I finally got my birthday present! I have been wanting a broad fork for aerating and loosening the soil in my raised beds ever since I read Elliot Coleman’s book “Four Season Harvest”. He describes it as an invaluable tool, particularly because it aerates and loosens the soil without destroying the healthy soil structure.. I was holding out for the one that is built properly, to his ergonomic design, but have balked at the rather impressive price tag. We finally found the right design at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and Jim got me one for this year’s birthday present.
It came in two shipments, one long one with the handles, and one big box with the fork part. After Jim put the handles on it for me, I had to run right out to the garden and try it out. This is what the action end of the tool looks like.
And this is how it looks in action.
This is a close up of it rocked back, right before I pull it out for the next pass. Just look at all that wonderfully fluffed up soil in front of it:
In spite of it being a rather heavy tool, it is surprisingly easy to use. I’m sure I will get years of use out of it.
the havens 
I have long looked at that tool in the catalogs and thought about getting it. I like hearing that it is easy to use, even though it is heavy. Maybe I’ll try to get one for my birthday (which is in January, when no one wants to buy garden tools for some reason!)
Happy Birthday!
great tool!
This tool looks great. Yesterday I started digging out a space for a patio and realized that roots were going to be the main obstacle to my labors. I’m wondering if a tool like this might be a good way to expose them for chopping.
Ian, I would say that this tool is probably not the best choice for the job you are engaged in. You don’t say how many or how big the roots you are dealing with are, or what kind of tree they are from. The broad fork is designed for loosening and aerating soil in raised beds. I suspect if you were using it for prying up roots that you would bend the tines and break the handles. Since it is a pretty pricey item, I wouldn’t be wanting to use it this way.
It sounds like you need a digging bar, which is basically a heavy steel bar about 6 feet long with a blade abpit 3 inches wide formed into the end. The weight of the bar and the blade are pretty efficient for breaking through rock and roots that are in your way when digging, then you can use a shovel to get the stuff out of the way. What you do is lift it vertically and then sort of throw it down forcefully onto whatever is in the way of your digging activities. Sometimes you have to do this several times before the rock or root you are addressing yields. Using a digging bar is extremely good exercise for your upper body, so be careful to work into this activity slowly, or you will be very sore. Also, make sure you stay hydrated while you are working!
I have worked on clearing roots from garden beds that I am establishing, and the best thing I have found is a combination of digging bar, shovel, and hatchet. You should not use a hatchet that you have any sentimental feelings for, because this sort of use is real hard on hatchets. I move enough dirt aside with my shovel to expose the root, and then chop through it with my hatchet so I can remove it. Do not fall into the trap of trying to pry up stubborn roots with your shovel blade. USE YOUR DIGGING BAR! I can testify that even the “unbreakable” shovel handles are breakable when you use them in this way. I know this because I have broken several of them, which really impressed the hardware store when I took them back to claim satisfaction on the lifetime guarantee.
Good luck with your project.
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks. This kind of project is new to me and I’m already feeling the exertion in my upper arms. I went to digging like mad when I first started but soon realized that if I didn’t want the neighbors to have to perform CPR on me I would have to become more methodical. I exposed the roots (from a great big power-hungry maple) and used a hand saw on them. I realize that as I work around the area I marked out (roughly 15′ by 15′) that if I use the shovel to loosen and then tackle the roots one by one I can rest certain muscles while others are working. But I know what you mean about shovels, I’ve broken one this way. The digging bar is what I need. Thanks again.
All trees are power mad. Maples are pretty amazing, but if you really want to see some feeder root action, plant some elms! I have elms that have sent feeder roots over 60 feet so they can tap into my gardens for the water.
Another tool, good for upper body exercise, is the mattock. Like a pick axe with a 3 or 4 inch wide curved shovel opposite the axe part, you can chop and shift a lot of dirt quickly, and hack through, one way or the other, a lot of roots and saplings. Warming up is very good advice!
Question:
What would you suggest to aerate a long neglected clay soil area that I am attempting to convert to perennial beds?
Boy, that is a tough row to hoe, literally. This is exactly what I have here at the Havens, a mostly clay soil. The broad fork would break this up initially, but if you really want to make perennial beds you are going to have to put something in to amend the soil. What I do is go down to my local concrete purveyor and bring home a load of sand. We spread that on top of the existing soil about three to four inches thick. (This requires quite a lot of sand, so be prepared. In our vegetable garden I have added at least two yards of sand over the years. Believe me that the results are worth it.) Okay, on top of the layer of sand I put a layer of compost about 3 inches thick. Then I dig this in with my trusty spade and mix it well. I let this rest with a thick layer of mulch on it for a couple of weeks before I plant, usually, although you “can” plant it immediately.
You may want to double dig the beds before you start the amending process. Organic Gardening magazine tells you how to do this here: http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s-5-19-934,00.html
Do not decide that this would all be easier if you only had a rototiller. What you will accomplish by using a tiller to work your amendments in is a solid hard pan layer about an inch below the depth the tines get to when they are turning. All you will have done is create a bed that has wonderful soil that WILL NOT DRAIN worth beans, and your plants will have a very hard time sending their roots through the hard pan.
Good luck!
“What would you suggest to aerate a long neglected clay soil area that I am attempting to convert to perennial beds?”
Sheet mulch and patience.
My back yard was used, prior to our moving in, as a parking lot by a backyard mechanic, for years. I still periodically dig out a brake shoe or radiator hose when planting.
The soil was pavement-hard and totally compacted. No topsoil. No organic matter.
I sheet-mulched the first year, as my next door neighbor watched in amusement and assured me that nothing would ever grow there unless I trucked in several inches of topsoil.
The first year produced a meager crop of heirloom corn and squash.
I did a poor job of sheet mulching, and would have better luck now.
Soak the ground down. Lay on an inch or so of compost or composted manure. Soak it again. Lay on either a 1/4 inch thick layer of newspaper, or overlapping sheets of cardboard. Soak THAT down. Then lay at least five inches of straw, wood chips or other mulch on top, and soak that down.
The initial layer of compost is worm bait. You are creating a moist, nutrient-rich environment where earthworms will congregate, and work diligently to create soil structure.
Planting, the first year, will need to be done either by parting the mulch, cutting a hole in the newspaper or cardboard, and putting a started plant in the hole beneath, or by making depressions in the mulch, adding soil to the depressions, and planting seed in that.
As the mulch breaks down, year after year, planting will get easier and the soil will get softer and develop structure. Add more compost and mulch as needed to keep building topsoil and suppress weeds
I would definitely use the sheet mulch method, but if you really want totally clay soil to become light and stay light, you pretty much have to add some sand to the mixture. I would do that step after an initial two seasons of the sheet mulch system, which if you bother to read in my blog in other places, you will find I use extensively. But the bottom line with total clay is, unless you add some other inorganic matter that does not consist of the plates of clay particles, it will always suffer badly from compaction and poor drainage.