Confusion about Potato Forks

[George the Pigman]

After years of spiking potatoes when I lift them I have decided to invest in a Potato Fork. But looking online there seems to be two completely different types. Ones with four tines which are wider than usual and ones with 9 or more thin tines that look more like a basket, Do either work in preventing spuds being spiked and if so how?

[George the Pigman]

[Tee Gee]

The type of fork known as a "Potato Fork" is not for digging potatoes out of the ground it is used for "shoveling" them out of the clamp or loose storage.

The true potato fork is shaped like  a shovel and has what might be termed as ball bearings welded to the tip of the tines to prevent spiking when shoveling them up.

This does not necessarily stop 'spiking' because if you shovel into the heap of potatoes wrongly and meet a resistance you can force the ball bearing tipped tine/s into the potato/es, so it is a bit of an art.

In so far as digging them out of the ground is concerned you just have to take care as to where you force in the tines of any type of fork relative to the earthing up.

As a rule of thumb the wider your rows are apart the less chance you have of spiking a potato, because you can place the fork further back from the earthing up ridge.

So to sum up IMHO save your money and don't bother buying this tool.

I hope this helps!

ps

Just another point as you can see the fork is dished so if you think of a JCB digging into a heap of something it pushes the tip of the bucket along the floor  then swivels the bucket to allow the material to fall in. With the Potao fork you push the tines over the floor allow the potatoes to drop into the fork push the handle down in this way the potatoes will fall into the shovel then you move them on to where you are placing them..


I hope this has not confused you even more....Tg

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, I agree with TeeGee, don't buy the basket one and if you do really want to then buy the wider tined one for digging up the spuds. I to have considered getting one and still am as I seem to spike spuds quite often. I wa stold as youngster that the flat tined was the proper spud fork. On the farm we used the basket type, we called a scubbins, to shovel of mangels to the cattle in the field from the back of a trailer as it drove round the field. I would definatly go for the flat tines. I would be interested where you saw it for sale, Happy Gardening.

[Pescador]

Easy way to stop spearing spuds... don't put the fork in too close to the plant.  Costs nothing!

[johhnyco15]

or grow your spuds in pots no pests turn out one use them all unmarked and blemish free then the next easy  but i agree with tg save your money

[ancellsfarmer]

Use what nature gives you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmqDHcFZmcA

[mickstani]

I use 9 tine fork with balled points successfully - less damage and also less self sets the following year.

[saddad]

Potato varieties can make a big difference too... some like to stay close to the haulm and some like to wander off... those are more likely to get forked as they aren't where you are expecting them...

[Plot22]

There was a neighbour on our site who always got his potatoes up with a spade. I always thought that a bit strange however I quickly get frustrated when I put the fork through the biggest potatoes so last year I gave it a try. It's harder work but at least if I catch one it is a straight cut and more useable for a longer period of time. This years late crop  of Harmony and Manitou have produced huge potatoes so I am confident I would have forked plenty as with them being so big they were not where I expected them to be. Last Sunday I dug up a full row of Manitou with a shovel and did not damage one.

[Digeroo]

Use what nature gives you

This might work on very soft soil but mine is very gritty and stoney, it would risk pushing grit behind the nails.

I have a lot of canker this year, so I am going to try the plastic bag method.