Just a note to say that I don't know how I ever managed without these tools. The push pull hoe is my favourite tool now - so easy to use and you can cover a fair area in no time at all. So impressed that I am about to order one for my dad for his Xmas. Thanks to all who recommended it!

Thanks guys for you replies. He did tell me the name but I can't recall it - just remember that it sounded "nasty". Think I may have to get some Tatex
By the way we have just had hailstones again today. My poor plants!

Hi, I am hoping that someone can shed some light on this. I have a new neighbour at the allotment and have been aware that he is really keen on using weedkiller etc. He seems to spray most weekends and I have noticed that the paths in his plot are blue with slug pellets. I prefer not to use chemical...

Oh dear - bit expensive that OH. The weather down your way must be a bit drier than it is here. I tried out my new push pull hoe but the soil is really too wet at the moment....

Hi Will,
I think you may be right. I have spent a fortune on cheapies over the years so I think it is time to upgrade. I recently bought an oilstone and have been sharpening all of my tools which has also made a difference. The cheaper tools don't like that though - you can tell the difference!

My new tools arrived last week - birthday present from hubby. I got two sizes of handles and a rake, soil crumbler, draw hoe, push-pull hoe and patio scraper. They seem really sturdy and I can't wait to get up to the plot to give them a go. Also bought myself a trolley sort of thing for lugging arou...

Missed Countryfile unfortunately but i think I will go ahead and order - thanks for the website address john - that's much cheaper than the tools I saw in the garden centre. I am definitely going to order the push pull hoe. Not much chance of using it here anytime soon though as the forecast is for ...

Thanks Tigger and OH, that is great. the tools looked heavy duty but like OH (initially) I was a bit worried about the snap on bit - however 15-20 years of use sounds good to me! Birthday coming up soon so guess what i am going to be dropping hints for.... I did see the hoe thing and it looked usefu...

My rake broke recently (something to do with trying to crack ice - don't ask!) and when I was looking at replacements I saw a range of tools by Wolf-Garten. They were the ones where you buy a handle and then snap on various tools e,g, rake head, hoe head etc. I thought that would be really handy sin...

Thanks for all the replies and your good wishes. You all seem to be far ahead of me but I live in Aberdeen and I think I need to delay for about a month after sowing times in the South. I lost just about everything in my (unheated) greenhouse this winter - not so much the frost but the length of tim...

Catherine, sorry to hear about your MIL. My MIL had a similar thing a year ago and ended up with a heart bypass too. She is of a similar age to your MIL. She has fully recovered and is back playing bowls and bridge and generally living life to the full. The cardiac treatments are amazing these days ...

Haven't been on the forum for a very long time (more than a year )as I have been ill but have been hovering around reading posts again for the last few weeks. Still lots of regular names that I recognise - good to read all your posts. I'm itching to get going in the garden again although it will hav...

Johnboy, thanks - think I will try your method next time. The propagator wasn't heated so they have been pretty much at the same temperature throughout (in my dining room) but I guess I was just too quick to transplant. I think your method would be much better and would save the transplanting stage....

Hi, Can anyone tell what I have done wrong? I thought I would try growing onions from seed this year. They took a while to germinate but got there eventually. As soon as they came through I took the lid off the propagator. I transplanted them into large cells when most of them were just past the cro...

I am so excited - have just bought my first ever greenhouse. It has taken me about 20 years to get round to it but in 8 weeks I will be the proud owner of a 6 x 10 greenhouse with super dooper fancy roof vents and louvres and all that stuff. Does anyone have any advice re staging/shelves/potting ben...