Celebrating Decades of Quality

Here at Fruit Hill Farm we pride ourselves in providing high quality long lasting products, especially where garden tools are concerned. As such many of our tools are produced in Europe by suppliers with a long history, often spanning generations. As part of our 30 year celebration we’d like to highlight some of the manufacturers and products we’ve been proudly selling since the beginning.

Long standing suppliers- Since 1993

Glaser Engineering - Based in Switzerland, Glaser has been manufacturing a range of hoes and cultivators for over 50 years. Their wheel hoes appear in our first ever catalogue with changeable parts to suit a variety of uses.  Another glaser work horse we’ve had since the first catalogue is the long handled oscillating/ stirrup hoe which remains a standout top seller to this day. With easy to replace parts and a sharp blade the hoe makes light work of weeds while loosening the top layer of the soil.

Sembdner - Founded in Germany in 1914, where it began to manufacture and develop a range of seeders. Over time these were perfected focusing on simplicity and robust design, however you can still recognise the inspiration from the originals. Their K1, K4 & HS seeders have remained a staple of our catalogue, helping gardeners all across the country save countless hours.

Sneeboer & Zn - The superlative in quality tools, Sneeboer hand forge their range in the Netherlands. This predominantly family run business has been creating and perfecting tools since 1913. We stock an array of their stainless steel tools, that when treated with love and care can last a lifetime. An honourable mention goes to the Dutch push hoe, one of the first Sneeboer tools to grace our catalogue and a testament to skilled craftsmanship.

We have been constantly expanding our range whilst still refining the selection, and since the early 2000s have added several more staples. These include:

SHW Schmiedetechnik - SHW create an excellent range of hardy steel tools from Forbach Valley in Germany, in the Black forest. The company specialises in garden and forestry tools, with decades of experience in supplying both. One thing we really love about SHW, besides their stellar quality of course, is that the majority of their tools come with easily replaceable ash handles.

PKS - PKS have been crafting beautiful copper alloy tools in Austria since 1996. Their varied range of long & short handled tools cover all of the gardening bases, while also being sturdy and naturally rust free. The real standout feature however is the gorgeous bronze sheen copper based tools have. When using them they leave copper traces behind known to enrich your soil with trace elements, help prevent infection in plants and deter slugs and snails.

Klasmann Deilmann - A world renowned producer of growing substrates with roots that go back more than a century. Their organically approved Proline range has been produced with sustainability and traceability in mind for over 30 years. The results of their products speak for themselves and are favoured by small and larger growers alike. They continuously improve their products, working in close cooperation with their customers and organic growers' organisations; this provides them with a consistent quality advantage. The Peat Free Composts are specially formulated for Fruit Hill Farm; consisting of more than 50% certified organic coco coir, green waste compost, fermented wood fibres and trace elements. They are also tested for pathogens, making them suitable for microgreen and wheatgrass production.

Long standing products

We’ve always had a desire to service the horticultural community with quality products, while helping growers reduce their environmental impact. Here are a few products that have been with us since the beginning and are still proving invaluable today.

Dock digger - Most growers will know the joys of digging up dock weed. With deep tap roots they aren't deterred by being cut back or burned. Time to call up the rustic robust dock digger, designed to get in deep and pry docks loose. We now stock a few varieties however our original offering by Swiss manufacturer Ammann is still the most popular.

Soil blockers - These can be used instead of plant pots and appear in our first catalogue. The same models still produced by family run Ladbrooke in the UK remain popular today. They work wonderfully alongside our Klasmann organically approved blocking compost. Soil blockers offer a great alternative to plastic plant pots, and by combining two sizes you can pot on your seedlings into bigger blocks.

Quickpot Trays - Offering a range of cell sizes QP/ modular trays are essential when planting large numbers of seeds indoors. When combined with pin board like push plates these trays make potting on quick and easy. Better yet pushing up all the cells at once reduces bending and flexing, which can cause cracks, allowing the same tray to be used year on year. 

Oscillating/ Stirrup Hoe - Last on the list, but definitely not least, is the Glaser oscillating hoe. This tool, which has remained a staff and customer favourite since the beginning, shows how enduring classic robust design can be. Long perfected and now in the hands of growers all over the country, helping to remove weeds without bending and straining the back. When worn out or snapped both handle and blade are easily replaced.

If you're interested in learning more about how Fruit Hill Farm started, check out our blog: Fruit Hill Farm - 30 Years in Business.