Re: CULT spading fork
From: John Montgomery <monashee@junction.net>
Julia Rankin wrote:
> I see that I am going to have to lift and separate some two and three
> year clumps this year. There seem to be two different types of spading
> forks on the market -- one with thick tines and one with finer tines.
> I wonder if anyone could tell me which works best?
I am familiar with two types of spading forks. One has wider & thinner
tines and any of these which I have used are not suitable for lifting
clumps of plants. They are okay for digging up fairly loose soil but in
heavy work the tines bend. The other type have tines which are square in
cross section and if well made are virtually indestructable.
The ones I use are 'Bulldog' brand from England and sold here through
mail order by Lee Valley Tools. They cost a small fortune but I don't
think Arnold Swartznegger could bend tose tines. I expect our
grandchildren will be deciding who they should pass them on to.
Remember that good steel costs more the first time you buy it than poor
steel does. By the time you have replaced deveral of the cheap ones, the
expensive one looks like a bargain.
Do check the direction of the grain in the handle and reject it if it
angles across the handle. Here again, someone can always make a thing
cheaper. If a manufacturer buys 1000 handle blanks and uses them all,
his fork should sell cheaper than those from a manufacturer who rejects
25% of the blanks
Happy digging
John Montgomery
Vernon BC Zone 5
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