Kitchen Garden Forum

Dear All,
my potato fork from bulldog is gasping it's last poor thing. The front metal strap is cracking and I do not think it is repairable. Does anyone know where I can buy another (possibly mail order). I am going to get some rawhide to strap it with in the hope of getting it through the Autumn digging. Although having said that where DO you get rawhide from these days.
Regards Sally Wright.

Hi Sally,

I put "potato fork" into google - these are the cheapest 2 - others were £40plus

http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=8656
http://www.ferndale-lodge.co.uk/pd_574023.htm

Hi Sally,
I bought a very cheap fork from the local discount house and took the plastic handle off(and threw it away) and gave the tines to the local Blacksmith who made a wonderful job of flattening them and I then rehandled with an Ash one. Fork cost £8.00 and £5.00 to the Blacksmith (it took him 20 minutes) and the Ash handle £4.50.
I had to simply smarten it up with an angle-grinder.
A dose of Linseed Oil to the handle before fixing and it is great. Used it yesterday and it worked a treat.
JB.

Isn't your problem misuse?
A potato fork is for getting potatoes out of soft cultivated ground. To dig you need a digging fork.
That sounds a bit blunt, not meant to be, just trying to say you need two forks.

Dear Geoff,
yes it probably is misuse. But I am very tall for a female at 5'11" and I have enormous hands. I take a Y in ring sizes so they are huge even compared to a blokes hands. The fork I have is very long with a total length of around 4' and it has a T handle which is more comfy for me. The soil I work is a mixture of gravel and silt so a spade is hard work because of the silt and the soil falls off a normal fork because of the gravel content.
The bottom line is the fork style is comfortable for me to use and suits my soil. If I have to replace it every few years so be it. Besides the one I have at present was not new when I got it; I have had it for 10 years and cultivated 20 pole of allotment with it in that time so I think I have had my money's worth out of the £4 I paid for it don't you?
regards Sally Wright.
ps, the ferndale lodge fork seems to be what I am looking for, although I will have to see whether they do a snail mail ordering system as I don't do internet shopping.

Hi Geoff,
I kind of disagree with the two fork bit. A Potato fork is meant to be driven under the crop and lifted.
Hence the term 'Lifting Potatoes'. I suppose it certainly depends on the soil type and because I have got no clay only one fork is necessary but I only use it for lifting spuds. However on reading Sally's posting again I guess she uses it for preparing soil becuase of the type. So having kind of disagreed with you at the start the penny has now dropped and I kind of agree with you.
JB.

About your "Tattie howker" ! nothing cannot be repaired. If you go to a small engineering firm that can braize, I'm sure they will try their best if you tell them it's one of your favourite garden tools. If you are going to throw it out, throw it my way! Cheers, Tony.