About this product
Full description
There's a sensible piece of garden kit that sits in the gap between a short hand fork and a full-length border fork — the mid-handled fork. Long enough to give you proper reach into the back of a deep border, short enough to wield comfortably in a raised bed or sitting on a kneeler, it's the tool you reach for when you want to cultivate without stooping and without overstretching. Once you've used one for a season, the back will thank you.
The Burgon & Ball Stainless Steel Mid-Handled Fork is exactly the right version of this tool: a properly made, well-balanced, RHS-endorsed working fork, backed by the kind of guarantee that says the makers expect you to be using it for the rest of your life. From Burgon & Ball, the Sheffield toolmaker who've been making garden tools since 1730. Supplied to us through our partners at AllotMate, who curate proper, well-made tools for gardeners and allotmenteers who'd rather buy once.
What the fork is for
A mid-handled fork is one of those quietly useful tools that fixes problems most gardeners learn to live with:
- Cultivating the back of deep borders — the extra reach means you can work the soil around established planting without trampling the front
- Working in raised beds — the longer shaft is just right for raised-bed depth, where a short hand fork makes you bend over and a long border fork is unwieldy
- Sitting or kneeling work — comfortable to use from a kneeler or a low stool, which lengthens how long you can keep going
- Lifting bulbs and small plants — gentle on the surrounding soil structure
- Breaking up surface compaction around established plants without disturbing the roots
- General cultivating in herb beds, kitchen gardens, and tight spots where a full-size fork won't fit
It's the right tool for anyone who's tired of choosing between bending over with a hand fork or overreaching with a full-length border fork.
Specifications
- Head: Hardened and tempered stainless steel — rust-resistant, smooth-release, holds an edge well
- Tines: Pointed and hardened for tough cultivating
- Neck: Precision-forged at an ergonomic angle, using a higher-carbon steel for strength at this critical joint
- Handle: FSC-certified ash hardwood with a dark wood inlay and Burgon & Ball branding
- Storage: A leather or twisted-paper cord at the end of the handle, for tidy hanging
- Working width: Approximately 9cm
- Overall length: Approximately 29cm
- Endorsement: Royal Horticultural Society approved
- Guarantee: Lifetime
- Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (since 1730)
- Supplied through: AllotMate
The two mid-handled forks we stock
We stock two mid-handled forks — same purpose, distinctly different positioning. Worth knowing the difference:
- Burgon & Ball Stainless Steel Mid-Handled Fork (this one) — stainless steel head, FSC hardwood handle, RHS-endorsed, lifetime guarantee. The classic, properly made working tool at a sensible price.
- Burgon & Ball BoronGreen Mid-Handled Fork — boron steel (stronger and tougher than equivalent carbon steel) with 80% recycled content, FSC white ash handle, distinctive green powder coat, RHS-endorsed, 25-year guarantee. The premium engineering and sustainability option, and part of our matching BoronGreen cultivating set.
Functionally they do the same job. Choose this stainless steel version if you want a beautifully made, lifetime-guaranteed everyday working fork. Choose the BoronGreen if you care about the recycled-steel sustainability story, want the matching aesthetic with the rest of our BoronGreen range, or simply prefer that premium engineering for a tool you'll keep for decades.
Looking after it
- Wipe the tines clean after each use, particularly after damp work
- Dry properly before storing — the stainless steel resists rust beautifully but appreciates not sitting wet
- The hardwood handle can be lightly oiled with linseed oil once or twice a year to keep it conditioned
- Hang it up — the cord at the end of the handle isn't just decorative; tools stored hung dry last decades longer than tools left on a damp bench
- Store in a dry place — out of damp sheds and away from condensation
The lifetime guarantee says the makers expect this tool to last. With minimal care, it will.
As a gift
A properly-made mid-handled fork is a thoughtful gift for almost any gardener — useful enough to be appreciated daily, premium enough to feel like a treat, and pitched at a sensible gift price. Particularly suited to:
- The raised-bed gardener — this is the tool for raised-bed cultivation
- An allotmenteer or kitchen gardener who works in containers and beds at various heights
- An older or arthritic gardener — the mid-length handle reduces the bending that short hand tools demand
- A new gardener setting up a vegetable patch or border
- Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas
- Pair with the matching Burgon & Ball Mid-Handled Trowel for a complete cultivating set, or with the Stainless Steel Dibber for a propagation-and-planting pair
About Burgon & Ball
Burgon & Ball have been making garden tools in Sheffield since 1730, drawing on the city's centuries-old expertise in steel. They hold the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement — a designation given to tools that meet exacting standards for performance, durability and design. We're proud to stock their range; British-made tools at this quality are increasingly rare.
A small thought: the mid-length handle is one of those design choices that sounds modest on paper but transforms how a tool feels in use. For anyone who's spent a Sunday morning bent double over a raised bed with a hand fork, the difference is genuine and immediate — and the back, after a long session, will tell you so.
What's included
Care and use
- Dry before storing
- Lightly oil the hardwood handle (linseed) once or twice a year
- Hang up to store - tools stored hung dry last decades longer
- Store in a dry place
Pairs well with
Other products from the potting shed that work alongside this one.
