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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist
  • Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:02:10 -0700

(way out of date but contains some timeless info)
Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist
https://www.ibiblio.org/london/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
-
Saturday, December 17, 2011 Revision 
Gardening Hand Tool Sourcelist
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq

===================================================================
Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist
===================================================================

Permanent Minimum-Till Biointensive Double-Dug Raised Bed Garden Preparation and Handtool Information & Sourcelist

(work-in-progress - updated frequently)
[update - agriculture, permaculture, gardening & biodynamics bibliography added (from books available through Amazon.com).
- see below, near end of document.

A brief update for those needing quick access to tool sources; most of this information is repeated further on in the document.
=
Over time, your most often used garden tools will likely be:

Austrian scythe
hand sickles and machetes (different types from all over the world)
broadfork
hand trowels and weeder/cultivators including Japanese, Korean and other Asian versions 
various eye hoes (Germany, Austria, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Central America)
English-style D-handled spades, spade forks and digging forks
long handled sharp and flat point shovels
seeding rakes (Dutch or German) of varying width and number and length of tines
forged steel heavy garden rakes
pitchfork, compost fork
manure forks or potato hoes of varying widths 
(make an excellent one of these by bending the tines on a pitchfork, indispensable for removing cut weeds from garden beds)


This document lists most mail order sources for these tools.
Don't forget to fabricate some yourself in your shop or contract with local craftsmen (woodworkers, blacksmiths, welders, machinists)

Biointensive Gardening and Handtool Sourcelist
http://biointensiveagriculture.blogspot.com/
biointensivegardening@gmail.com
Biointensive Gardening and Hand Tools
http://biointensivegardening.blogspot.com/
ecolandtech@gmail.com

Garden Tools
https://picasaweb.google.com/dirt.4arm/GardenTools#
The weed/manure rake/hoe/fork made out of a pitchfork can be seen, first tool on the left, 
in this series of photographs, starting here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/dirt.4arm/GardenTools#5472487141395137746
and ending here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/dirt.4arm/GardenTools#5472487290264965282

Here are new resources for serious tool enthusiasts and tool makers:

Machetes, Knives and Sickles
============================
Thailand-jungle-knife.wmv 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WyLnMqOwi-k
Thai Kukri Knife Review 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Jhj-gWZXI&feature=related
couteaux thai traditionnels 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHEbfU6yIk&feature=related
Amazing Knife Making
Old style of making knives in Thailand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlZMTzjHQfE&feature=related
Making Japanese knives - knife forging by Master Blacksmith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABAEcmPvyg&feature=related
2 min tour - Japanese Knives - Handle Making Workshop 
this one is very enlightening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faq8fG7emYQ&feature=related
Making A Knife Handle (Quick Tips)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k31_CmdiovI&feature=related


AUSTRIAN SCYTHES AND ACCESSORIES
================================

The Vidos (Kai, Peter, Alex and family); these folks wrote the book on traditional European scything:
They offer for sale an enormous array of Austrian scythes, snaths, sickles and accessories
and provide an encyclopedia of valuable information, links and reference material.
Scytheworks
http://www.scytheworks.ca/
Alexander Vido
71 Linden Avenue
Victoria, BC, V8V 4C9
Canada
phone: (250) 598-0588
scytheworks@shaw.ca
Scythe Connection
http://www.scytheconnection.com/
The Vido Family
1636 Kintore Road
Lower Kintore
New Brunswick, Canada
E7H 2L4
scythe@scytheconnection.com
phone: 506 273 3010 (a shack in the woods)
or 506 273 2977 ("office" on an adjacent property)
Both take messages and we check them daily.

Scytheworks
http://scytheworks.ca/

Video:
http://scytheworks.ca/riseofthescythe.html

Youtube comment with info:
"Efficiency is relative. Did you ever try to cut tall grass like that with a bicycle lawn-mower, 
or any lawn-mower? The girl IS using her leg muscles to power her side-to-side movement. 
The strain on her arms is minimal with this technique. Of course, the scythe must be the right 
size for the user, and keeping the blade SHARP is crucial. Not&#65279; all scythes are the same: 
the Continental European ("Austrian") design is far more ergonomic than the American pattern, 
but there's more to it than that..."

Scythe Connection
http://www.scytheconnection.com/adp/retail/catalogue.html
http://www.scytheconnection.com/adp/retail/catalogueBlades.html


Scythe Supply
Carol Fishbein
An excellent company with very nice scythes  and lots of interesting, valuable information
and a lovely website. They have a very wide selection of scythe blades, some made in the 1970's,
and accessories
http://www.scythesupply.com/
Scythe Supply
496 Shore Road
Perry, ME 04667
Phone is (207) 853-4750
Email contact: http://scythesupply.com/emailUs.php

The One Scythe Revolution
Botan Anderson
http://www.onescytherevolution.com/
This is an excellent company offering traditional Austrian blades
and very fine Swiss snaths, whetstones, rakes, and other scythe accessories

Lehman's
http://www.lehmans.com/store/catalog?Args=
Farm Hand Tools
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Tools_Farm___Hand_Tools?Args=&view_all=&sort_by=
Lehman's, One Lehman Circle, P.O. Box 270, Kidron, OH 44636 USA • Ph: 888-438-5346
Hours: Mon - Sat 8:00a.m. - 5:30p.m. | Thur 8:00a.m.- 8:00p.m. | Closed Sun

EYE HOES, BROADFORKS RIDGE-MAKING HOE AND SEEDING RAKES
=======================================================

Gulland Forge Broadfork
http://gullandforge.com/
"About the Broadfork
The Broadfork, sometimes called a U-bar digger is used to loosen soil 
to prepare for planting or for adding soil amendments such as compost 
or mulches. It will open and loosen soil while minimizing damage to its 
living strata of flora and fauna that provide the nutrients for the garden bed. 
The Broadfork is also a great tool to choose for harvesting potatoes, beets, carrots, etc.
The Details:
Penetration depth - 9"
Width - 17.5 " across tines
Ash wood handles - 48" long
Weighs just over 11 lbs.
Protective coating of 50/50 Boiled Linseed Oil and Turpentine on all parts, safe for your soil."
(this is the very best broadfork on the market, bar none)
    
Hida Tool & Hardware Inc
1333 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, California 94702
(510) 524-3700
http://www.hidatool.com/
http://www.hidatool.com/shop/shop.html

Ridge-making hoe
Kusakichi Brand #553 Ridge Hoe
Gardening Hoe
An angled hoe designed to form the sides of a ditch. The total weight is 3.75 lbs.
     blade length     overall size     price    
N-7553     15inch x 6inch     48inch     $70.60

Eye hoe (farmer hoe)
Kusakichi Brand #524 Farmer Hoe
Traditional hand-forged farmer hoe. A bigger version of the middle farmer hoe. It is useful for moving soils and weeding. The total weight is 3.9 lbs.
        blade length     overall size     price    
N-7524     7inch x 5inch     41inch     $50.20

Three-tined (wide blades) cultivating eye hoe
Kusakichi Brand #531 Farmer Rake
Gardening Hoe
A traditional hand-forged farmer rake. This tool is useful for turning soil and harvesting. The total weight is 4lbs.
Kusakichi Brand #531 Farmer Rake
        blade length     overall size     price    
N-7531     8 5/8inch x 5 3/4inch     41 1/4inch     $60.00    


EARTH TOOLS, Inc.
Walk-Behind Tractors and Compatible Implements
hand tools for gardeners, homesteaders and farmers.
1525 Kays Branch Road
Owenton, KY 40359
http://earthtoolsbcs.com
(502) 484-3988 tel.
(502) 484-3357 fa

G30 - DeWit Seed Bed Rake
Made of forged steel, the 9 super-heavy duty tines are spaced nearly 2”
apart - perfect for ripping up and raking organic material out of old
seed beds without pulling all the soil out too. Straight neck allows you to flip over and use the back to flatten bed.
Head: 16.5" x 4"
Length: 74"
Weight: 4.4 lbs
Price: $59.00

53565 - SHW ‘Root’ Hoe
Heavier head for tougher chopping applications.
Head: 4.5" x 8.5"
Weight: 4.4 lbs
Length: 54"
Price: $43.00
Length: 75"
Price: $49.00

54306 - SHW Grape Hoe
The 'Big Mama' of hoes, available with your choice of two handle lengths
(head shipped dis-mounted from handle)
Head: 9.5" x 7"
Weight: 5 lbs
Length: 54"
Price: $46.00
Length: 75"
Price: $50.00


Gulland Forge Broadfork
We are extremely pleased to have forged a partnership with Larry Cooper, owner of Gulland Forge,
producer of this completely hand-made broadfork, which we feel is the finest on the market.
The five forged tines have a 9" penetration depth and have a working width of 17.5".
Supplied with custom-fitted ash handles and stainless steel bolts to hold them into the frame,
the care that goes into making each fork is apparent.
Both head and handles are coated with Linseed oil.
Overall Length: 57"
Overall Width: 21"
Tine Length: 9"
Tine Width: 17.5"
Weight: 15lbs
Price: $185.00

-

History of biointensive, regenerative agriculture & soil quality information:

The work of Bargyla Rateaver:

Organic Method Primer Update: A Practical Explanation : the How and Why for the Beginner and the Experience
by Bargyla Rateaver, Gylver Rateaver
Book - January 1993

A Condensation of Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening
A Condensation of Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening (1st Edition)
by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, Bargyla Rateaver (Editor), Gylver Rateaver (Editor)
Book - January 1973

<>

The Work of Carey Reams:

Carey A. Reams (1903-1985) was a man ahead of his time. Trained in
mathematics, biophysics, and biochemistry he made many discoveries in
the fields of human health, plant growth, energetics, animal health, and
soil restoration. These findings were later codified in an overall view
of life and energy known as Reams Biological Theory of Ionization (RBTI).

Insect, weed and disease resistance in plants that have a high Brix
reading and are nutrient dense.

High Brix Farming and Gardening
Nutrient Dense Food
(this is now a popular trend guiding grocery shoppers to higher quality
produce - Whole Foods now features certain fruits and vegetables that
they advertise as being "nutrient dense")

And the contribution of Acres USA again:
http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm#DR.%20CAREY%20REAMS
"Whatever the answer to those questions, it is known that he created a
bombshell in the early 1970’s when he, refractometer in hand, walked
into the office of ACRES USA and placed a simple chart on the editor’s
desk. That chart correlated brix numbers with four general quality
levels for most fruits and vegetables. Copied innumerous times, it has
made its way around the world over and over."

Reams Biological Theory of Ionization
Understand what health is and what it means.
Understand levels of body chemistry using urine and saliva.
Understand the proper relationship of mental and spiritual aspects of
health relating to body chemistry.

"As a mathematical genius Reams was very familiar with Einstein's energy
equation and understood its significance. During his many years of
friendship with Albert Einstein he once chided him saying 'you know how
to take matter apart but you don't know how to put it back together
again.' Einstein immediately shot back that figuring out how to do that
was a job for Reams."

And a nice discovery:
Free PDF Search Engine
http://www.pdfgeni.com/
http://www.pdfgeni.com/book/carey-reams-pdf.html
# Carey Reams in Usenet newsgroup archives at Google Groups
# Carey Reams' Testing & Evaluation Methods, February 2007 • Vol. 37,
No. 2 Acres USA article by Arden Anderson
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb07_ReamsTesting_andersen.pdf
# PHOSPHATE By Dr. Carey A. Reams The factor which determines the ...
http://www.proactiveag.com/upload/Phosphate%20-%20Dr.%20Carey%20Reams.pdf

<>

The work of Rex Harrill:

USING A REFRACTOMETER TO TEST THE QUALITY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Copyright 1994, 1998 by Rex Harrill
PUBLISHED BY PINEKNOLL PUBLISHING
P 0 BOX 6, KEEDYSVILLE, MD 21756
PH/FAX 301-432-2979 Cell phone 301-992-2979
http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm

The Quest for Nutrient-Dense Food: High-Brix Farming and Gardening
Jun 9, 2009 ... Suze Fisher interviews Rex Harrill on high-brix farming
and gardening.
www.westonaprice.org/The-Quest-for-Nutrient-Dense-Food-High-Brix-Farming-and-Gardening.html
(link is 404)
Weston Price interview with Rex Harrill.
http://www.westonaprice.org/farming/nutrient-dense.html
(also 404)

<>

Dr. Ana Primavesi
(nutrient and microbial balances). Steve Diver summarized her work:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/4/msg00085.html
-
This particular archive contains much useful information. It is made up
of posts to sanet, permaculture and other forums over the years.
You can browse summaries of the archives containing the individual
posts or download each complete archive in plain text format containing
all the messages in no particular order.

