Topic: Potato fork

[tim]

Searched for the thread without success .........help please??

[Kleftiwallah]

Your message is a bit vague, could we know more?    Cheers,   Tony.

[Tulipa]

Hi Tim, was it one of these...

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,18512.0.html

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,16192.0.html

there are others that come up in the search too - nearly gave you the link for this one!

Hope all is ok with you.

T.x

[tim]

No, thanks Tulipa - but fun to look back on ones preaching in the olden days!! This was within the last few days.

So - just for fun - herewith a Fork & a Potato digging Fork. They both have pointed tines!!

To me, it is nonsense to talk about not spiking the tubers - you can do that with any tool. It's a question of shovelling up the tubers with the broader blades. If we wanted to prevent spiking the tubers. there would be no need to have blades which are broad all the way up??

[powerspade]

I got a Potato fork, I found it in the coal house when I bought my first house. It has a long handle and five broad tines (1inch Wide). It has the original handle which I treat with a little linseed oil at the end of the growing season. It is very good as the wide tines lift the whole potato plant with out any piercing of the tubers

[ipt8]

I dont quite follow how this topic started but a potato fork has rounded small balls on the ends of the tines so they do not dig into the spuds.

[tim]

The topic started because I asked for help in re-locating a link on forks.

Then to the subject of a potato digging fork (see pic) - previously discussed - as opposed to a potato shovelling fork -  don't know the name of that one with knobs on the ends of the many tines.

There is a ridiculous misconception here - it is said that the broader tines help to prevent damage. So far as I am aware, it is the point of a tine that damages,  never the blade of tine, when lifting potatoes.

So much for the  re-hashing of old gardeners' tales!

[dtw]

Surely you wouldn't need to spend out money on a special fork if you dig the spuds out properly.
Dig into the side of the row at the bottom of the furrow underneath the plant and you are less likely to hit any potatoes.
If you dig from the end of the row you are more likely to hit a potato.

If special potato forks actually worked, they would be more readily available.

[tim]

Fair dinkum!
 Certainly you don't see many around, because any old fork will lift potatoes.  But the point - to me- is that 13mm tines are better than 7mm ones at lifting the tubers without them skidding off.

Now a strange one - got this this am but nothing on the forum............??

"A reply has been posted to a topic you are watching by petemac.
View the reply at: http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=67911.new;topicseen#new"

[antipodes]

Dig into the side of the row at the bottom of the furrow underneath the plant and you are less likely to hit any potatoes.
If you dig from the end of the row you are more likely to hit a potato.

Wow I ALWAYS cut or damage my spuds! Now I see why! I always work down the rows, in fact I shoudl work across them! That could be a very useful piece of advice! (I'll tell you when I dig out the last earlies this weekend!!!)

[Alex133]

I've got a potato fork with tines and a bar right across the bottom. It's quite good but  like pulling up each plant by hand - brings up majority of potatoes and loosens soil, root around by hand for the rest and finally have a dig for any left over bits. (Used to always manage to spear the best potatoes using normal fork).

[artichoke]

In what way is that better than a spade?

[davyw1]

Does it real matter what you use, if it be a potato fork, garden fork, spade or coal shovel you will still put a hole through or cut a potato in half the only fork that counts is the one that goes with your knife.