8 Garden News / July 5 2011 July 5 2011 / Garden News 9 Get your weekly fix! Saving seed Stand on a plank when raking It’s time to start collecting your own / Rakes seed – follow our guide Page 13 Tried & tested large beds to avoid squashing finely-raked soil www.gardennewsmagazine.co.uk
1 Bulldog Tools 6 Sneeboer Rake Premier Garden Rake rInterchangeable tools rLength 166cm (651/2in) rWeight 1240g tools in my garden shed are interchangeable ones. You buy a single handle that is the right length rLength 155cm (61in) rHandle ash for you and then the various tool heads that you need. This ensures all your tools are comfortable to rWeight 1410g rGrip bulb end use and they don’t take up as much room in the shed. rHandle ash rComfort & usability rGrip none ★★★★★ rComfort & usability ★★★★★ : rRake head stainless 10 Fiskars QuikFit rRake head alloy steel; steel; rounded top; 30cm Universal Rake flat top; 30cm (12in) long; (12in) long; eight curved 12 lightly curved teeth 5 GardenNews teeth 6.5cm (2 ⁄8in) long 2 7.5cm (3in) long rPrice guide £62.95 rLength 162cm (63¾in) BEST Price guide £30.90 11 Available from Harrod Horticultural with 1.5m (5ft) handle BUY rWeight 784g 2 Draper Tools rHandle aluminium 1 7 Spear & Jackson rGrips soft plastic at top Stainless Steel Garden Rake E-Series Soil Rake GardenNews and middle 12 Wilkinson Sword 6 BEST rComfort & usability ★★★★★ 4 rRake head FyberComp plastic; Space Saver Soil Rake rLength 144cm (56¾in) BUY 13 rLength 159cm (62½in) flat top extension; 41cm (16¼in) 8 rWeight 1044g 10 rWeight 1095g long; 12 curved teeth 9.5cm rHandle ash rLength 148cm (58¼in) with 1.5m handle, rHandle aluminium; cranked handle (3½in) long 12 rGrip none which is only 1.43m long for ergonomic use rPrice guide rComfort & usability rWeight 905g 5 9 rGrips soft plastic at middle £14.99 ★★★★★ rHandle aluminium and top rHandles r rGrip plastic along the top two-thirds Rake head: stainless rComfort & usability 72cm of the handle steel; flat top; 30cm (12in) ★★★★★ (28½in) 3 rComfort & usability ★★★★★ 3 long; 12 teeth 6cm (2 ⁄8in) long rRake head stainless steel; £14.99; 1.5m (5ft) rPrice guide rRake head stainless steel; flat top; 30cm 7 £17.75 flat top; 30cm (12in) long; 12 lightly £18.99 3 (12in) long; 12 curved teeth 7cm (23/4in) long curved teeth 6cm (2 ⁄8in) long rPrice guide £16.99 rPrice guide £31.99 3 Fiskars Power rHandles Wilkinson Sword 3938000W Space Universal Rake Saver Aluminium Handle; 1.2m (4ft) handle 8 Wilkinson Sword £9.99; 1.5m (5ft) handle £11.99
rLength 161cm (63½in) Stainless Steel Soil Rake 11 Gardena rWeight 1290g Combisystem Rake rHandle aluminium rLength 152cm (60in) rGrips soft plastic at top, rWeight 1240g r plastic in the middle rHandle ash Length 135cm (53¼in) with 1.3m (51in) rComfort & usability rGrip none handle ★★★★★ r rComfort & usability Weight 868g rRake head aluminium; flat ★★★★★ rHandle ash top; 41cm (16¼in) long; 15 offset rGrip none rRake head stainless steel; flat ★★★★★ teeth, alternating rounded and curved and top; 29cm (11½in) long; 11 teeth 6cm rComfort & usability 5 arrow-tipped 6.5cm (2 ⁄8in) long 3 rRake head duroplast-coated steel; flat top; (2 ⁄8in) long 13 Wolf-Garten Multi- 5 rPrice guide £32.99 rPrice guide £27.99 30cm (12in) long; 12 curved teeth 6.5cm (2 ⁄8in) long change Bow Rake 35cm 4 Gardman Moulton Mill rPrice guide £15.99 9 Yeoman Stainless Steel rHandles 1.3m (51in) rLength 164cm (64½in) with 1.5m aluminium Long Handled Stainless Soil Rake £12.99; 1.5m (5ft) £14.99 handle, which is only 1.43m long rWeight 1190g Steel Soil Rake rHandle aluminium rLength 151cm (59½in) rGrip plastic along the top two-thirds rLength 148cm (58¼in) rWeight 812g of the handle rWeight 1020g rHandle aluminium cranked rComfort & usability ★★★★★ rHandle ash handle for ergonomic use rRake head steel; flat top; 36cm (14¼in) rGrip none rGrips soft foam at top and long; 14 curved teeth 7cm (2¾in) long rComfort & usability ★★★★★ middle rPrice guide £19.99 rRake head stainless rComfort & usability ★★★★★ rHandles wooden from 1m (40in) £14.99 to steel; flat top; 30cm (12in) rRake head stainless steel; flat top; 30cm (12in) 1.7m (5ft 8in) £17.99; aluminium from 1.2m (4ft) 5 long; 12 teeth 6.5cm long; 12 curved teeth 6.5cm (2 ⁄8in) long £8.99 to 1.5m (5ft) £9.99 5 r (2 ⁄8in) long Price guide £19.99 rPrice guide £19.99 Suppliers Raking up the dirt! 5 Joseph Bentley Stainless rBulldog Tools www.harrodhorticultural.com Steel Garden Soil Rake tel: 01279 401572 rJoseph Bentley Win one of our GOOD garden rake is an essential piece of gardening kit for You also want to check that the tool is comfortable to use; smooth handles www.bulldogtools.co.uk tel: 01905 798666 Geoff Hodge tests a raking over the soil, breaking up lumps and making a fine and handgrips can be important to help prevent blisters and calluses. rDraper Tools www.josephbentley.org.uk Best Buy rakes rLength: 145cm (57in) tel: 02380 266355 Supplies direct to garden centres & stores seedbed, ready for sowing seeds or laying turf. And there’s r we have five of both of the Best Buy The test rWeight: 956g www.draper.co.uk rSpear & Jackson line-up of rakes on his nothing more satisfying than standing back and looking at your I tested the rakes on my allotment. I was looking for one that was comfortable rakes to give away! Send your name rHandle: oak rFiskars tel: 0114 281 4242 handiwork – a beautifully flat patch of soil, consisting to use and easily produced a fine tilth and a flat seedbed. and address to Garden News Garden allotment to rGrip: none tel: 0115 927 7335 www.spear-and-jackson.com Rake Giveaway, Media House, ofA a fine tilth – well until the cats start digging in it! I found that rakes with teeth that were thin, curved and/or pointed moved rComfort & www.fiskars.com rWilkinson Sword from E P Barrus Peterborough Business Park, Obviously, the larger the rake head, the more soil you can cover, although through the soil more easily, but there wasn’t much between them. And the find out which usability ★★★★★ rGardena from Husqvarna UK tel: 0845 894 1599 Peterborough PE2 6EA or enter online very large heads, depending on the material they’re made from, can make the longer the teeth, the deeper you can cultivate. rRake head tel: 0844 844 4558 www.wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk at www.greatcompetitions.co.uk rake more top heavy. As for raking ability, they were all very good, all rating three stars except are the best stainless steel; www.gardena.com rWolf-Garten from E P Barrus, Closing date is July 12. If you win, Those rakes with a flat upper surface on the head can be turned upside the Fiskars QuikFit Universal Rake, which stood out and rated five. This just flat top; 30cm (12in) long; rGardman tel: 01869 363636; you will receive one of the rakes. 5 for seedbed down to rake the soil level. goes to prove my suggestion of always testing something before you buy it to 12 teeth 6.5cm (2 ⁄8in) long tel: 01406 372237 www.wolf-garten.co.uk r Please write ‘do not contact’ if you preparation Whenever you buy any gardening tool it’s essential that you try it out in see how comfortable and suitable it is for you with regards to length, weight, rPrice guide £22.99 www.gardman.co.uk rYeoman don’t want to be contacted by us store first. Check the weight, balance and the length of the shaft because you balance and usability. I did have three favourites in the standard rakes – Supplies direct to garden centres & stores tel: 01905 791984 or by carefully selected partner should aim to stand as upright as possible; bending puts pressure on your Joseph Bentley, Spear & Jackson and Yeoman, but I could only choose one rHarrod Horticultural www.yeomangarden.com organisations. spine and results in backache. Best Buy, which was based on weight, length and price. tel: 0845 402 5300 Supplies direct to garden centres and stores