<>

Soil Foodweb, Inc.
Elaine Ingham
soilfoodweb@aol.com
Soil Foodweb Approach
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_approach1.html
Soil Foodweb Oregon, LLC
635 SW Western Blvd, Corvallis OR 97333
tel: 541 - 752 - 5066 fax: 541 - 752 - 5142
info@oregonfoodweb.com
soilfoodweb@AOL.COM

<>

Summaries of selected online resources:
---------------------------------------
Compost Tea, Soil Foodweb, Soil Quality Discussion
Archive 1
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/1/maillist.html
Archive 2
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/2/maillist.html
Archive 3
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/3/maillist.html
Archive 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/4/maillist.html
Archive 5
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/5/maillist.html

Each archive as downloadable individual text files:
---------------------------------------------------
  CompostTea+NOSB-SanetMGThread
      03-Jul-2008 16:44  2.1M
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/mailboxfiles/CompostTea+NOSB-SanetMGThread
[   ] CompostTea+SoilFoodWeb
          03-Jul-2008 16:44  1.4M
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/mailboxfiles/CompostTea+SoilFoodWeb
[   ] CompostTea-SoilFoodweb
          03-Jul-2008 16:47  4.8M
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/mailboxfiles/CompostTea-SoilFoodweb
[   ] Composttea&Soilfoodweb-2
          03-Jul-2008 16:43  182K
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/mailboxfiles/Composttea&Soilfoodweb-2
[   ] compost+soilfoodweb-sanetdiscussion
          03-Jul-2008 16:43  848K
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/mailboxfiles/compost+soilfoodweb-sanetdiscussion

Other useful information:
-------------------------

Soils In Biological Agriculture
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/permaculture/mailarchives/discussion-threads/soil-quality

Remineralize the Earth
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/remineralization/remineralization.selected-writings

Glomalin:
Glomalin: Hiding Place for a Third of the World's Stored Soil Carbon -
ARS Bulletin
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep02/soil0902.htm
From: "ARS News Service" <isnv@ars-grin.gov>
To: "ARS News List" <ars-news@ars-grin.gov>
Subject: High CO2 Stimulates Soil-Building "Glue"
Date: Wed, Aug 11, 1999, 11:03 AM
High CO2 Stimulates Soil-Building "Glue"
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Don Comis, (301) 504-1625, dcomis@asrr.arsusda.gov
August 12, 1999
"In the first examination of the effects of high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on soil structure, an Agricultural Research Service scientist and cooperators found that the gas stimulates soil-dwelling fungi to produce more of a unique protein that greatly amplifies a soil's ability to store carbon.
The study's results are described in a letter published in the August 12
issue of Nature magazine. One of the letter's authors, ARS soil scientist Sara F. Wright, previously discovered the protein and named it glomalin. She suspects it may be the primary glue that holds soil together. Now it appears that a little of this glue goes a long way toward helping soils keep carbon out of the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep02/soil0902.htm
Glomalin: Hiding Place for a Third of the World's Stored Soil Carbon
A sticky protein seems to be the unsung hero of soil carbon storage.
Until its discovery in 1996 by ARS soil scientist Sara F. Wright, this soil "super glue" was mistaken for an unidentifiable constituent of soil organic matter. Rather, it permeates organic matter, binding it to silt, sand, and clay particles. Not only does glomalin contain 30 to 40 percent carbon, but it also forms clumps of soil granules called aggregates. These add structure to soil and keep other stored soil carbon from escaping.
As a glycoprotein, glomalin stores carbon in both its protein and carbohydrate (glucose or sugar) subunits. Wright, who is with the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, thinks the glomalin molecule is a clump of small glycoproteins with iron and other ions attached. She found that glomalin contains from 1 to 9 percent tightly bound iron."

<>

Chitin:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/mycology/chitin.txt
Date:         Fri, 11 May 2001 08:18:07 -0500
Sender:       Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
From:         "Wilson, Dale" <WILSONDO@PHIBRED.COM>
Subject:      Chitin in laymans terms
"Two basic strategies for mechanical support are found among living things, bones/muscles and tough, hard shells.  Plants, fungi, insects, spiders, and crustaceans (including lots of tiny, tiny soil creatures) have shells or cell walls.  Most of these exoskeletons and walls are made of sugar molecules spun together to make long chains.  The sugar molecules are connected by a kind of linkage or bond that is very resistant to breakdown (unlike starch, which is easily broken into sugar). The plants make cell walls mainly out of cellulose, the main constituent of cotton and wood.  The animals (and most fungi) that make cell walls and exoskeletons make them out of a substance very similar to cellulose called chitin, also fiberous and hard to break down.  It is almost identical chemically to cellulose, except the sugar molecules have an amino group (contains N) stuck on the side.
The fact that chitin contains all this nitrogen has important
implications ecologically.  Nitrogen is a scarce resource in most systems (well, not if you apply 200 lb/a!), and chitin is an important source of N, and sugar in many systems.  There has been great pressure for the evolution of organisms that can exploit this resource.  In soils with a large currency of chitin (soils with a lot of fungi) there are also many organisms that eat chitin for breakfast.  In such situations, chitin is less effective as armor plate. It so happens that nematodes use chitin as armor plate, and of course most fungi do to.  Soil with a high rate of formation and breakdown of chitin is less hospitable to nematodes and fungi.  Flora must spend more energy
defending itself.  Plants have ways of exploiting this situation at the
root/soil interface.  It is all wonderfully complex and, well, miraculous (also very violent on a tiny scale)."
Dale

<>

VAMs, phosphorous, clover, formononetin & Myconate:
Subject:     Re: [SANET-MG] Soil solution concentrations of phosphorus
Date:     Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:08:10 -0500
From:     Beginning Farmers <beginningfarmers@gmail.com>
To:     Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
<SANET-MG@lists.ifas.ufl.edu>

"Based on this result it was postulated that the plants were actually sending out a 'signal' when they were under P stress that 'told' the mycorrhizae 'we need help'. Another researcher, Muralee Nair, was able to isolate a compound called formononetin - an isoflavanoid (think soybeans) that was responsible for the signal. Formononetin was present in such small quantities that Nair didn't believe the results at first. But after isolating and synthesizing the compound, he consistently got significant increases in not only mycorrhizal colonization but also rhizobial nodulation (associated with nitrogen fixation) in legumes. You can get the paper for free here:"
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1991.tb00568.x/abstract

fungi-mycorrhizae.faq
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/mycology/fungi-mycorrhizae.faq

mycology
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/mycology/

<>

Soil quality, biointensive no-till gardening guide, gardening hand tool sourcelist:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
June 4, 2010 Revision
Gardening Hand Tool Sourcelist
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
===================================================================
Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist
===================================================================
Permanent No-Till Biointensive Double-Dug Raised Bed Garden Preparation and Handtool Information & Sourcelist


<><><><>


> The fine rock he is talking about, can it be anything? I have access
> to granite dust, and basalt sand, but I don't know if its 200 mesh. I

Yes to the above, basalt sand and especially the granite dust. Siltation pond fines are what you want, 
Every quarry has them and they are EPA regulated and the fines are clean. Screenings are a commercial 
product and use in the manufacture of asphalt; they are larger particle size then most sand. 
It does not have to be 200 mesh but obviously the finer it is the quicker it will break down through natural action.

> am a potter too and mixing glazes we dont usually go below 100 mesh,
> 200 is pretty small. That seems to be the point though. Any
> suggestions finding rock powder that particle size?

Thats it, that is the point. Smallest possible fines. Dust or larger.

> I also feel pretty bad about our plans to till now. Double digging is

The thing about rototilling is that it destroys life in the soil by disrupting the habitat of 
beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, microarthropods, and 
earthworms. Also, regarding soil pH, Elaine Ingham of Soil Foodweb, Inc writes:
"It is the biology in the soil that determines soil pH.
<...>
Until the habitat in the soil is changed so that beneficial bacteria
and fungi are selected for by the soil environment, low pH problems
will eternally haunt you. Constructing your beds using a spade or digging fork and a digging spade 
will allow you to retain a much higher percentage of the established colonies of these organisms."
<>
categories of soil inhabitants
(unicellular and multicellular)
Bacteria
Fungi
Algae
Protozoa
Nematodes
Microarthropods
Enchytraeids
Earthworms
Ants, termites, spiders
Mollusks
Others: rodents, snakes, voles, amphibians, dung beetles, fire ants, moles, armadillos,
gophers
Actinomycetes:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/4401/actinomycete
"any member of a heterogeneous group of gram-positive, generally anaerobic bacteria noted for a filamentous 
and branching growth pattern that results, in most forms, in an extensive colony, or mycelium. The mycelium 
in some species may break apart to form rod- or coccoid-shaped forms. Many genera also form spores; the sporangia, 
or spore cases, may be found on aerial hyphae, on the colony surface, or free within the environment. 
Motility, when present, is conferred by flagella. Many species of actinomycetes occur in soil and are harmless to 
animals and higher plants, while some are important pathogens, and many others are beneficial sources of antibiotics.
-
What do bacteria do in soil:
Colonize aerobic and anaerobic environments
Decompose labile substrates
Mediate redox transformations
Nourish bacterivores
Fix N
-
What Fungi Do in the Soil:
Decompose recalcitrant organic compounds
Penetrate residues
Stabilize soil structure
Nourish fungivores
Form symbioses with plant roots and soil fauna
Compete with plant pathogens
Parasitize plants and soil animals
Produce toxins e.g.  aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus on peanut"
-
And there's more to this, obviously - I will add new info I have found
as soon as I have edited it. LL
<>
The kind of fine tillage that a rototiller does is very disrupting and since you're working on small scale, 
incrementing preparation of small areas toward completion of large areas using a careful, gradual process 
you will gain much more in the realm of soil tilth, soil life and long and short term fertility and productive 
capacity in your garden by completing the construction process slowly and carefully. Its the tortoise and hare thing.

1) Adding rock fines will add significant tilth to your soil and will prevent it from becoming compacted thereafter. 
If you're going to hand dig your beds then start with Step One and compost the turf as you excavate the soil. 
Remove the living turf in slabs, invert (or don't invert) it onto shallow piles so it can decompose aerobically; 
add compost to it to speed this process up. Then get on with the business of hand digging, tilthing and amending 
the remaining soil in your beds to the depth you want.


It all a logical process. Have your pile(s) of quarry fines (rock dust)
(get a tandem load, triaxle load or dump trailer 36 yard load; its free usually, j
ust pay for trucking to your site), manure(s), any aged materials to use as compost, 
i.e. rotted sawdust or bark or leaves or spoiled hay and specialized NPK/mineral/trace mineral 
commercial amendments on hand ready to add to your excavated soil on hand before you start work. 
This will make the work go more rapidly and will be more interesting.


> serious work. I'll start there. I had thought maybe after turning
> under the sod, I could U-bar my way down. We will have to see.

You don't just turn under the sod, you remove it from the garden completely to rot, with extra compost, 
aerobically. Also read about Huegelkulture and how that can be used to make big, sometimes above grade, 
growing beds and how turf is incorporated into them. Permies.com
has documents on this as well as ongoing discussion threads with pictures. Read both. 
This is an alternate way to create growing beds
but, in your case, you need to stick with conventional double digging to convert your pasture to 
production gardens as that is orderly and efficient and the definitive method you can use for bed 
maintenance and expansion on a permanent basis.

You use the UBar to loosen soil below the depth you have excavated with your digging spade and spade fork, 
i.e. loosened/tilthed in situ but not inverted, left in place. This is the process followed periodically 
after the beds are done and you need to tilth them seasonally or between crops; inverting the soil is not 
done then or ever after initial bed construction. The UBar can be used from the start to make double digging 
go faster and it is generally a good idea to use it throughout as long as you do not compromise the double 
digging process, which proceeds in a controlled and orderly fashion for a reason, efficiency and thoroughness 
of tilthing and incorporation of amendments added. Thoroughness of tilthing means conversion of compacted unimproved 
soil to soil with more biological activity and therefore more naturally occuring tilth and fertility. Less tilling 
is better then more but when you are working with compacted clay soil you may have to go to some length to achieve this goal;
often involving improving soil in growing beds in a rotational strategy. Excavate soil and leave it to break down and loosen, 
with the addition of compost, naturally over a longer period of time. Meanwhile you are completing the final prep stages of 
other beds that are almost ready for planting or mulching and/or cover cropping, then planting with food crop.

<><><><>
(from a sanet-mg post by D. Hinds)

categories of soil inhabitants
(unicellular and multicellular)
Bacteria
Fungi
Algae
Protozoa
Nematodes
Microarthropods
Enchytraeids
Earthworms
Ants, termites, spiders
Mollusks
Others: rodents, snakes, voles, amphibians, dung beetles, fire ants, moles, armadillos,
gophers
Actinomycetes:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/4401/actinomycete
"any member of a heterogeneous group of gram-positive, generally anaerobic bacteria 
noted for a filamentous and branching growth pattern that results, in most forms, 
in an extensive colony, or mycelium. The mycelium in some species may break apart 
to form rod- or coccoid-shaped forms. Many genera also form spores; the sporangia, 
or spore cases, may be found on aerial hyphae, on the colony surface, or free 
within the environment. Motility, when present, is conferred by flagella. 
Many species of actinomycetes occur in soil and are harmless to animals and higher plants, 
while some are important pathogens, and many others are beneficial sources of antibiotics."

What do bacteria do in soil:
Colonize aerobic and anaerobic environments
Decompose labile substrates
Mediate redox transformations
Nourish bacterivores
Fix N

What Fungi Do in the Soil:
Decompose recalcitrant organic compounds
Penetrate residues
Stabilize soil structure
Nourish fungivores
Form symbioses with plant roots and soil fauna
Compete with plant pathogens
Parasitize plants and soil animals
Produce toxins e.g.  aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus on peanut

"He doesn't specifically mention producing phyto-hormones or
antibiotic substances but the phyto-hormones are formed in symbiosis
with plant roots and antibiotics work by competing with (and thereby
interrupting) one or more of a pathogen's fundamental metabolic
processes."

