[brotherdeal]

Hello i am after some advice on digging tools. I am 6'2" tall and have clay soil on my allotment and i am finding it hard going with my normal spade, has anyone had any experiences with the west country shovel or the irish spade?

[Gwiz]

I'm about the same height, with back problems. I can't understand why more people don't use them. The only draw back is finding a good one. Most of the shafts tend to break near to the digging head if you go heavy handed into any serious digging because of the extra leverage. You can get new shafts, I think I bought the last one from "the country store"

[Swed]

I use this kind of spades when its too much clay:
http://www.pricerunner.se/sp/slungspade.html
http://www.jula.se/slungspade-034001
...but mine are not -that- short... (these are 126cm, mine are old and about 140cm).
However these are made with the purpose of digging holes and ditches, though I found the to be really good when I struck clay.

[RichardA]

I don't have experience of the spades you mention but have looked at them in garden centres in Devon where my son lives and often meant to try. BUT BUT I am over 6foot 2 and dig all my very large garden with a sneeboer spade and fork -- they are dutch and marketed in this country by Harrod Horticultural - tallest conventional spade and fork I could find. Bit expensive and do not look as trendy and shiny as many on the market but they have good wooden shafts and stainless steel blades and they are in my opinion very good, very tough. My previous favourite was a spade made by grandfather who was a blacksmith for his father who was very tall. But that is now too thin to use as I fear I will break it.I also use a drainage layers graft which is narrow and longer than most spades for any deep pits when I have to go into subsoil which is chalky for me.
My soil is not as heavy as yours sounds to be and I can do a lot with a fork except for the annual dig and planting pits or trench work. I think I will try a long handled spade of the Devon type but perhaps it is just habit that gets me thinking of a tee handle each time.
All the best -- hope it works out. Would be pleased to hear what you think once you have tried one.

[japagow]

I have a west country spade and it does cut out the bending completely. There is a knack to using it which comes with timei.e different use of arms and foot, I would suggest buying one with a 'rim' or edge to the top of the shovel head it will help your boot when you step down.

It is a shovel with a long handle really that has been adopted for digging holes.

You could consider an automatic shovel with the spring on the back. The height on these is adjustable and once a rythm and some space is created you are off with the fairies and the plot gets dig.

[Steve_LF]

I had some clay/stony ground I needed to dig and used an old fork with only the two center prongs, to my surprise this proved to be the ideal tool.

[Gandan57]

Here is my circa 40 year old ex Devon County Council ditching shovel, given to me by my brother in-law after he had worn the point off it and was given a new one. 

 

From end to end it is almost seven feet long, and even though it is well worn the blade goes into the ground very easily. I used it today to extracate a couple of parsnips and roughly dig a small area.

[brotherdeal]

That looks like sort of thing I need.

[Gandan57]

You can buy one here:

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/bulldog-westcounty-shovel#description

[Growster...]

I had some clay/stony ground I needed to dig and used an old fork with only the two center prongs, to my surprise this proved to be the ideal tool.

That's what I like to read!

Good result!

[Kleftiwallah]

"It's 'ad five new 'eads and four new 'andles".    Cheers,    Tony.

[brandanexile]

Hi Search the car boots for a Wolf Terrex spade,  hard to describe but they're the Bees Knees,and shaft adjusts to an height of user.
                      Regards Bob

[Growster...]

Hi Search the car boots for a Wolf Terrex spade,  hard to describe but they're the Bees Knees,and shaft adjusts to an height of user.
                      Regards Bob

Absolutely Bob, as some people here know, I almost live with mine (not in the unusual sense you understand...)!

I've used it for years, and only bought the fork attachment in July. It makes digging a real pleasure - honest!

Link here: -

http://www.backsavergardentools.co.uk/