Topic: Garden Claw

[gillianbc]

My absolute favourite tool is the garden claw.  Amazingly, it does just what it says on the adverts.  I got one as a present a couple of years ago and I use it almost every day.  We're on heavy clay subsoil and the house was built on the site of an old builder's yard so it wasn't easy to start with.  It was invaluable when I turned most of my lawn into beds and it is much kinder to neighbouring plants (and your back) than a spade when you just want to turn over a small space to pop a plant in.  

If I could keep just one tool, it would be that one.  

[kenkew]

Now it just goes to show how different we can all be. I've tried 'The Claw'. Didn't like it at all. Maybe it would be fine for boarder use but I can't see it being a serious addition to garden tools. Good job we don't all think the same, eh?

[Ceri]

And I'm an inbetweeny - find it indispensable in back garden where there is about an inch of top soil then solid clay, as I can break the soil up a bit to plant in Spring and Summer, without bringing the subsoil up to the surface and losing my precious bit of topsoil.
Don't find it helpful for autumn digging though as I turn over great clods of clay hoping the frost will do its thing. No good in my lottie either, as I've dug up to 3 ft in place looking for subsoil and haven't found any yet!  (No credit to me for the depth of topsoil - the last plot holder must have been some digger!)  I also think that its not 'man tool' enough for some men, who like either noisy macho power tools or big hefty 'I'm the only one man enough to lift this much soil' spades! (Not all men I must add, just a lot of them I seem to know!)

[Mrs Ava]

My sister loves hers with a passion, and so does my favva in law, both for garden use.  I used to use one on my old family allotment just for carefully breaking the soil up between plants, almost like a hoe.

[Hels_Bels]

Hi there

Finally succumbed and logged in at work..... I have a claw but it's a bit different methinks from the one you are all talking about - it's got three prongs that are like eagles' talons, so you use it to scrape forwards, rather than twist. I have found it brilliant for scooping up the couch grass, once I've lifted it initially with the fork. Is that the same thing?  Not sure it's the tool I'd keep if I only had a choice of one, but it's certainly made digging a lot less back breaking! ;D

HB

[budgiebreeder]

I like mine as well its ever so good for getting Dandylions out.

[aquilegia]

Oh so that's what they are! Gran gave me a whole load of tools, including a couple of (what I assume must be) these.

I shall have a go at using it when digging this weekend and let you know what I think!

[gillianbc]

Hels-Bels - no I've got one of those too.  This is what I was talking about.

[Ragged Robin]

was given one as pressie.....didnt like using it much......but have recently discovered that its brill for turning the compost bin.....mixes contents nicely.

[Garden Manager]

Never been keen on gadgets like that. You can use a fork to do the sams job by using ths same kind of twisting action to loosed the top inch or so of soil.

[Hels_Bels]

Hi there

I've jsut re-visited this topic - forgot where it was for a while!

Mine doesn't look like that. Imagine a three-pronged fork with all the prongs curving downwards - the middle one is set a bit back from the other two. (Sorry, rubbish description). So they all go in the same direction. I think they are usually hand tools, but my dad got a big one and put it on an old rake handle. You don't twist with it, you use it to drag things towards you and it gets quite deep in. As I said i use it for scraping couch off the surface, once I've lifted it with the fork. It doesn't go down deep like a fork, but does a good job of capturing those nasty roots!

Happy easter everyone

H_B

[Mrs Ava]

Oh yeah, mum has one of those, like something out of a very violent horror movie!  I always think of it like a birds claw, talons!

[Hels_Bels]

That's the one - probably the most dangerous tool to leave the wrong way up in the plot!! My mum put a fork through her big toe a very long time ago (one of my earliest memories!) but I'd rather do that than tread on a claw - ow

HB

[kenkew]

Hel's...As soon as I get logged back into HPPhoto's I'll download a pic of what I'm sure you mean. A right evil looking damnably handy horror, eh?


OK. I've posted what I think is a pic of your 'claw'. Is it the one posted in 'Different tools'?

[Garden Manager]

Hi there

I've jsut re-visited this topic - forgot where it was for a while!

Mine doesn't look like that. Imagine a three-pronged fork with all the prongs curving downwards - the middle one is set a bit back from the other two. (Sorry, rubbish description). So they all go in the same direction. I think they are usually hand tools, but my dad got a big one and put it on an old rake handle. You don't twist with it, you use it to drag things towards you and it gets quite deep in. As I said i use it for scraping couch off the surface, once I've lifted it with the fork. It doesn't go down deep like a fork, but does a good job of capturing those nasty roots!

Happy easter everyone

H_B

Thats not a Garden Claw HB, but a cultivator. A bit like a mini version of ploughs farmers use, and does the same job albeit on a smaller scale.  Good alternative to a fork when you dont want to dig too deeply.