Soil Ecology Primer includes information from <http://soils.usda.gov/>:
"Soils is part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey, an effort of
Federal and State agencies, universities, and professional societies
to deliver science-based soil information."

Lawrence mentioned a need to establish "primary categories" and
referred to 7 categories Elaine Ingham presents. It would be
interesting to compare her classification system with the
taxonomical approach used by National Cooperative Soil Survey
mentioned by Joel and available via the above website.

The Soil Foodweb approach to soil management emphasizes the
importance of soil microorganisms and focuses on the use of compost,
compost tea and soil testing. Soil Foodweb provides information and
offers lab services and courses related to those key elements.
<http://www.soilfoodweb.com

ATTRA, the National Agriculture Library (NAL), WinRock and the
principle agricultural universities' websites are other sources that
surely contain information relevant. 
(There's another on-line soil library with links to an important work, original from
Russia on soil organisms not available elsewhere.

Biologist Lynn Margulis has published a number of important
works, including:
  Five Kingdoms: An illustrated guide to the phyla of life on Earth
  (1998)
  Symbiosis in Cell Evolution: Microbial communities in the Archean
  and Proterozoic eons (second edition, 1993).
Her classification system for organisms is unique and deserves attention.

Google search "soil ecology"

  The Soil Ecology Society (SES) is an international organization of researchers, students, environmental professionals and others interested in the ...
  www.wcsu.edu/ses/ses.html - 4k - Cached - Similar pages

  Soil ecology
  D C Coleman & D A Crossley in 'Fundamentals of soil ecology, 1996, assign functions and influence on nutrient cycling and soil structure to these groups in ...
  www.seafriends.org.nz/enviro/soil/ecology.htm - 55k - Cached - Similar pages

  Soil Ecology
  Lab Study Questions. Exam Questions from Labs. Soil Ecology Links .... For more information on soil ecology and soil organisms, visit The Microbe zoo ...
  cropsoil.psu.edu/courses/soils101/labs/ecology.html - 17k - Cached - Similar pages

  Gordon's Soil Ecology Page
  An Introduction to the amazing world of the soil, its inhabitants and their ecology.
  www.earthlife.net/insects/soileco.html - 50k - Cached - Similar pages

  Soil Ecology in the Yahoo! Directory
  Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Soil Ecology.
  dir.yahoo.com/Science/Ecology/Soil_Ecology/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

  Applied Soil Ecology - Elsevier
  Applied Soil Ecology addresses the role of soil organisms and their interactions in relation to: agricultural productivity, nutrient cycling and other soil ...
  www.elsevier.com/wps/product/cws_home/524518 - 68k - Cached - Similar pages

  GSF Soil Ecology
  The primary concern of the Institute of Soil Ecology is the conservation and evaluation of soil in its role as the support for plants and as a significant ...
  www.gsf.de/iboe/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

  Laboratory of Soil Ecology and Microbiology
  Research projects and publications (University of Rhode Island, USA).
  www.uri.edu/cels/nrs/seml/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

  Soil Ecology and Restoration Group
  Primary focus is on soils and below-ground processes in arid and semiarid ecosystems with emphasis on microbial ecology and plant-microorganism ...
  www.sci.sdsu.edu/SERG/ - 3k - Cached - Similar pages

  Soil ecology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. ...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_ecology - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

<>

One approach is investing in a lot of time, tillage and materials up front, 
inverting the soil, fragmenting its crumb structure, with
associated temporary disruption of soil life and soil structure,
oxidation of organic matter and release of co2 through exposure of humus
to air in order to improve and deepen soil tilth, fertility, drainage, water 
holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, organic matter content and overall soil 
quality providing an improved, healthy medium for hosting beneficial microorganisms and 
other creatures that make garden soil their home. You remove much of the soil in the 
bed, add organic matter and mineral based soil amendments to it, homogenize these 
materials then return the amended, enriched soil mix to the bed. This is done in
increments of one (typical short (42" to 48") English D-handled *see 
below) digging spade blade width wide and one spade blade length deep for the width of
the bed (38-50" wide depending on the gardener's height).

You want highly mineralized soil, high in tilth and fertility, producing 
vegetables and fruits with exceptional flavor.
Add rock dust from quarries to your garden soil for trace minerals, 
microbe food and tilth, permanently eliminating soil
compaction. This is called siltation pond fines. It is so fine that if 
you put some in a glass of water it turns cloudy
and stays that way for quite a while before settling into a layer of 
sludge on the bottom; so fine it would take a microscope
to see the individual particles. This is great material to feed plants 
and soil microorganisms and invertebrates in your garden.
I think we are talking 200 mesh or finer; some fines are a little coarse 
by comparison to my basalt/volcanic tuff fines and some are an
aggregate with the largest component almost microscopic, like the talcum 
powder in pyrophylite fines (dredged from the quarry's siltation ponds).
To prevent compaction, permanently, fines act mechanically to interfere 
with clay and silt particles that when compressed when wet become highly
compacted when dried out - a serious problem for gardeners needing 
productive high-tilth soil.
I have used this material to enrich soil for the benefit of plants, 
microorganisms and invertebrates and to permanently
prevent any compaction of my soil that would significantly reduce the 
productivity of the gardens. The materials include
"siltation pond fines" from the following types of rock: granite, 
volcanic tuff (maybe basalt, very hard rock, 2nd hardest in NC)
and pyrophyllite screenings. I am glad to hear that granite, high in 
silica is a sink for lime making my soil acidic,
good for most crops, pH 6.1 to 6.6 or so. Tillage is expensive, 
disruptive of soil life and inconvenient when it needs to be done
and the soil is too wet; i.e. weeds can get out of control and go to 
seed when tillage can't be done, like in Spring, to remove them and
create a fine, weed free seedbed for new plantings. Fines are mixed with 
existing soil on site, sometimes in a 30 or 40 to 50 ratio.
The clay or silt particles become permanently separated from each other 
and cannot be seriously compacted again.
This effect is also achieved with the addition of compost or manures to 
the soil. The fines feed the microorganisms
that help break down the fines and make trace minerals available to 
plants; these microbes also break down any raw or composted organic matter
added to soil to become humus, feed released nutrients to crops and 
improve the soil crumb structure providing added tilth to your garden soil.
The extra trace minerals in garden soil makes crops taste much better. 
The famous tomatoes grown in volcanic soils in places in Italy taste so
good for this same reason. That's how fines relieve compaction and add 
to soil health and vitality, crop health and disease and predator
resistance and crop flavor, appearance and keeping qualities. More about 
fines dissolved in water. In places in the high country areas in
Eastern countries people drink cold river water that is cloudy and high 
in mineral content; they live long lives.

I would remove the top 8" or more of your raised bed-to-be. Then, "in 
situ" (without turning or inverting the soil layers) tilth
or dig up and pulverize an additional, lower 8-12" of subsoil; add 
amendments of all sorts to the 8" of soil you removed then put
it back in place on top of the subsoil layers you just tilthed - then 
you will have a "raised bed", the new garden bed surface will
now extend 4-8" above existing grade.

This will address any concern about your garden drying out during 
drought times if you use raised beds. The benefits outweigh the
disadvantages and with the following technique you will have no problems 
whatsoever.

Avoid having paths between the beds that are level with existing grade 
but ditches or furrows between the beds. These provide
much needed drainage and you can fill these ditches with mulch, weeds, 
hay, etc all the way up to the tops of your raised beds.

You want to to accomplish the objective of increasing depth of tilth and 
fertility in the soil in your beds. Mulching the top layer is
mandatory. Mulch will decompose leaving the seedbed fine and loose while 
leaching humus and compost tea into lower layers of garden soil
including sub soil areas to depths of several feet (partly because you 
have already tilled this zone). You want a permanent, notill,
biointensive raised bed that gets better each year through the action of 
compost tea, humus and nutrients that leach from the top layers
into the lower layers; that's a real "trickle-down bioeco-economy" with 
big pay back in quality produce for the table and for market.
This is real Pay Dirt as J.I. Rodale described it.

After this process is completed you need never again turn your soil,
except to a depth no greater than is necessary to control newly emerging
weeds, break crust and create a fine, loose seedbed. You now have
biointensive no-till, permanent raised beds.

This technology has been around for centuries and it works.
There is a very big net gain for soil, its inhabitants and the environment.

See John Jeavons books, Alan Chadwick's literature and lectures (links
on my website) and Aquatias' "Intensive Culture of Vegetables, French
System".

Double digging is as essential and indispensible to gardening anywhere
in the world, where the climate does not mandate other methods, as grain
is to bread.

* -> One of these spades:
Wooden D-handled digging spade:
28" length for most people, 32" for tall people or get the long straight
handled version, see below.
http://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/img/products/thumbnails/5610012820_500x263.jpg
http://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/index.php?mod=3&id=7&rid=1
Long straight handled version:
http://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/index.php?mod=3&id=12&rid=1
This is the big dog on the block when it comes to traditional English
hand gardening tools; these were available at the beginning of the
modern organic gardening and farming movement in the 1960's:
Bulldog - Quality Garden, Contractor and Agricultural Tools
Rollins Bulldog Tools
"Bulldog Tools have been made at Clarington Forge in Wigan, England, for
over 200 years. Generations of Farmers, Contractors and Professional
Landscapers stand testimony to a quality of product upon which their
livelihoods depend. The skill and craftsmanship that were the key to the
company's success in those early days are still maintained and are
available to this day."

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For hand tools unavailable elsewhere in the USA see:

EARTH TOOLS, Inc.
Walk-Behind Tractors and Compatible Implements
hand tools for gardeners, homesteaders and farmers.
1525 Kays Branch Road
Owenton, KY 40359
http://earthtoolsbcs.com
(502) 484-3988 tel.
(502) 484-3357 fa

Indispensable tools from them include:

G30 - DeWit Seed Bed Rake
Made of forged steel, the 9 super-heavy duty tines are spaced nearly 2” 
apart - perfect for ripping up and raking organic material out of old 
seed beds without pulling all the soil out too. Straight neck allows you 
to flip over and use the back to flatten bed.
Head: 16.5" x 4"
Length: 74"
Weight: 4.4 lbs
Price: $59.00

53565 - SHW ‘Root’ Hoe
Heavier head for tougher chopping applications.
Head: 4.5" x 8.5"
Weight: 4.4 lbs
Length: 54"
Price: $43.00
Length: 75"
Price: $49.00

54306 - SHW Grape Hoe
The 'Big Mama' of hoes, available with your choice of two handle lengths 
(head shipped dis-mounted from handle)
Head: 9.5" x 7"
Weight: 5 lbs
Length: 54"
Price: $46.00
Length: 75"
Price: $50.00

Gulland Forge Broadfork
We are extremely pleased to have forged a partnership with Larry Cooper, owner of Gulland Forge, 
producer of this completely hand-made broadfork, which we feel is the finest on the market. 
The five forged tines have a 9" penetration depth and have a working width of 17.5".  
Supplied with custom-fitted ash handles and stainless steel bolts to hold them into the frame, 
the care that goes into making each fork is apparent.  
Both head and handles are coated with Linseed oil.
Overall Length: 57"
Overall Width: 21"
Tine Length: 9"
Tine Width: 17.5"
Weight: 15lbs
Price: $185.00

AUSTRIAN SCYTHES AND ACCESSORIES
================================

The Vidos (Kai, Peter, Alex and family); these folks wrote the book on traditional European scything:
They offer for sale an enormous array of Austrian scythes, snaths, sickles and accessories
and provide an encyclopedia of valuable information, links and reference material.
Scytheworks
http://www.scytheworks.ca/
Alexander Vido
71 Linden Avenue
Victoria, BC, V8V 4C9
Canada
phone: (250) 598-0588
scytheworks@shaw.ca
Scythe Connection
http://www.scytheconnection.com/
The Vido Family
1636 Kintore Road
Lower Kintore
New Brunswick, Canada
E7H 2L4
scythe@scytheconnection.com
phone: 506 273 3010 (a shack in the woods)
or 506 273 2977 ("office" on an adjacent property)
Both take messages and we check them daily. 

Scythe Supply
Carol Fishbein
An excellent company with very nice scythes  and lots of interesting, valuable information
and a lovely website. They have a very wide selection of scythe blades, some made in the 1970's,
and accessories
http://www.scythesupply.com/
Scythe Supply
496 Shore Road
Perry, ME 04667
Phone is (207) 853-4750
Email contact: http://scythesupply.com/emailUs.php

The One Scythe Revolution
Botan Anderson
http://www.onescytherevolution.com/
This is an excellent company offering traditional Austrian blades
and very fine Swiss snaths, whetstones, rakes, and other scythe accessories

Lehman's
http://www.lehmans.com/store/catalog?Args=
Farm Hand Tools
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Tools_Farm___Hand_Tools?Args=&view_all=&sort_by=
Lehman's, One Lehman Circle, P.O. Box 270, Kidron, OH 44636 USA • Ph: 888-438-5346
Hours: Mon - Sat 8:00a.m. - 5:30p.m. | Thur 8:00a.m.- 8:00p.m. | Closed Sun


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You will also need (all from Bulldog or Spear & Jackson or other 
manufacturer)
1) a D-handled garden spade (less angle between handle and blade)
2) a D-handled digging fork
3) a D-handled spade fork
All of these can be seen at the Bulldog site

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You will need an eye hoe, preferably the Japanese farmer hoe with
short handle and a few other tools, available from Hida Tool:
Hida Tool
http://www.hidatool.com/shop/shop.html
(this is the most useful eye hoe to get, the other is lighter in weight)
Kusakichi Brand #524 Farmer Hoe
item# blade length overall size price
N-7524 7inch x 5inch 41inch $49.20
This is an amazing tool, used to clean silt and OM from between beds to
put back on beds - ridge making hoe - or move dirt or make beds
Kusakichi Brand #553 Ridge Hoe
item# blade length overall size price
N-7553 15inch x 6inch 48inch $69.60
Kusakichi Brand #531 Farmer Rake
item# blade length overall size price
N-7531 8 5/8inch x 5 3/4inch 41 1/4inch $59.00
This is a three wide-tined hoe, great for weeding and tilthing,
disturbs soil structure less.

