05/02/2026
A broadfork is the tool most of us didn’t know we needed!
It works much like a rototiller, only it’s manual and quiet and ergonomic. No backache, no handling and maneuvering an extremely heavy, noisy gas-powered machine. And no fumes!
The beauty of this tool is that instead of bending over and lifting, like you do with traditional shovels or pitchforks, the broadfork is designed to use your body weight to push the tines into the soil and move them through the layers of the soil.
Use it to loosen and aerate compacted soils (especially useful prior to installing gardens after house construction/renovation), loosen large patches of weeds to make removal easier, pry out the roots of invasive plants, open heavy soil before watering or adding soil amendments, and remove turf.
The broadfork does all this without the harmful effects of disturbing or damaging soil organisms, or mixing or disturbing different soil layers. And the longer tines will pe*****te more deeply than a rototiller.
Broadforks have two pole handles that connect to a row of steel tines along a crossbar, which allows you to step on to the crossbar and push it into the ground with your body weight while holding on to the two grips for balance. Once the tines are fully in the ground, step off the crossbar with one foot and pull back on the handles. Drag it back the length of the tines and push up to start again.
