Hello Mr. GUY--Hey, that broad fork looks familiar. I called the bride over and she thinks that she saw one a couple of years ago on the telly. I like the looks of it and wonder if that wouldn't work well in the lottie. It is pretty expensive though, I see. I shall have to investigate if they are sold in this country and if so then I can actually go and hold one in my hands and inspect it. The principle of how it works is attractive to me. I noticed on that same site that they sell these things: https://www.lehmans.com/p-4413-furrowing-hoe.aspx They are almost the same as what I have, but they are smaller. I would not like these for that reason...but perhaps you may. Yes, they are very hard to find, even here. My bride suggests that you may be looking in the wrong place--that you perhaps should look in a museum... sigh--women. Tch. What a sense of humour. (shaking my head). By way of making amends she came up with this-- https://www.gardentoolcompany.com/collections/long-handle-garden-hoes This one is also a bit too small for my taste, but maybe interesting to you. It's brand is Dutch and was made close to where I live. I toured their "factory" once. These furrowing tools are made in France, but that doesn't help you. It is called a Butoir or Butoir à main or Butteur rayonneur https://www.google.nl/search?q=bute...&biw=1052&bih=705#tbm=isch&q=buteur+rayonneur http://www.cdiscount.com/search/10/butteur+rayonneur.html#_his_ There is a company called Gardena and they are also in America/Canada and have a combi-system for tools (click-on). They make butteur rayonneur's. If these are available in America, I do not know. What my bride DID find was this website addy--http://www.gardena.com/ca/en/search/?q=ridge+plough I believe that the website is American/Canadian. If so, perhaps you could order it if the postage isn't prohibitive. It is a tool that is so important to me that I would walk a mile for THIS camel, so to speak. Good luck and let me know if you decide to get one. After looking back up above, I see that it looks messy and chaotic...my response to you reads like a James Joyce novel -- a "stream of consciousness" novel style in its worst form. That was because we were writing you and looking further and further all the while. It was helpful to learn the term, "ridge plough". GP--Way to go. Did the moisture measurer work for you, though? I do not do that--I am a bit of a wimp in that sense. I leave them with rest until I believe there ought to be spuds for the harvest under the plants. Then I go burrowing under the plants like a meerkat. I can see if they are large enough to harvest. So what do I do about the moisture then, you are wondering. Well, if I feel that it may be too dry, I use a watering can and add water in the little furrows in-between the rows of plants. I am a medical man by training and an adage that I used to use was--"If it comes into my mind whether or not to do this or that procedure during the course of treatment of a patient, then it meant to me that it ought to be done". Same with giving water to spuds. They do not often need moisture in excess of what Mother Nature gives it...but the fact that I would wonder about it means to me that I ought to give it water. My reasoning is that it would not have come into my head if something had not given me a subtle indication...you know--intuition. You will develop this too in time, if you do not already have it.
If I am ever able to wear out some of my Grandparents garden tools, I will replace them with Sneeboer. I've lusted after them for most of my adult life. A quality tool that fits the hands and does what it must and is designed to do, is a pleasure to use. Ridge plough is a useful term to have learned. I will search for it now by that name. I think I must simply have one. The missus calls that beezawantin'. The translation is I "be's a wanting" that hence beezawantin. I rather like the 'Ulysses' reference. Well done. I'll have to put that back into the need to read category again. All wive's must have a sense of humor, they married the likes of us. They understand that the joke is on them!
Yes, those Sneeboer tools are really good quality. I was chatting with the owner where they make the tools and he told me that I could see buying one, more as if I would be buying an heirloom. The place where they make all the tools I featured on GardenStew a couple of years ago. It is literally right around the corner from where I kept some bees a few years ago. Do you remember it? http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/its-not-just-a-tool-its-an-heirloom.28416/#post-258018 Well, I hope that you will be able to find one over there. You may only use it a couple of times a year, but they really are helpful. I use the tool to make furrows, but also I draw it in-between the rows of potato plants, once up, in order to earth them up quickly and easily. If you find one, do take a pic of it and post it on here, would you. "beezawantin"--that makes me smile.
I perused that thread when posted with great enthusiasm. It reinforced my beesawantin of Sneeboer tools.
Long Fork and Mattock by Sneeboer $ 92.04 I have a very old one of these. It does double duty. The cost wasn't nearly so prohibitive. I think it may have been a Flea Market find. We also use the Push/pull hoe. We have two, probably just in case! Sjoerd, the moisture meter does work. I would tend to over water if I didn't check. Spinach is mostly up about an inch. I see green smoothies soon.
That is great news, GP. It has been so cold here that the spinach isn't growing very fast at all. That looks like a serious tool.