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Sneeboer tools are excellent. Great if you can find a source for them in
the USA. The tools to get from them are the variois sizes and
configurations of their SEEDING RAKES; they are indispensible!
They also have a great garden spade and an exceptional Dutch-style spade
fork, a one of a kind tool, as are the seeding rakes (you will find it
difficult to do without several sizes of this useful tool.
SNEEBOER & ZN
http://www.sneeboer.com/
Products
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19
(an amazing array of quality tools)
These are the seeding rakes:
-The best seeding rakes for preparing a seedbed for new plantings are
-the ones with 6 and 8 medium length tines - the others are less
-useful for this aplication.
Sloothark 4t
4 long tines & 185 cm length
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=114
Klauw of Hark 8t
8 medium tines
http://www.sneeboer.com/popup.htm?beheer/ass/img/org_product115-1.gif
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=115
Klauw of Hark 6t
6 long tines
Tuinhark 8t
8 medium tines, 167 cm overall length
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=117
Tuinhark 6t
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product118-1.jpg
6 medium tines 167 cm
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=118
Tuinhark 5t
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product119-2.jpg
5 long tines 167 cm. length
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=119
Tuinhark 4t
4 long tines
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product120-2.jpg
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product120-1.jpg
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=120
Fijnhark 10 t
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product207-2.jpg
10 medium tines
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=207
Amerikaanse Hark 10 t
American style rake
10 medium tines
http://www.sneeboer.com/beheer/ass/img/org_product208-2.jpg
http://www.sneeboer.com/index2.php?page=19&articleID=208

http://www.sneeboerusa.com/
Sneeboer USA
c/o Cole Gardens
430 Loudon Road
Concord, NH 03301
phone 603-229-0655
fax 603-229-0657
doug@sneeboerusa.com

Garden Rake, 4 prongs, fine toothed
http://www.sneeboerusa.com/Images/Large/6007.jpg
http://www.sneeboerusa.com/Images/6007.jpg
Width : 5.2 in (13 cm)
Handle Length : 59 in. (150 cm)
Price : $83.00
Product Code : 6007

American Rake, 10 tined
http://www.sneeboerusa.com/Images/Large/6070.jpg
http://www.sneeboerusa.com/Images/6070.jpg
Width : 12 X 3.1 in (42 X 8 cm)
Handle Length : 66.9 in. (170 cm)
Price : $118.00
Product Code : 6070

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http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/images/garden-tool-english-spade.jpg
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/assets/uploads/posts/2873/kg17-double-digging-01_lg.jpg
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/images/double-digging.jpg
http://hubpages.com/hub/HubMob-Topic-Of-The-Week-Green-Thumb-Hubbers-Landscaping--gardening-and-loving-your-yard_1
http://shop.waycooltools.com/images/1192658156236-807030603.jpeg
This company offers an amazing selection of good tools for biointensive
gardeners and double diggers, much to choose from:
WayCoolTools.com
# P.O.Box 235
White Hall, VA 22987
# 877-353-7783
# contact@waycooltools.com
# 434-823-4600
http://shop.waycooltools.com/category.sc?categoryId=3

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Here's more; this is good material from the BBC:

Gardening Guides
Digging your garden
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/soil_digging1.shtml
Double digging

Double digging is useful when drainage needs to be improved, or if the
ground has not been previously cultivated. This is a time-consuming
process but is worth the hard work and will result in good soil.

* The soil is worked to a depth of two spades, rather than one, and
it’s essential to keep the two layers of soil (subsoil and topsoil)
separate. In order to do this, the lower half of the trench can be dug
over in situ.
* Remove the soil from the upper and lower spits of the first
trench and from the upper spit of the second, placing it aside on the
ground in three separate, clearly marked piles.
* The soil can then be transferred from the lower spit of the
second trench to the base of the first trench, and from the upper spit
of the third trench to the top of the first. This ensures that the
topsoil and subsoil remain separate.
* Continue digging trenches in the same way, until you reach the
end of the bed where soil saved from the first trench can be used to
fill the appropriate layers in the final trench.
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And this great blog article with extensive links on double digging
using the Chadwick/Jeavons French Intensive biointensive method:
Double Digging
http://constructal.blogspot.com/2006/04/double-digging.html
"In 2004 we also volunteered at the Center for Sustainability to help
double dig some of their garden plots. Double digging is the first step
in the bio-intensive gardening technique, which we were unfamiliar with.
So I did a little bit of research on the technique and this year I am
going to try it on our garden plot. This technique was developed by Alan
Chadwick and furthered and promoted by John Jeavons of Ecology Action.
It aims at maximizing the yield from the available area AND maintain the
soil quality at the same time through sustainable organic methods of
gardening. The center for sustainability has a very good webpage about
this technique. Some other links I found are at the bottom of this post."
Center For Sustainability http://www.engr.psu.edu/cfs/
and there, on double digging:
http://www.engr.psu.edu/cfs/projects/biointensive.aspx
Ecology Action http://www.growbiointensive.org/biointensive/Ecology.html
See also Bountiful Gardens http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
Other links:
http://constructal.blogspot.com/2006/04/double-digging.html#Links
Biointensive Gardening Technique
http://www.engr.psu.edu/cfs/projects/biointensive.aspx
Bountiful Gardens
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/growbiointensive.html
Ecology Action Biointensive Gardening
http://www.growbiointensive.org/biointensive/GROW-BIOINTENSIVE.html
Books by John Jeavons
http://www.growbiointensive.org/biointensive/book.html
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Soil Quality resources, webforum archives, materials from various lists:
souscayrous' biological farming & permaculture collection
Hazelip, Bonfils and more
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/souscayrous
Soils In Biological Agriculture
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/permaculture/mailarchives/discussion-threads/soil-quality/
Remineralize the Earth
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/remineralization/remineralization.selected-writings
Additional Soil Quality Links and Literature
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/soil-links+lit.html
Compost Tea, Soil Foodweb, Soil Quality Discussion:
Archive 1
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/1/maillist.html
Archive 2
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/2/maillist.html
Archive 3
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/3/maillist.html
Archive 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/4/maillist.html
Archive 5
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/5/maillist.html
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Gardening Hand Tool Sourcelist
(needs revising)
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
Soil and Health Library
http://www.soilandhealth.org/index.html
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Glomalin: Hiding Place for a Third of the World's Stored Soil Carbon
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep02/soil0902.htm

Glomalin, extracted from
undisturbed Nebraska soil and
then freeze-dried.
(K9969-2)

A sticky protein seems to be the unsung hero of soil carbon storage.

Until its discovery in 1996 by ARS soil scientist Sara F. Wright, this
soil "super glue" was mistaken for an unidentifiable constituent of soil
organic matter. Rather, it permeates organic matter, binding it to silt,
sand, and clay particles. Not only does glomalin contain 30 to 40
percent carbon, but it also forms clumps of soil granules called
aggregates. These add structure to soil and keep other stored soil
carbon from escaping.

As a glycoprotein, glomalin stores carbon in both its protein and
carbohydrate (glucose or sugar) subunits. Wright, who is with the
Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland,
thinks the glomalin molecule is a clump of small glycoproteins with iron
and other ions attached. She found that glomalin contains from 1 to 9
percent tightly bound iron.
A microscopic view of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus: Click here for
full photo caption.
A microscopic view of an
arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus
growing on a corn root. The
round bodies are spores, and
the threadlike filaments are
hyphae. The substance coating
them is glomalin, revealed by
a green dye tagged to an
antibody against glomalin.
(K9968-1)

Glomalin is causing a complete reexamination of what makes up soil
organic matter. It is increasingly being included in studies of carbon
storage and soil quality. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy, as
part of its interest in carbon storage as an offset to rising
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, partially funded a recent study
by lab technician Kristine A. Nichols, a colleague of Wright's. Nichols
reported on the study as part of her doctoral dissertation in soil
science at the University of Maryland.

That study showed that glomalin accounts for 27 percent of the carbon in
soil and is a major component of soil organic matter. Nichols, Wright,
and E. Kudjo Dzantor, a soil scientist at the University of
Maryland-College Park, found that glomalin weighs 2 to 24 times more
than humic acid, a product of decaying plants that up to now was thought
to be the main contributor to soil carbon. But humic acid contributes
only about 8 percent of the carbon. Another team recently used carbon
dating to estimate that glomalin lasts 7 to 42 years, depending on
conditions.


For the study, the scientists compared different chemical extraction
techniques using eight different soils from Colorado, Georgia, Maryland,
and Nebraska. They found that current assays greatly underestimate the
amount of glomalin present in soils. By comparing weights of extracted
organic matter fractions (glomalin, humic acid, fulvic acid, and
particulate organic matter), Nichols found four times more glomalin than
humic acid. She also found that the extraction method she and Wright use
underestimates glomalin in certain soils where it is more tightly bound
than usual.
Soil scientist examines a soil aggregate coated with glomalin: Click
here for full photo caption.
In her Beltsville laboratory,
soil scientist Sara Wright
examines a soil aggregate
coated with glomalin, a soil
protein she identified in 1996.
(K9972-1)

In a companion study, Nichols, Wright, and Dzantor teamed up with ARS
chemist Walter F. Schmidt to examine organic matter extracted from the
same soils under a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imager. They found
that glomalin's structure differs from that of humic acid—or any other
organic matter component—and has unique structural units.

In a current study in Costa Rica, partly funded by the National Science
Foundation, Wright is using glomalin levels and root growth to measure
the amount of carbon stored in soils beneath tropical forests. She is
finding lower levels of glomalin than expected and a much shorter
lifespan. "We think it's because of the higher temperatures and moisture
in tropical soils," she explains. These factors break down glomalin.

Forests, croplands, and grasslands around the world are thought to be
valuable for offsetting carbon dioxide emissions from industry and
vehicles. In fact, some private markets have already started offering
carbon credits for sale by owners of such land. Industry could buy the
credits as offsets for their emissions. The expectation is that these
credits would be traded just as pollution credits are currently traded
worldwide.
Soil scientist and technician examine extracted soil organic matter
constituents: Click here for full photo caption.
Soil scientist Sara Wright
(foreground) and technician
Kristine Nichols use nuclear
magnetic resonance to examine
the molecular structure of
extracted soil organic matter
constituents.
(K9971-1)

How Does Glomalin Work?

It is glomalin that gives soil its tilth—a subtle texture that enables
experienced farmers and gardeners to judge great soil by feeling the
smooth granules as they flow through their fingers.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, found living on plant roots around the
world, appear to be the only producers of glomalin. Wright named
glomalin after Glomales, the taxonomic order that arbuscular mycorrhizal
fungi belong to. The fungi use carbon from the plant to grow and make
glomalin. In return, the fungi's hairlike filaments, called hyphae,
extend the reach of plant roots. Hyphae function as pipes to funnel more
water and nutrients—particularly phosphorus—to the plants.

"We've seen glomalin on the outside of the hyphae, and we believe this
is how the hyphae seal themselves so they can carry water and nutrients.
It may also be what gives them the rigidity they need to span the air
spaces between soil particles," says Wright.
Technician checks progress of corn plants: Click here for full photo
caption.
Technician Kristine Nichols
checks the progress of corn
plants growing in containers
specially designed for
glomalin production.
(K9973-1)

As a plant grows, the fungi move down the root and form new hyphae to
colonize the growing roots. When hyphae higher up on the roots stop
transporting nutrients, their protective glomalin sloughs off into the
soil. There it attaches to particles of minerals (sand, silt, and clay)
and organic matter, forming clumps. This type of soil structure is
stable enough to resist wind and water erosion, but porous enough to let
air, water, and roots move through it. It also harbors more beneficial
microbes, holds more water, and helps the soil surface resist crusting.

Scientists think hyphae have a lifespan of days to weeks. The much
longer lifespan of glomalin suggests that the current technique of
weighing hyphae samples to estimate fungal carbon storage grossly
underestimates the amount of soil carbon stored. In fact, Wright and
colleagues found that glomalin contributes much more nitrogen and carbon
to the soil than do hyphae or other soil microbes.

