There's a gap in most tool collections that gardeners only notice when their back does. A hand fork means bending, kneeling, and reaching; a full-length border fork is too big for close work among plants. Between the two sits the mid-handled fork — long enough to spare you the worst of the stooping, short enough to stay precise — and it's one of the most quietly welcome tools you can own, especially as the years go on.

The Burgon & Ball RHS BoronGreen Mid-Handled Fork is built around that extra reach. At around 47cm long it lets you work the back of a deep border, or the far side of a raised bed, without clambering in or over-stretching — and it brings the soil up to a far more comfortable working height for anyone who finds repeated bending and kneeling hard going. For raised-bed gardeners and for anyone gardening with a tender back, hip, or knee, that extra length makes a real, daily difference.

It comes from the Sheffield toolmaker's most innovative range, and BoronGreen is genuinely something new. The tines are forged not from ordinary carbon steel but from boron steel, the same high-performance alloy used in the automotive and agricultural industries where toughness really matters. Add boron to carbon steel and you get a tool that's stronger, more durable, and holds its edge longer — all without any extra weight, which matters all the more on a longer-handled tool. The tines are specially hardened and tempered to withstand tough cultivating, with pointed tips that slice cleanly into the soil, and the neck is precision-forged to the perfect angle for comfortable, ergonomic working.

What makes the range special, though, is that this performance comes with a real environmental conscience. The BoronGreen steel is made from 80% recycled steel — believed to be a first for UK garden tools — and the handle is turned from FSC-certified white ash, finished with a tough green powder coating on the head to resist rust. It's the rare tool that's better made and better for the planet, which is a combination we're always glad to find.

It carries the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement and a 25-year guarantee — the kind of backing that tells you everything about how long the makers expect it to last. And there's a lovely finishing touch: a dark wood inlay set into the end of the handle, etched with the ampersand from the Burgon & Ball name, with a twisted paper hanging cord for keeping it tidy on a shed hook.

What it's for

The mid-handled fork brings the reach of a long-handled tool to the precision jobs of a hand tool:

• Reaching the back of borders — weeding and cultivating among plants you'd otherwise have to climb into the bed to reach
• Raised-bed gardening — working the whole bed comfortably from the path, without leaning right over
• Gardening with less bending — the extra length brings the work up towards you, easing the strain on back, hips, and knees
• Weeding and loosening — lifting weeds root and all, and aerating the soil around established plants
• Working in compost or feed — forking organic matter or fertiliser into the soil among growing plants

It pairs naturally with the matching BoronGreen mid-handled trowel for those who want the same comfortable reach across both digging and forking, and it sits beautifully alongside the BoronGreen hand tools for closer work — the same range, the same quality, the same reassuring guarantee.

Looking after it

Boron steel and FSC ash, properly cared for, make a tool that genuinely lasts decades — the 25-year guarantee is a clue:

• Knock off the soil and wipe the tines clean after use, especially in wet conditions
• An occasional wipe of oil on the metal keeps it in good order, though the green powder coating already resists rust well
• Hang it up to store using the twisted paper cord, keeping it off a damp shed floor
• Oil the ash handle lightly once or twice a year with linseed oil to keep the wood nourished and handsome

About Burgon & Ball

Burgon & Ball have been making garden tools in Sheffield since 1730 — nearly three centuries of steel-working heritage — and today they hold the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement and lead the way in innovative garden tools. The BoronGreen range is a good example of that: traditional Sheffield tool-making expertise applied to a genuinely modern, sustainable material. We're proud to stock it.

About AllotMate

This mid-handled fork is supplied to us through our partners at AllotMate, who curate proper, well-made tools and equipment for gardeners and allotmenteers who'd rather buy once. We work with them through a direct fulfilment arrangement, which means your order ships from their warehouse straight to your door — the same Burgon & Ball tool, slightly faster delivery, and consistent stock.

Specifications

• Head: boron steel (80% recycled), hardened and tempered tines, green powder-coated for rust resistance
• Neck: precision-forged to an ergonomic working angle
• Handle: mid-length FSC-certified white ash with dark wood inlay and Burgon & Ball ampersand
• Hanging cord: twisted paper
• Dimensions: approximately 47cm long × 8cm wide (head)
• Reach: mid-length for borders and raised beds with less bending
• Endorsement: Royal Horticultural Society approved
• Guarantee: 25 years
• Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (est. 1730)
• Supplied through: AllotMate

The mid-handled tools are the ones gardeners tend to discover late and then wonder how they ever managed without — the small change of reach that turns an awkward stretch into an easy, comfortable job, and keeps you gardening happily for longer.