Tips on buying a wheelbarrow

A wheelbarrow may not be the most glamorous thing you will ever buy for your garden. For most of us it falls into the same category as most garden tools: spend as little as possible and go for what looks like the best offer.

Some of us shop around, often with little idea of what we are looking for. Most buy when there's stuff to be shifted: compost, soil, rubble, turf. Embarking on a new garden project is often the stimulus, with little thought for the employment of the beast in future.

In reality, anyone with anything less than the smallest garden needs a wheelbarrow.

Once you are used to having one on hand it's difficult to garden without it. If you are making the purchase you might as well buy something that’s up to the job in hand as well and something that will last and that you will bond with in years to come.