Two rows of dried soil samples: Click here for full photo caption.
Dried samples of undisturbed
soil (top row) and material
left after extractable organic
matter has been removed
(bottom row). Although minerals
are the most abundant components
of soil, organic matter gives
it life and health. Soil
samples from left to right
are from Maryland, Nebraska,
Georgia, and Colorado.
(K9974-1)


Rising CO2 Boosts Glomalin, Too

In an earlier study, Wright and scientists from the University of
California at Riverside and Stanford University showed that higher CO2
levels in the atmosphere stimulate the fungi to produce more glomalin.

They did a 3-year study on semiarid shrub land and a 6-year study on
grasslands in San Diego County, California, using outdoor chambers with
controlled CO2 levels. When CO2 reached 670 parts per million (ppm)—the
level predicted by mid to late century—hyphae grew three times as long
and produced five times as much glomalin as fungi on plants growing with
today's ambient level of 370 ppm.

Longer hyphae help plants reach more water and nutrients, which could
help plants face drought in a warmer climate. The increase in glomalin
production helps soil build defenses against degradation and erosion and
boosts its productivity.

Wright says all these benefits can also come from good tillage and soil
management techniques, instead of from higher atmospheric CO2.

"You're in the driver's seat when you use techniques proven to do the
same thing as the higher CO2 that might be causing global warming. You
can still raise glomalin levels, improve soil structure, and increase
carbon storage without the risks of the unknowns in global climate
change," she says.

Putting Glomalin to Work

Wright found that glomalin is very manageable. She is studying glomalin
levels under different farming and ranching practices. Levels were
maintained or raised by no-till, cover crops, reduced phosphorus inputs,
and the sparing use of crops that don't have arbuscular mycorrhizal
fungi on their roots. Those include members of the Brassicaceae family,
like cabbage and cauliflower, and the mustard family, like canola and
crambe.

"When you grow those crops, it's like a fallow period, because glomalin
production stops," says Wright. "You need to rotate them with crops that
have glomalin-producing fungi."

In a 4-year study at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Maryland)
Agricultural Research Center, Wright found that glomalin levels rose
each year after no-till was started. No-till refers to a modern
conservation practice that uses equipment to plant seeds with no prior
plowing. This practice was developed to protect soil from erosion by
keeping fields covered with crop residue.

Glomalin went from 1.3 milligrams per gram of soil (mg/g) after the
first year to 1.7 mg/g after the third. A nearby field that was plowed
and planted each year had only 0.7 mg/g. In comparison, the soil under a
15-year-old buffer strip of grass had 2.7 mg/g.

Wright found glomalin levels up to 15 mg/g elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic
region. But she found the highest levels—more than 100 mg/g—in Hawaiian
soils, with Japanese soils a close second. "We don't know why we found
the highest levels in Hawaii's tropical soils. We usually find lower
levels in other tropical areas, because it breaks down faster at higher
temperature and moisture levels," Wright says. "We can only guess that
the Hawaiian soils lack some organism that is breaking down glomalin in
other tropical soils—or that high soil levels of iron are protecting
glomalin."

It's Persistent and It's Everywhere!

The toughness of the molecule was one of the things that struck Wright
most in her discovery of glomalin. She says it's the reason glomalin
eluded scientific detection for so long.

"It requires an unusual effort to dislodge glomalin for study: a bath in
citrate combined with heating at 250 °F for at least an hour," Wright
says. "No other soil glue found to date required anything as drastic as
this."

"We've learned that the sodium hydroxide used to separate out humic acid
in soil misses most of the glomalin. So, most of it was thrown away with
the insoluble humus and minerals in soil," she says. "The little bit of
glomalin left in the humic acid was thought to be nothing more than
unknown foreign substances that contaminated the experiments."

Once Wright found a way to capture glomalin, her next big surprise was
how much of it there was in some soils and how widespread it was. She
tested samples of soils from around the world and found glomalin in all.

"Anything present in these amounts has to be considered in any studies
of plant-soil interactions," Wright says. "There may be implications
beyond the carbon storage and soil quality issues—such as whether the
large amounts of iron in glomalin mean that it could be protecting
plants from pathogens."

Her recent work with Nichols has shown that glomalin levels are even
higher in some soils than previously estimated.

"Glomalin is unique among soil components for its strength and
stability," Wright says. Other soil components that contain carbon and
nitrogen, as glomalin does, don't last very long. Microbes quickly break
them down into byproducts. And proteins from plants are degraded very
quickly in soil.

"We need to learn a lot more about this molecule, though, if we are to
manage glomalin wisely. Our next step is to identify the chemical makeup
of each of its parts, including the protein core, the sugar
carbohydrates, and the attached iron and other possible ions." Nichols
is starting to work on just that.

"Once we know what sugars and proteins are there," says Nichols, we will
use NMR and other techniques to create a three-dimensional image of the
molecule. We can then find the most likely sites to look for iron or
other attached ions.

"Researchers have studied organic matter for a long time and know its
benefits to soil. But we're just starting to learn which components of
organic matter are responsible for these benefits. That's the exciting
part of glomalin research. We've found a major component that we think
definitely has a strong role in the benefits attributed to organic
matter—things like soil stability, nutrient accessibility, and nutrient
cycling."

As carbon gets assigned a dollar value in a carbon commodity market, it
may give literal meaning to the _expression_ that good soil is black gold.
And glomalin could be viewed as its golden seal.—By Don Comis,
Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

This research is part of Soil Resource Management, an ARS National
Program (#202) described on the World Wide Web at
http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov.

Sara F. Wright and Kristine A. Nichols are with the USDA-ARS Sustainable
Agricultural Systems Laboratory, Bldg. 001, 10300 Baltimore Ave.,
Beltsville, MD 20705; phone (301) 504-8156 [Wright], (301) 504-6977
[Nichols], fax (301) 504-8370.


"Glomalin: Hiding Place for a Third of the World's Stored Soil Carbon"
was published in the September 2002 issue of Agricultural Research 
magazine.

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Irish brush hook.

Bulldog Tools makes an Irish Brush Hook
You will have to get a printed catalog to see it
http://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/home.html
A Division of American Tool Companies
  Clarington Forge
  Wigan, Lancs. WN1 3DD
  UK
  Tel: (01942) 44281
  Fax: (01942) 824316

  BULLDOG TOOLS
  Division of Record Tools
  Parkway Works
  Kettlebridge Road
  Sheffield
  S9 3BL

  Telephone: 0114-2449066
  Fax: 01142-561788
  Tel: 01142-449066 Fax: 01142-434302
  e-mail:sales@recordtools.co.uk
  web:www.bulldogtools.co.uk
  Our Products
    All Season
    Bulldog
    Evergreen
    Premier

BULLDOG TOOLS have been made at Clarington Forge in Wigan for over 200 years.
Seven generations of Farmers, Contractors and Professional Landscapers stand 
testimony to a quality of product upon which their livelyhoods depended. The 
skill and craftsmanship that were the key to the company's success in those 
early days are still maintained and are available to you today, in the products 
you will find in this web site.
All products are fully guaranteed against faulty workmanship and material

Available from:
James Cooksons
Cheshire, UK
FREEPHONE, In UK: 0800 458 5752
FAX: +44 (161) 480 8579
(Maybe someone from the UK in the PC List could phone Cooksons and find out 
their overseas telephone number and post that to the list. Graham?)
cooksons.com ltd.
Armstrong House
Swallow Street
Stockport
Cheshire
SK1 3LG
United Kingdom
Cooksons carries all Bulldog tools and will do mail order to the USA
http://www.cooksons.com/store/browse.php3?section=14&level=2
http://www.cooksons.com

For more info and reviews of Bulldog Tool see:
http://www.fredshed.co.uk/tradesecrets.htm

Other sources for Bulldog Tools, Spear and Jackson Tools and more:

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
http://www.groworganic.com
http://www.groworganic.com/a/a.html?sCategory=117
P.O. Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95945
Tel:(530) 272-4769  Order Toll Free (888) 784-1722
Email:contact@groworganic.com

Smith & Hawken 800/776-3336  800-9401170  http://www.smith-hawken.com
http://www.smithandhawken.com/jhtml/site/catalog/Category.jhtml;$sessionid$HN0UWGYAABLPNUPWC0SXBM4R4YLKY2G4?CATID=68&PARENTCATID=16

Gardener's Supply Co.  800/863-1700   http://www.gardeners.com
http://www.naturalgardening.com/cgi-bin/shop/S-Mart.cgi?command=listitems&type=group&pos=0&pg=tools&group=garden
See the Swwiss-made (60' handle X 6" head) 4-prong cultivator and the long 
handled spade and long-handled fork (Bulldog)
phone (707) 766-9303  FAX: (707) 766-9747

Order by mail: P.O. Box 750776, Petaluma, CA 94975-0776.
This is the article in Taunton's "Kitchen Garden" magazine
with a review of the Broadfork from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
that I mentioned in an earlier post, also covers the old
Smith & Hawken 3-tine grub eyehoe which is now available in a modified
format from Hida Tool (http://www.hidatool.com - 800/443-5512) as their "Farmer 
Rake" also Bulldog spades and forks.
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00011.asp
For more articles in Kitchen Garden (no longer in print) see:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/fg_feat_kitchgard.asp

Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/catalog/tool.html
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/bulrectool.html
Record Tools North America (Canada, wholesale)

The Bulldog heavy-duty digging spade, spade fork and digging fork are three
basic tools for a raised bed gardener

> Then I'd take my brush scythe to the rest.

This is the best and most complete scythe dealer in the USA:
Scythe Supply
http://www.scythesupply.com/
they offer several types of brush and ditch scythes and well as the grass/grain 
types

> A Swede axe is good on small trees.

Gransfors is a brand that comes to mind though there are others, available from:

Garrett Wade or Lee Valley Tools

Also: Ralph Martindale & Co., Ltd.
Wonderful machetes, like you've never seen before - you can do an amazing lot of
clearing with a good machete: grasses, woody weeds, cornstalks, saplings, trees
http://www.ralphmartindale.co.uk/ralphmartindale/latinamerica1.html
See my Gardening Handtool Sourcelist: 
http://market-farming.com/gardening-hand-tools.faq for contact info
for RM, Ltd. - also Crocodile USA/www.karnaf.com, the Chillington/Ralph 
Martindale Ltd. USA Representative will import these tools for you;
Contact: Ilan Segura  ilan@karnaf.com   408-888-7478   Santa Clara, Calif.
Website: (these tools are in stock in their US warehouse:)
http://tools.karnaf.com/products.html
Importer of Ralph Martindale machetes and Chillington eye hoes, spades and forks

-
SNEEBOER TOOLS
http://www.sneeboer.com/
Fa. A. Sneeboer
De Tocht 3a
1611 HT Bovenkarspel
The Netherlands
tel. +31 (0)228 511 365
fax +31 (0)228 514 524
e-mail: info@sneeboer.com
Manufacturer of exclusive handforged garden tools in stainless steel.
Spades, planters, trenching and drainage tools, digging forks, tilthing forks, etc.
small hand tools, dibbles, rakes and more.

Other links to info on Sneeboer Tools:
http://www.kiel.dk/Sneeboer/omuk.html
http://www.madetolast.co.uk/s000012p0001.html
http://www.madetolast.co.uk/

Available in the U.S.A. from:

GARRETT WADE
http://www.garrettwade.com/
Garrett Wade Co., Inc.
161 Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10013
By e-mail: mail@garrettwade.com 
Toll Free Telephone: 800 221 2942 (USA and Canada) 
Toll Free Fax: 800 566 9525 
International Telephone: 212 807 1155 
Garrett Wade carries a line of Sneeboer Tools
spades, one of the finest 4-tine digging spade forks ever made - T-handled long 
and short versions to a narrower 3-tine version, a large, heavy-duty tool for getting the 
job done, from tilthing a garden bed to turning it. See them at this URL:
http://www.garrettwade.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=105662&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=10107&iSubCat=10108&iProductID=105662
"The 3-Tine Border Fork (6" wide) is somewhat lighter to use than the larger
4-Tine (9" wide). Both are 47" long. The Long Planting Spade is designed to
be wedged in the earth in one stroke - and is 43-1/2" long overall. The 5
small Hand Tools have handles of Cherry. These are exceptional,
commercial-quality garden tools - for those who want to use the best."
Other Sneeboer Tools at GW:
http://www.garrettwade.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=105527&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=10107&iSubCat=10108&iProductID=105527
"The Large and the "Ladies" Digging Spades are 45 and 42-1/2" long overall
respectively with blades about 6" wide. The short and long Planting Spades
are 22" and 43-1/2" long overall. The "flat" pointed blades on these are
designed to be "wedged" in the earth in one stroke and to make a planting
pocket with one move of the handle. (Note: The Small size is used when
working on your knees.) These tools feature Ash hardwood handles."

