Ladbrooke Soil Blockers has been a family-run business based in the UK since 1998, specialising in high-quality handmade seed starting tools - Soil Blockers. Founded and led by three sisters - Ali, Roo and Vicky - we design, manufacture and package every gardening tool we sell with care, skill and tradition.
Our journey started when life brought us back together after years of pursuing our careers and raising our families. When a close family friend, Donald Oakley, passed away, he left us an inheritance that changed everything. Don had been like family to us, and his support inspired us to start a business together.
This led us to Mike Ladbrooke, the inventor of the Soil Blocker. Mike’s daughter was a friend of the family, and he was looking to retire and sell his gardening tool company. With our father’s help - an avid gardener and owner of a local press-working company - and the ongoing guidance from Mike himself, we began building our workshop in the old stables of our childhood home.
In those early days, summer mornings were spent in the workshop with Mike, learning the craft and perfecting each step of the manufacturing process. Many of those mornings stretched into long lunches, sharing ideas and laughter. Today, we still use the original hand presses, enhanced now with some powered processes at our family’s press-working company — but the heart of what we do is the same.
Over the years we’ve developed and improved the original soil blocker design, expanding our range to include a variety of soil blocker tools, starter kits, and accessories that gardeners across the UK and beyond trust for successful seed sowing and transplanting.
Why choose our Soil Blockers
Our Soil Blockers are:
- Handmade in the UK with robust materials.
- Designed to support healthy root development and reduced transplant shock — a method gardeners love over traditional plastic pots and trays.
- Eco-friendly gardening tools that help reduce single-use plastic and support sustainable seed starting.
- Perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike who want reliable tools for growing vegetables, flowers and herbs.
From our hands to yours, every tool reflects our passion for gardening, craftsmanship and sustainability. We’re proud to support gardeners looking for quality Soil Blockers and seed-starting solutions made with care in the UK.
