of sand
              And a heaven in a wild flower

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              • #8
                Originally posted by mrbadexample View Post
                Can you recommend one please zaz?
                My fave is this one...

                Last edited by zazen999; 07-05-2011, 09:46 PM.

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                • #9
                  Deja vu????

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                  • #10
                    The one I use is by Bulldog. Picked it up at a car boot for a fiver ...

                    Last edited by Kristen; 07-05-2011, 09:58 PM.
                    K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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                    • #11
                      Mines a cheapie one with a plastic handle bought for 50p from a charity shop seems to work fine.

                      Its similar to this one on ebay :-

                      HAND BULB PLANTER-GREENHOUSES,ALLOTMENTS,LANDSCAPING | eBay UK
                      Location....East Midlands.

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                      • #12
                        I use the short one for spud planting too. However, I'm getting to the age that one with a long handle (and a chute to slide the spud down!) would be a boon.
                        Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

                        www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 9th - Spring

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                        • #13
                          Whoops, look what I just ordered from Amazon...

                          Well I have got two rootrainer trays worth of stuff to plant out in the next couple of weeks. And if Zaz recommends it, I reckon it must be good (I've learnt through bitter experience that the saying 'buy cheap, buy twice' is generally worth taking notice of) - also, I'm a sucker for garden tools with wooden handles!
                          Originally posted by zazen999 View Post
                          My fave is this one...

                          Life is brief and very fragile, do that which makes you happy.

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                          • #14
                            I expect, and hope, that that hand-bulb-planter is more robust that the cheapie one I bought ... which buckled after making a dozen or so holes and was useless thereafter ...
                            K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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                            • #15
                              Well, at 3 times the price of "normal" hand bulb planters I'd hope so too!

                              It doesn't compress in though, do you just push the plug of soil out?

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