And:

Boxhill Farm Nursery
Phone: 425.788.6473
E-mail: Boxhillfarm@mindspring.com
14175 Carnation-Duvall Road
Duvall, WA 98019
"Sneeboer Tools Hand crafted to perfection In the small town of Bovenkarspel, in the Westfrisian area of
Holland, three brothers Aad, Jaap and Frank make hand forged garden tools. Their grandfather Arie, founded
the company in 1913, and their father, Paul, continued it after the war. Much of the company remains
unchanged; the coal fire, an anvil, the hammering. What has changed are the customers; formerly market
gardeners, they are now private gardeners with a passion for their garden and good quality tools. As well as
the standard range of tools, the Sneeboer brothers can make tools to suit individual needs if required, from
hand tools to full sized garden tools. Always made from the best stainless steel and the finest wood, anyone
who has ever had a Sneeboer garden tool in his hand will never want to use anything else."
-

HARMONY FARM SUPPLY & NURSERY
http://www.harmonyfarm.com/
3244 Hwy. 116 North
Sebastopol, CA 95472 
(707) 823-9125 
FAX (707) 823-1734 
info@harmonyfarm.com 

                                 
LEE VALLEY TOOLS
http://www.leevalley.com/home/main.asp
Woodworking and gardening tools and hardware.
Garden tools:
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/index.asp?SID=&ccurrency=2
Lots of useful and well-made domestic and imported gardening hand tools;
See their product category listing. 
E-mail: From anywhere in the world: customerservice@leevalley.com 
Phone:
Customer Service: From USA: 1-800-267-8735
From Canada: 1-800-267-8761
From other countries: 1-613-596-0350

To Place an Order
From USA: 1-800-871-8158
From Canada: 1-800-267-8767
From other countries: 1-613-596-0350

Our telephones are staffed Monday to Friday from 7 am to 7 pm and from 9 am to 5
pm on Saturday (Eastern Time). We are closed on Sundays. Answering machines are
used outside these hours.
Fax:
From USA: 1-800-513-7885
From Canada: 1-800-668-1807
From other countries: 1-613-596-6030 
                        
Our fax machines are on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Letter Mail:
From USA:
From Canada and other countries:
Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
P.O. Box 1780
Ogdensburg, NY 13669-6780
                                                         
Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
P.O. Box 6295, Station J
Ottawa, ON K2A 1T4 

<>-<>

European Scythes
----------------
Scythe Supply
Elliot Fishbein
496 Shore Road
Perry, Maine, 04667
(207) 853-4750
http://www.scythesupply.com
info@scythesupply.com

European scythes, blades, snaths, acccessories, information & scythe preparation
"Scythe Supply offers European style scythes, scythe
blades, snaths, whetstones, hammers, anvils and equipment."

Quality Scythe Supply (Turk's Head), Marugg, Schmeide, Redenbacher & Green River 
Tool blades; Marugg (curved & straight) & Green River Tool snaths; complete scythe 
systems; accessories: stones, anvils, hammers, sheaths, peening jigs, ring clamps & 
keys; standard & custom outfits, custom sizing; sharpening & repair; books; workshop, 
photo gallery & links; excellent website with much information on scythe use, 
maintenance and history.

<><><><>

Hida Tool & Hardware, Inc.
Phone: 510-524-3700 Toll-free: 1-800-443-5512
Email: hidatool@hidatool.com
1333 San Pablo Ave. Berkeley, CA 94702 
http://www.hidatool.com/
http://www.hidatool.com/gardenpage/hoes.html
Pix on the above page - get the Farmer Hoe and Farmer Rake;
there's also a Middle Farmer Hoe that's lighter  
Farmer Hoe  G-2002  $44.90     Farmer Rake  G-2001  $46.80

Lee Valley Tools:
From US:
Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
P.O. Box 1780
Ogdensburg, NY 13669-6780
From elsewhere:
Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
P.O. Box 6295, Station J
Ottawa, ON K2A 1T4
Customer Service:
customerservice@leevalley.com 
From USA: 1-800-267-8735
From Canada: 1-800-267-8761
From other countries: 1-613-596-0350
To Place an Order
From USA: 1-800-871-8158
From Canada: 1-800-267-8767
From other countries: 1-613-596-0350
http://www.leevalley.com/home/main.asp
Hoe page:
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.asp?page=44823&category=2&SID=&ccurrency=2
(pix on this page)
and order the Vineyard Hoe (pointed) 43" handle $16.95
and Italian-Style Hoe (square) 43" or 51" handles  $13.50

<><><><>

Garrett Wade
161 Avenue of the Americas
NY, NY 10013
1 800 221 2942
http://www.garettwade.com

Imported Dutch T-Handled Garden Forks:
3-tine long garden fork (6")
4-tine long digging fork (9") (very fine tool)
4-tine short planting fork (6")

Imported Dutch T-Handled Garden Spades:
Long planting spade
Short planting spade
Border shovel
Large digging shovel (very fine tool)

<><><><>

You can find three variants on the Japanese eye hoe (from S & H in past years) 
available in hardware stores and mail order:
 
A nice short-handled Portuguese-made eyehoe from Lee Valley Tools - 
two types of heads & less than $20 each - excellent quality cast steel head,  
well designed with a good heavy duty handle

Several eyehoes from Hida Tool Co., Japanese-made:
 -Farmer Hoe - like the old S&H but lighter duty - still a beautiful tool - 
same proportions on blade and with the usual slight tapering of blade thickness 
from edge to eye 
 -Farmer Rake - this is one of the most beautiful tools I have ever seen - 
heavy duty - three flat 1" wide, very long, tapered (in thickness) tines in a 
wide  configuration, heavy Japanese oak handle -  a lifetime tool to do real 
work with -  there is no other tool like it on the market today - its not a rake 
but is a digger/tilther/earth mover/weeder - a serious tool for the serious gardener
 -Ridge-Making Hoe - This, too, is a serious heavy-duty large hilling hoe for 
prepping  raised beds and rows and generally moving dirt. .

From:
Hida Tool and Hardware Co.
http://www.hidatool.com
hidatool@hidatool.com
1333 San Pablo Ave. Berkeley,  CA 94702 
510-524-3700  (telephone)     510-524-3423 (fax)    
9:00 to 5:00 (PT) Mon to Sat 
1-800-443-5512 (telephone)    1-888-524-7473(fax)
Hand tools
Japanese Woodworking tools
Handcrafted Japanese Garden & Bomsai Tools
(there's no pix of these tools & you'll probably have to call them to
get a price (about $45 each) Get the Hida Tool catalog to get the price sheet

The Ames or Seymour versions that are made in Austria - lots of
different head configurations, nicely made forged
but none as functional or heavy as the Japanese version - not pricey and 
available from AE  Leonard mail order and many hardware stores 


"MUTT" from Lowes or Home Depot, heat and bend the blade to make
it into a hoe; has a socket for a long handle - beautiful tapered blade, heavy, 
long --  has lots of potential - comes in two versions:
long/narrow, short/wide - all have 1/4" steel or better - heat treat and 
temper it for better edge-holding and weed/turf slicing

<><><><>

From: rick valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>:

Marugg Co. 
for scythes 
<Marugg@BLomand.Net> 

and 

Hida Tool Co. 
for Japanese gardening, carpentry and bamboo working tools 
1-800-443-5512

They're a fine outfit, excellent service & the best quality - 
Japanese tools come in a huge range of quality.

Hida is the Co. I get the Ebinata from, a hatchet-type
tool I wrote up for the Activist once- great for mulching up trees.

Another fine company is Bellota, out of the Basque country in Spain- I have a
10yr-old catalog and one eye hoe, beautifully forged of incredible steel-
double-ended, a three-inch chisel & two 5/8 inch prongs on the other.
They also manufacture in Venezuela.
Bellota: 
Tel. 34-43-730-000. Fax 34-43-733-524.
Expect Spanish, but they'd probably love it if you spoke Basque.

ARS saws and pruners are also favorites of mine; a wholesale source of them
and more, that'll lead you to a retail source is Barnel: (800) 877-9907 or
<info@barnel.com> 


Rick Valley, 
Rick Valley Northern Groves 
PO Box 1236, Philomath, OR 97370 
Mobile-(541)602-1315, hm.& msg. (541)929-7152  
Bamboo catalog $2 or at <http://www.teleport.com/~dbrooks/bamboo.html>
"Useful Bamboos and other plants - Permaculture education - Ecological design
& consultation centering on water, landform and horticultural systems"
-

Broadforks or U-Bar Diggers:
----------------------------

Eliot Coleman's design sold by Johnny's Selected Seeds as
"Johnny's Broadfork". $109.00. Description (edited) from Johnny's website:
"Eliot Coleman design, Maine made. A remarkably light but strong 24" 
wide steel fork base with 10 1/2" long tines and 50" oiled ash handles.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/cgi-local/Minishopsql4.cgi?action="page&adver=other&partnumber=9677
(in the picture on the website it looks like it may have 5 or 6 tines)

<>

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply offers a very heavy steel
alloy/non-rusting, tig-welded model which was written 
up in Taunton Press'  "Kitchen Gardener" in an article about the
author's favorite tools. PVFS calls this tool the "Deep Spader".
The four pointed tines are 16" long; tool width is 18". The tine section 
is bolted to to the long handle made of 1" pipe. The Deep Spader weighs
30 pounds and costs $139.00.

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Toll free: 1-888-784-1722
PO BOx 2209
Grass Valley, Calif., 95945
530-272-4769

<>

A.M. Leonard catalogue has a great cast broad fork for around $80.00
delivered.  It is great for digging through compost, straw, etc; very 
well made and a dream to use (800) 543-8955.

<><><><>

Burgon & Ball Ltd
http://www.burgonandball.com/html/home.htm
Sales & Marketing Office
Burgon & Ball Ltd
Sir Peter Thompson House
Market Close
Poole Dorset
BH15 1NE
England
Specialist manufacturers of agricultural & garden hand tools since 1730!
for mail order sales call - 0114 233 8262 alternatively fax - 0114 285 2518
for trade sales call - 01202 684 141 alternatively fax - 01202 684 242
Sheep care tools, shears, pruners, scythes, knives, billhooks, scythe stones,
silage and hay knives, topiary shears

<><><><>
-
The Chillington Tool Company
011 44 1902 826826 Telephone (for USA access; this translates from: +44 (0) 1902 826826)
Mr. Lawrence Askey (laskey@ralphmartindale.com)
A Ralph Martindale Group Company
crocodile@chillington.co.uk 
http://www.chillington.co.uk/chillington.html
Crocodile USA (Chillington's USA Branch)
http://www.crocodileusa.com/
info@crocodileusa.com
<>
The Ralph Martindale Group of Companies
http://www.ralphmartindale.co.uk/
E-mail: Crocodile@RalphMartindale.co.uk
Ralph Martindale (Birmingham) Ltd
Telephone: +44 (0) 1902 826826  Fax: +44 (0) 1902 826827   
Crocodile House, Strawberry Lane, Willenhall, West Midlands WV13 3RS, England
-
Ralph Martindale & Co., Ltd.
http://www.ralphmartindale.co.uk/ralphmartindale/
Web: www.ralphmartindale.co.uk    E-mail: crocodile@ralphmartindale.co.uk
Matchets Agricultural Hand Tools
Cane Knives   Survival Knives
Sharpening Files & Saws   Knives & Files
Digging/Construction Tools    Sickles
Sheaths     Gardening Tools 
From their website:
"The genuine "Crocodile" blade is made from hot rolled high quality British Steel by our own Mill. 
The strip is tapered in section to optimise the unique cutting characteristics with the weight of 
the tool. Each face of the blade has three grooves which assist the blade's removal from sapwood. 
The grooves extend to the tang of the blade to form a mechanical lock with the handle.
Our product is therefore lightweight and easy to use. The blade is roll forged to give an 
outstandingly well balanced tool to meet the arduous demands of rural farmers throughout the 
tropical regions of the world. Only "Crocodile" brand machets are made from tapered steel section 
with grooves which makes our product distinctly better than our competitors. Quality is assured 
because we control every stage of production from steel billet to finished machet.
Every blade is individually tested to ensure the hardened and tempered steel characteristics 
conform to our strict quality controls. We guarantee 100% inspection.
All our handles are made from German beech wood. We monitor the moisture content of the timber 
to make sure the product is consistent and does not split under normal circumstances.
The timber is cross-sawn for maximum strength and stability. The handle is fitted to the blade 
with solid steel rivets and washers. A special factory fitting technique is employed which has 
been perfected from 125 years experience to ensure our product is the best value for money 
and outlasts the life of other brands."
-
The Chillington Tool Company
A Ralph Martindale Group Company
http://www.chillington.co.uk/chillington.html
Web: www.chillington.co.uk   E-mail: crocodile@chillington.co.uk
From their website:
"The Chillington Tool Company has been supplying the agricultural and construction 
industries with quality hot forged Hoes and Forks for over one hundred years. 
Using high carbon British steel, Chillington sets the highest standard for quality 
worldwide. Chillington manufactures a large selection of patterns in a wide range of 
sizes. Chillington Hoes and Forks are sold throughout the world under a number of 
different brand names, the most famous being the "Crocodile". All Chillington products 
are recognised as the hallmark of quality, durability and reliability."
<>
Crocodile USA 
Highest Quality hot forged Hoes and Forks
Tel: (408) 330-9222
Fax: (408)-330-9221
457 Mathew St.
Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA
info@crocodileusa.com
http://www.crocodileusa.com
For a complete display of tools available see:
http://www.crocodileusa.com/brochure.html
See also:
http://www.chillington.co.uk/chillington.html
http://www.chillington.co.uk/latinamerica.html
http://www.chillington.co.uk/northafrica.html
http://www.chillington.co.uk/asia.html
http://www.chillington.co.uk/srilanka.html

-
(old contact information:)
The Chillington Tool Co.Ltd.,
Bridge Road, Haywards Heath,
West Sussex, RH16 1UA, UK.
Phone :  + 1444 417 220  Fax :  + 1444 457 662

