My mother bought me a azada for my birthday the other week. I'd been on about getting one for ages so I suggested it when she was struggling to know what to buy me. A few people had mentioned that they use one, Northsider Dave for one, and they're still used all around third world countries and places that use mainly hand tools.
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| My three year old took this photo - I think it came out pretty well! The Stocker comes in handy for carrying a tub full of gear as well. |
I've used it a bit since getting it and it seems a really handy tool, but I'm not getting rid of my spade just yet. It makes breaking new ground really easy, with plenty of power for small amounts of effort and I've started to dig a trench down my new garden patch for the rabbit wire and it seems as if it was designed for the job. It also has the added bonus of being able to carry a tub with lots gear on your back, making planting away from the garden much easier.
I'll let you know how I get on with this tool over the summer and if it becomes a regular in my gardening arsenal.
The funny thing was when the tool turned up my dad called it a "stocker" and said his dad used to use it to earth up his potatoes and it was used in the past to pull muck off carts in the fields before muck spreaders.
Does anyone else have any other names for this tool? Do you use one?
