[Grecian Gardener]

I' m in a similar postion having just taken on a plot.  Are the cheaper carbon steel tools on offer for around £5 each really not worth bothering with?  I guess the answer is probably obvious (i.e. you get what you pay for!) but thought I'd ask.  It's just I need some tools fairly quickly and thought this might be a short term option.

[Yorkie]

My friend bought two cheap forks from supermarkets, probably cost no more than £5.  Each one lasted a very short time, bent when it hit a stone and one actually snapped a prong.  Wasn't worth the economy.

[Bigbadfrankie]

You do get what you pay for BUT
Some tools have so much metal in them they would be difficult to break by human strength alone (shovel) and others are more subtle (hoe)
Useing a bit of sense money can be spent wisely

[Rangerkris]

I got 3 cheap one's then broke them one after the other.  Went and got an expensive one broke that took it back andgot a replacement with out any problems the manager said it was the first they had back broken since they had stocked that range.  Go for quality tools that what my teacher always told me.   

I didnt tell them how i broke it but there was no problems with changing it wrong tool for the job.

[Grecian Gardener]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback, as always it's a case of weighing up how much the tool will be used and how hard it is likely to be worked.

[hamstergbert]

Oscillating hoes avaialable here
Quite curious - anyone got any long term experience of using the things?

[rickman]

Oscillating hoes avaialable here

HOW MUCH?

[Gwiz]

Oscillating hoes avaialable here

HOW MUCH?

Ditto.... :blink:

[digga666]

There are some here   http://www.suffolkherbs.com/kolist/1/SUNDRIES/TOOLS     for about £23.75 i think

[johnfh]

I've got a garden claw which is great for removing single weeds, including roots, such as docks, couch grass etc if you have a rough patch. The weed usually stays in the claw and and you can remain standing rather than having to keep bending when cleaning the soil off. The action is a simple push down with your foot, perhaps a sideways movement if the  soil is hard, and then a twist on the handle - much easier than a conventional fork and causes less disturbance to any nearby plants.

Auctions can certainly be good places to buy tools but you do need to view them beforehand and know the retail price and decide on your limit  Bidders sometimes get carried away and end up paying more than they would to buy new!  Worth a google search for retailers selling them over the internet  when buying new.

Buying the cheapest make will usually be a false economy as they will bend or break as soon as you put them under any pressure in my experience.

[Babstreefern]

Never, never buy trowels with the thin stainless steel shank - they're's loads of them about, but no matter whose you buy, they bend (mine even snapped).  I've had two of them and sent them back and contacted the manufacturer - Wilkinson Sword.  They asked me to choose another and I could have it free of charge - so I bought one with a wooden handle which connects straight to the spade part.  Never any trouble since.  But I agree with everything else, 1) Get good tools - don't buy cheap, it costs in the long run.  2) Again get gloves, thick padded ones, a must if you have brambles and 3) kneeling pads.  Mine are a god send.  And the enjoy yourself.  Take the good with the bad, and when you have bad harvests - and you will - don't give up.  It comes part and parcel with working the land.

[TTG]

I'm back in the market for tools having been offered a plot that is workable for me. The first one had too many problems. This means I need the tools (or at least some time in the future when my Dad is sick of me always having his tools). This means I probably need a fork, spade and secateurs. What else do I need to buy initially for my plot? A hoe for example or trowel and hand fork. What is your minimum tool requirement for starting out?

[Yorkie]

Yes to hoe, trowel, gloves in addition to fork, spade and secateurs.

I eventually got a pruning saw but that will depend on what you have growing.

At this time of year it's probably worth seeing what the plot is like and prioritising your purchases accordingly.  If it needs a bit of clearing then a hand trowel isn't going to be your main concern, nor a hoe until you've done some clearance.

[TTG]

I believe it is the one I was shown as coming free shortly when I was shown around the allotments a while ago. If it is that one it has weed suppressing sheets down (been down for best part of the year). This should mean I just need to dig it over to aerate a bit and perhaps put something in with it while removing any weeds that remain. I reckon a spade and a fork might be best for that.

Then for a while I reckon the spade could be used for everything from creating seed rows to heavier tasks. It will be a while before I need to prune any fruit bushes (gooseberries are a must for me) and I do have access to borrowing tools that really must be used. I do reckon that you can always get away with minimal tools afterall a lot of third world farmers are self sufficient with simple tools such as those hoes someone suggested earlier. I think we can get too hung up on tools and the like that we don't really need. Put your back into it as me old Dad used to say when I got roped into digging over his veggie plots in the past.