"The prices seem pretty reasonable, and they do Mail Order.
They're a set of tools where the blade is set at a right 
angle to the handle - used like a mattock, and very versatile, 
as you can dig, cut through roots, hoe etc.
Whenever you see farm workers in the Developing World on TV, 
they're using this type of tool," 

<><><><>

BELLOTA
Spain
http://www.bellota.com
http://www.bellota.com/catnaveg.jsp?idGrupo=51&idMarca=1
(Possibly out of date contact information:)
Tel. 34-43-730-000. Fax 34-43-733-524
For AGRICULTURE-GARDEN:
agricultural handles, garden, hoes & forks, machetes, prunning range, sickles & scythes
See a complete display of Forks and Hoes at:
http://www.bellota.com/catnaveg.jsp?idGrupo=486&idMarca=1
Sickles and Scythes here:
http://www.bellota.com/catnaveg.jsp?idGrupo=487&idMarca=1
Machetes here:
http://www.bellota.com/catnaveg.jsp?idGrupo=262&idMarca=1
Agricultural handles here:
http://www.bellota.com/catnaveg.jsp?idGrupo=505&idMarca=1
Contact:
CPE
UN Norte America
Corona Clipper, Inc.
Tel. +1 909 7376515
Fax. +1 909 7378657
mkt@corona.bellota.com
http://www.bellota.com/i_contact.jsp#
CORONA CLIPPER, INC
A Bellota Company
http://www.coronaclipper.com/
Corona Clipper, 1540 East Sixth Street, Corona, California 92879
Phone: General Office: (909) 737-6515, Toll Free Sales Office: (800) 847-7863,
Toll Free Customer Service: (800) 234-2547, Fax: (909) 737-8657
mkt@corona.bellota.com
Human resources
rrhh@corona.bellota.com 

<><><><>

Tata Steel
http://www.tatasteel.com/agrico/aboutus.htm
From their website:
TATA Agrico, a division of Tata Steel is the pioneer manufacturer of superior 
quality agricultural implements in the country. Since 1925, it has been the 
leading manufacturer of Shovels, Powrahs, Crowbars, Kudalies, Pickaxe and Hammers. 
These implements cater to the needs of Agricultural, Horticulture Industry, 
Maintenance of Roads, Dams, Railway- Tracks, Collieries, etc., in India and abroad.
See this page for an amazing display of eye hoes:
http://www.tatasteel.com/agrico/products.htm

<><><><>

WOONG CHUEN  IND. CO., LTD.
Address: 
HEAD OFFICE
Seobong Bldg., 72, Samjeon-dong, Songpa-ku, Seoul,
138-180 
Korea (South)     
FACTORY 
"Farm & Garden Tool" IN CHINA 
Phone: 82-2-419-8940 
Fax: 82-2-419-5542 
Contact: President / Dan Lee. 
E-mail: woongchuen@woongchuen.com 
http://www.woongchuen.com
See this page for an impressive display of hoes, shovels, forks and other farm and garden tools:
http://www.woongchuen.com/product.htm

<><><><>

PANZERI TOOLS s.n.c.
ITALY
panzeri.tools@iol.it
http://www.panzeri-tools.it/
PANZERI TOOLS s.n.c.
via Luigi e Pietro Pozzoni n.16              
24034 Cisano Bergamasco ITALY
Tel. +39 035 787016 Fax +39 035 787555
Costruzioni Attrezzi Agricoli da Giardino e Forestali       
Manufacturing Agricultural Tools  Forestry Tools  Gardening Tools  Hand tools forged

<><><><>

Agricultural Hand Tools
MICROCER  - KANJIZA - Exprt-Import trading company
Voice contact is on hungarian and serb languages. Fax and other (E-mail) send on European languages.
ADDRESS:
D.O.O. MICROCER
Strosmajer  22.
24420 Kanizsa
Yugoslavia
E-MAIL:
office@microcer.co.yu
Telefon:
(+381) 024 873-435
Fax:
(+381) 024 874-435 
http://www.microcer.co.yu
http://www.microcer.co.yu/mezgaz/mezgaze.html
http://www.microcer.co.yu/indexe.html

<><><><>

Okapi Knives
Cane, Bush and Assorted Agricultural Knives
http://www.okapi-knives.com/

<><><><>

The Striking Tools Company
http://www.strikingtools.net/shovel3.html
Gardening and agricultural hand tools
C - 1/19, Safdarjang Development Area
New Delhi -110016
INDIA
Tel
+91-11-3715431/3722159
Fax
+91-11-3715096
E-Mail
info@strikingtools.net

<><><><>

Interesting picture of handmade hoes, froes and adzes
http://y23.50g.com/yoffe3/lg_00003106.JPG

<><><><>

Japanese gardening tools:
-
Japanese KAMA scythes are of high-quality steel 
and come in a size to suit every need. Their knives
(splitting bamboo etc) are excellent. 
For more information contact Matsumoto-san, 
a permaculture activist in Japan with good contacts with many local
factories that make high quality tools, often by hand. His address is:

Noboru Matsumoto
402 Shiyona-Zho
Kasugai-Shi
Aichi, Japan. 
Catherine Pawasarat (asaka@gol.com) should know his email address
-

Seeds of Change
Bulldog Garden Tools 
(made in England at factory in Wigan, sold under the Record name)
Seeds of Change®
PO Box 15700
Santa Fe NM 87506
1-888-762-7333
Email address:
gardener@seedsofchange.com
http://st4.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/bulrectool.html

Bountiful Gardens
1999 Main Catalog
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/bgmain.htm
-- Biointensive and organic --
garden seed and supplies
Garden tools and supplies:
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/toolmain.htm
Spear & Jackson digging tools (D-handles fork & spade,
other English & oriental tools 
Bill and Betsy Bruneau, Managers
Bountiful Gardens 18001 Shafer Ranch Road, Willits, CA 95490-9626 USA
voice/fax 707-459-6410
Email: bountiful@zapcom.net
(C) Copyright 1999, Ecology Action of the Midpeninsula, Inc. dba Bountiful Gardens.
 
  

Garden Tools of Maine
http://members.aol.com/gtmaine
RR2, Box 2208, Holden, Maine 04429
Phone: 888 271 2672 Fax: 888 271 2674
Email: gtmaine@aol.com 
-
Hortus Ornamenti
http://www.greenwich.co.uk/hortus/index.htm
"Fine Gardening Tools
Hortus Ornamenti prides itself on producing some of the finest quality 
hand made gardening tools and accessories available today. The designs 
are inspired by those of bygone eras, these are ideal gifts for 
the discerning gardener."

Address:
Hortus Ornamenti
23 Cleveland Road
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 2HF
United Kingdom

Telephone/Fax:
+44(0)1243 782467

Email to fax:
remote-printer.Hortus_Ornamenti@7.6.4.2.8.7.3.4.2.1.4.4.tpc.int 
-
Lee Valley & Veritas
http://www.leevalley.com

"If you have ideas for new tools (either gardening or woodworking), 
or other recommendations, we would like to hear from you. 
You can reach us by mail at these addresses: 
USA & International

We serve USA and international customers by mail order. Packages can be
shipped by UPS ground to anywhere in continental USA. Packages to Alaska and
Hawaii are shipped by UPS air. 

Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
Mail Order Center
12 East River Street 
P.O. Box 1780, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669-6780 
USA 

Canada 
We serve Canada by mail order and through our retail stores. See our store
location maps for the store nearest you. 

Lee Valley Tools Ltd.
Mail Order Center
1090 Morrison Drive 
P.O. Box 6295, Stn. J, Ottawa, Ontario K2A 1T4 
Canada 

or by telephone at these numbers: 
USA
1-800-267-8735
Canada
1-800-267-8761
International
1-613-596-0350
or e-mail us at customerservice@leevalley.com
-
A. M. Leonard
http://www.amleo.com
Sales: (sales@amleo.com)
Customer: Service (custserv@amleo.com)
General Information: (info@amleo.com)
To order call toll free number 24 hours a day at (800) 543-8955.
Customer Service/Technical Assistance call 8:00am - 5:00pm EST at (800) 543-8955.
Fax: 24 hours a day, toll free, at (800) 433-0633

A. M. Leonard, Inc.
241 Fox Drive
Piqua, Ohio 45356-0816

Tree maintenance and nursery equipment, miscellaneous gardening/landscaping 
tools/supplies, eye hoes, scythes
-													 
Smith & Hawken												 
http://www.smith-hawken.com
http://st3.yahoo.com/smithandhawken
"Tools of the Trade - A Complete Source For the Organic Gardener"
Orders:
2 Arbor Lane, Box 6900
Florence, Kentucky, 41022-6900
1-800-776-3336
Customer Service: 1-800-776-5558
General info:
25 Corte Madera 
Mill Valley, California, 94941
1-415-383-2000

Also excellent! you may need to ask them what tools they
have for sale that are not listed in their catalogue,
held-over stock offered in out-of-date ones -
i.e. the 4"X7" Japanese field hoe (grub-type eye hoe using 1 3/4" X 54" 
handle) they used to offer, an indispensible tool!
They now offer English Bulldog brand eye hoes; also a complete line of
digging forks, digging spades, spade forks, border forks and border spades
and straight snath scythe systems.
=
=
Smith & Hawken and A.M. Leonard sell a scythe system with a straight 
wooden snath (lightweight, strong & easy to use) and an Austrian lightweight 
grass & grain blade that is thin, long and can easily be sharpened. 
This tool is perfect for cutting lawns. It _can_ remove weeds/grass right 
down to the ground. It's fairly easy to maintain the proper stance and swinging 
motion to cut your grass to a consistant height and in regular arcs that blend 
together evenly. A wonderful tool, indespensible for the rural dweller and suburban 
gardener alike. Smith & Hawken sells a straight two-handled model while
AM Leonard sells a slightly curved one with one handle (you grip the top of the 
handle with your other hand). It is possible that S & H no longer carries their 
model, but if they get enough requests for it that might offer it again.
=
=
Gardex
http://www.gardexindia.com
"Gardex offers the widest and most comprehensive range of agro/garden tools from 
India. We can develop any model as per your requirement"
- Marketing Office:
808, Antriksh Bhawan
22, Kasturba Ghandhi Marg
New Delhi - 110001 (India)
Tel. : (91 - 11) 3715431, 3722159 
Fax. : (91 - 11) 3715096
E- Mail : sarat@gardexindia.com
- Corporate Office:
C- 7 Focal Point
Jalandhar - 144 004 (India)
Tel. : (91 - 181) 290889, 293890, 293891
Fax. : (91 - 181) 290562, 225581,
E- Mail : corporate@gardexindia.com
-
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
http://www.groworganic.com
Tel: (530) 272-4769        
Fax: (530) 272-4794 
OFFICE HOURS:  Monday - Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST 
PEACEFUL VALLEY FARM SUPPLY
P.O. Box 2209
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Spear & Jackson Tools + many other useful brands
-
Walt Nicke
1-978-887-3388
Walte Nicke's Gardentalk
A Catalog of Fine Tools for Gardeners
http://www.gardentalk.com


<><><><>

This sourcelist contains new information on mail ordering English-made 
Bulldog (Record-Bulldog) garden tools from companies in the USA. 
Until recently there has not been a source for them here; 
for those not familiar with Bulldog, they are lifetime quality tools
traditionally hand-forged, highly functional, strong and durable.
-
James Cooksons (Stockport) Ltd.
Cheshire, U.K.
http://www.cooksons.com
Spear & Jackson, Bulldog (Record/Bulldog) and other brands of high-quality 
traditional English hand garden tools. Many different types of spades, 
forks, hoes and other implements. Contact them for a catalog - they do mail 
order sales to USA (no duty, no VAT, depending on where you live you may 
only pay state use tax).
-
Seeds of Change
P.O. Box 15700
3209 Richards Lane 
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87506
1-888-762-7333
505-438-6529
gardener@seedsofchange,com
Retail mail order sales of English Record/Bulldog garden tools:
heavy duty digging fork and digging spade and many others 
-
The Kinsman Co.
Kinsman Garden Company, Inc.
River Road
P.O. Box 357
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, 18950
1-800-733-4146, 215-297-0890 (local) info & orders
Fax: 215-297-0450
215-297-5613 wholesale 
Website: http://kinsmangarden.com
Email: kinsmangarden@bux.com
Retail mail order sales of English Record/Bulldog garden tools
Kinsman carries  a half dozen or so of the more popular English Bulldog 
tools under the Record name (Record now owns the Bulldog garden tool line).
They have their own catalog with these and many other garden items listed:
digging spade, border spade, digging fork, border fork, poachers spade
(rabbiting tool - good for planting or transplanting), hand fork & trowel
-
Record Tool North American Distributor 
Record Tools, Inc.
1920 Clements Rd.
Pickering, Ontario, Canada, L1W-3V6
(Canada #) 905-428-1077
(USA #) 716-842-1180
Record Tools, Inc. provides wholesale and retail outlets with a very 
wide array of Record/Bulldog garden tools. Call or write them for their 
garden tool catalog.

