Gardening: Tool Box: Better than the plough

MY CHILDHOOD walk home from Oswestry School in Shropshire passed a smithy where horses were shod and implements made or repaired. Korean artisans have used equally traditional methods to create the hand-forged Ibis cultivator.

First impressions suggest a conventional tool that has been given the Yuri Geller treatment. But its strange shape - the blade lies at just over 90 degrees to the handle - is the key to its versatility. The long, broad, slightly curved and sharply pointed blade can be likened to a small, hand-held plough. Several uses for the underside and edges become apparent as soon as you start work. Its point is suitable for digging holes - use it as a pick if the soil is really hard - and for extricating weeds from awkward places.

A long-handled version - on a 'together with' rather than an 'instead of' basis - is in the pipeline, according to the company that has just started to import the Ibis. Anything that reduces the risk of back trouble is good news. The price of the present version ( pounds 11.30) includes post and packing.

Gundaroo Tillers, 59 South Hill Park, London NW3 2SS (071-794 3181).

(Photograph omitted)