<><><><>

-
Miscellaneous phone numbers:
Gardener's Supply Co. (800-863-1700)
A.M. Leonard (800-543-8955
Smith & Hawken (800-981-9888) 
Langenbach (800-362-4410)
Kinsman Co. (800-733-4146)
Walt Nicke's Garden Talk (508-887-3388)
Harmony Farm Supply (707-823-9125) 
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (916-272-4769) 
-
Request a catalog from:
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Foss Hill Road
Albion, Maine, 04910
Customer service: 1-207-437-4301 
They supply EARTHWAY and PLANET, Jr. seeders and will, on request
give you information on suppliers of other seeders (i.e. a small hand-carried
corn/bean seeder. You may want to hybridyze the EW and the P, Jr.
when planting small seeds in rough terrain. An organic vegetable grower
in North Carolina has successfully done this.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com
-
Whole Earth "Ecolog" mentioned five tool suppliers for farm and garden
supplies; my hunch would be try 
Lehman's Hardware and Appliances,
Their catalog is $2.00 from:
PO Box 41, 4779 Kidron Rd., 
Kidron OH 44636
-
The Cook's Garden
"Seeds and Supplies for the New American Kitchen Garden"
P.O. Box 535
Londonderry, Vermont, 05148
802-824-3400
Fax: 802-824-3027

Offers the Korean "HO-MI" hand cultivator (curved trowel/cultivator),
well-designed and effective
-
Necessary Trading Co.
One Nature's Way
New Castle, Virginia, 24127-0305
FAX - 703/864-5186
Phone: 1-703-864-5103
"Natural Solutions for Farm, Home and Garden"
Wide range of supplies, books, fertilizers, tools and equipment -
catalogue headings include: books, composting equipment & supplies,
soil testing equipment & supplies, cover crop seeds, fertilizers
(their largest offering), pest management supplies and equipment,
wild bird supplies, animal care supplies and miscellaneous hand tools.
A major supplier, along with Zook & Ranck and Fertrell, for organic 
farmers and market growers in the Eastern U.S.  
-
Snow & Nealley
Axes & Mauls, Gardening and Woodworking Tools
http://www.sntools.com/contact.htm
Order Desk Hours, 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Friday Eastern Time.
Telephone: 
(800)-933-6642 
FAX: 
(207) 941-0857 
Postal address: 
P.O. Box 876, Bangor, ME 04402-0876 
Electronic mail: 
General Information, Sales, & Customer Service: info@sntools.com 
-
Garden & Landscaping Connection at Where-AT (tm) website
http://www.where-at.com/your_home/gardening.htm
Lots of gardening links
-
Hand & Garden Tool Connection at Where-AT (tm) website
http://www.where-at.com/your_home/tools.htm
LOTS of links to all sorts of tool and equipment manufacturers & dealers
-
HARMONY FARM SUPPLY     
P.O. Box 451 
Graton, CA 95444
- 
Cumberland General Store 
Catalog $3.00 from:
Rt. 3 box 81, 
Crossville TN 38555
615-484-8481.
-
Mellinger's
2310 W. South Range Road
North Lima, OH 44452-9731                   
216-549-9861
Offerings: seeds, woody plants, perennials, tropical
plants, tools, growing supplies
-
Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
P.O. Box 8397
205 West Rankin St.
Jackson, Mississippi, 39204
"Quality Forestry, Engineering and 
 Environmental Equipment, Shipped Worldwide"
tools, equipment and supplies for the forestry industry
-
Langenbach
P.O. Box 453
Blairstown, N.J., 07825
Toll Free: 1-800-362-1991
-
Ben Meadows Company
Equipment for Natural Resource Managers
3589 Broad Street
Atlanta, Georgia, 30341
1-800-241-6401
Fax: 1-800-628-2068
Mail Order address:
P.O. Box 80549
Chamblee, Georgia, 30366
e-mail: mail@benmeadows.com
http://www.benmeadows.com (great Web page!)
See pages 132-139 for garden handtools information;
see esp. page 134: Adze Hoe & Pic'N Planter tools
-
Shepherd's Garden Seeds
Shipping Office
30 Irene St.
Torrington, Connecticut, 06790
860-482-3638
-
You might also call the folks at ATTRA (Appropriate Technology for Rural
Areas) at 1-800-346-9140. They might have some other names & addresses for you.
-
P.A. Bonvallet's Sons Inc.
R.R. 1 Box 160
St. Anne, IL 60964                          
815-427-8222
Offerings: pots, containers, soil conditioners, fertilizers
Comments: wholesale distributor
-       
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
300 Park Ave.
Warminster, PA 18991-0001                   
Offerings: seeds, perennials, bulbs, woody plants, supplies
Comments: separate seasonal catalogs are available
-      
Dayton Bag and Burlap
210 Dowdle St., Unit 5
Algonquin, IL 60102                         
708-658-8488       Fax: 708-658-4197
Offerings: nursery supplies
Comments: wholesale distributor
-       
 Dramm Corporation
    2000 North 18th Street
    PO Box 1960
    Manitowoc, WI  54221-1960  USA

    920-684-0227 Voice
    920-684-4499 Fax
    800-258-0848 Toll Free USA

    webiste:  http://www.dramm.com
    email:      garden@dramm.com

 Dramm Products can be ordered on line at..

    http://www.gardengift.com

    gardengift.com
    619 South 26th Sreet
    Manitowoc, WI 54220-3707  USA

    email:      service@gardengift.com

Offerings: irrigation equipment
-    
Earl May Seed Company
208 North Elm Street
Shanandoah, IA 51603-0099                  
712-246-1020
Offerings: woody plants, seeds, perennials, growing supplies
-
Garden's Alive
Hwy. 48, P.O. Box 149
Sunman, IN 47041                            
812-623-3800
Offerings: tools, equipment, IPM supplies, beneficial insects
-
Gardener's Supply
128 Intervale Rd.
Burlington, VT 05401                        
802-863-1700
Offerings: tools, equipment, IPM supplies
-       
Gempler's
P.O. Box 270, 211 Blue Mound Rd.
Mount Horeb, WI 53572   
800-328-8473       Fax: 800-551-1128
Offerings: agricultural supplies, protective equipment
-      
Grower's Supply Company
P.O. Box 1123
Ann Arbor, MI 48106                        
313-662-6058
Offerings: indoor stands, lights and trays
-       
Henry Field's Heritage Gardens
1 Meadow Ridge Rd.
Shenandoah, IA 51601-0700                   
605-665-5188
Offerings: woody plants, perennials, tools, supplies
-       
Innis Violets
8 Maddison Lane
Lynnfield, MA 01904                         
617-334-6679
Offerings: African violet growing supplies, high dome terrariums
-       
J. W. Jung Seed Co.
335 S. High Street
Rondolf, WI 53956                           
Offerings: seeds, woody plants, perennials, tools, supplies
-       
Midwest Trading
P.O. Box 384
St. Charles, IL 60174                       
708-742-1840       Fax: 708-888-3818
Offerings: horticultural supplies, equipment, tools, and structures.
Comments: wholesale catalog
-       
Park Seed Company
Cokesbury Road
Greennwood, SC 29647-0001                  
Offerings: seeds, bulbs, perennials, growing supplies
Comments: separate seasonal catalogs offered
-       
Ringer
9959 Valley View Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3585                 
800-654-1047       Fax: 612-941-5036
Offerings: tools, equipment, growing supplies, IPM supplies
Comments: offers a range of organic lawn and garden products
-      
Wayside Gardens
1 Garden Lane
Hodges, SC 29695-0001                       
800-845-1124
Offerings: perennials, woody plants, growing supplies
Comments: illustrated catalog
-       
Wingert Pottery
1185 Atlantic Dr.
West Chicago, IL 60185                     
708-293-9097       Fax: 708-293-9114
Offerings: clay pots, garden ornaments
Comments: an extensive selection of clay pots, wholesale
and retail, a division of Ceramo Company, Inc.


<>
Recommended reading on permaculture, agriculture, gardening and biodynamics: Bibliography
<>

How to Know Higher Worlds [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner

Agriculture Course: The Birth of the Biodynamic Method [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner

The Philosophy of Freedom: The Basis for a Modern World Conception [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Michael Wilson (Translator) \

The North American Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar 2012 [Calendar]
Maria Thun (Author), Matthias Thun (Author)

The Biodynamic Year: Increasing Yield, Quality and Flavour: 100 Helpful Tips for the Gardener or Smallholder [Paperback]
Maria Thun (Author)

Secrets of the Soil : New Solutions for Restoring Our Planet [Paperback]
Peter Tompkins (Author), Christopher Bird (Author)

The Secret Life of Plants [Paperback]
Peter Tompkins (Author), Christopher Bird (Author)

Gardening for Life [Paperback]
Maria Thun (Author), Matthew Barton (Translator)

A Biodynamic Farm, For Growing Wholesome Food [Paperback]
Hugh Lovel (Author)

Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture [Paperback]
Toby Hemenway (Author)

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) [Paperback]
Masanobu Fukuoka (Author, Afterword), Larry Korn (Translator), Wendell Berry (Preface), Frances Moore Lappe (Introduction)

Voodoo Vintners: Oregon's Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers [Paperback]
Katherine Cole (Author)

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World [Paperback]
Paul Stamets (Author)

How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine [Paperback]
John Jeavons (Author)

The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields [Paperback]
John Jeavons (Author), Carol Cox (Author)

The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses [Paperback]
Eliot Coleman (Author)

Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long [Paperback]
Eliot Coleman (Author), Barbara Damrosch (Author), Kathy Bray (Illustrator)

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book) [Paperback]
Eliot Coleman (Author), Sheri Amsel (Illustrator), Molly Cook Field (Illustrator)

Agriculture: An Introductory Reader (Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom) [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Richard Thornton Smith (Introduction)

Nutrition: Food, Health, and Spiritual Development [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner

How to Know Higher Worlds [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author)

Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment: An Esoteric Spiritualism Initiation (Forgotten Books) [Paperback]
Rudolph Steiner

Anthroposophy in Everyday Life [Paperback]
Rudolph Steiner

Bees [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Thomas Braatz (Translator)

What Is Biodynamics?: A Way to Heal and revitalize the Earth : Seven Lectures [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Hugh J. Courtney (Introduction)
Book Description
Publication Date: October 30, 2005
Created from indications by Rudolf Steiner around 1924, and based on a deep understanding of the life forces at work in nature, farming and gardening with biodynamic methods are
spiritual, artistic, and sophisticated forms of organic horticulture that nurture and enhance the earth. It emphasizes the interdependence and unity of all the elements of an
ecosystem or landscape including soil, plants, animals, and weather. Taking the soil as the foundation for the vitality and diversity of a farm or garden, biodynamic methods use
special herbal "preparations" to increase the energetic quality of the soil, stimulating plant growth and health. Biodynamic methods go beyond organic practices to actually heal
the earth herself. Typical of the biodynamic approach are companion planting, crop rotation, cover crops, green manures, liquid manures, compost, the integration of crops and
livestock, and planting and harvesting in harmony with the lunar and planetary cycles. This introduction to biodynamic methods contains five lectures by Rudolf Steiner and an
extensive introduction by Hugh Courtney of the Josephine Porter Institute, who unravels not only the practice of biodynamics, but also its spiritual and esoteric background.

<>

Amazon.com: The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of
Conscious Participation in Nature (9780940262799): Henri Bortoft:
Books
http://www.amazon.com/Wholeness-Nature-Goethes-Conscious-Participation/dp/0940262797/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324051316&sr=1-1-spell
<http://www.amazon.com/Wholeness-Nature-Goethes-Conscious-Participation/dp/0940262797/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324051316&sr=1-1-spell>

The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious
Participation in Nature [Paperback]

"Book Description
ISBN-10: 0940262797 | ISBN-13: 978-0940262799 | Publication Date:
November 1, 1996 | Edition: 1st
Whereas most readers are familiar with Goethe as a poet and dramatist,
few are familiar with his scientific work. In this brilliant book,
Henri Bortoft (who began his studies of Goethean science with J. G.
Bennett and David Bohm) introduces the fascinating scientific theories
of Goethe. He succeeds in showing that Goethe's way of doing science
was not a poet's folly but a genuine alternative to the dominant
scientific paradigm. Bortoft shows that a different, "gentler" kind of
empiricism is possible than that demanded by the dualizing mind of
modern technological science and demonstrates that Goethe's
participatory phenomenology of a new way of seeing-while far from
being a historical curiosity-in fact proposes a practical solution to
the dilemmas of contemporary, postmodern science. If you read only one
book on Goethan science, this should be the one!"

Other interesting books advertised on this page:

The Metamorphosis of Plants [Hardcover]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Author), Gordon L. Miller (Introduction)

Goethe on Science [Paperback]
Jeremy Naydler (Author), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Author), Henri
Bortoft (Foreword)

Goethe's Way of Science (Suny Series, Environmental & Architectural
Phenomenology) [Paperback] by David Seamon, editor

Theory of Colours (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) [Paperback]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Author), Charles L. Eastlake (Translator)

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistemology of His
Worldview (Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner) [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Peter Clemm (Translator), Christopher Bamford
(Introduction)

The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a
More-Than-Human World [Paperback] by David Abram

Catching the Light: The Entwined History of Light and Mind [Paperback]
by Arthur Zajonc

Colour [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author)

Intuitive Thinking As a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom
(Classics in Anthroposophy) [Paperback]
Rudolf Steiner (Author), Michael Lipson (Translator)


  • [permaculture] Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist, Lawrence London, 07/10/2024

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