Dig your 2014 garden without a rototiller!

So you've made your best garden plant seed picks and actually placed your order on time this year.
You will need to contact the rental shop to get on their list of rotor-tiller renters and hope that the weather cooperates and that there are no problems with their tillers that will necessitate a repair on your tilling day.

Of all the things you will need to do to get ready for a successful gardening season, preparing the soil for planting is an unavoidable must do task.

If you are like most people, using a rotor-tiller is as pleasurable as hiking on a superhighway.

An alternative to the noise, smell and mechanical stress of rotor-tilling is using a broad fork.
- Otherwise known as a broadfork (written as one word) a U-bar or a grelinette. 
Not all broad forks are created equal and each has their own place in the world of gardening tools.

One broadfork you will want to check out when learning about broad fork gardening is the WayCoolTools broad fork. It is surprisingly light despite being made entirely of tempered aircraft quality alloy steel, yet strong enough to remove large stones and penetrate heavy, compacted soil. It has the added benefit of enabling you to more finely cultivate your garden soil for planting by chopping and tilthing the soil.

To use a broad fork rock the two handles back and forth while applying pressure with one or both feet on the cross bar above the digging blades.
As you penetrate the soil, pull back on the handles to loosen the soil.
If needed you can use the broad fork with an up and down chopping motion to break up larger clods of soil.

The amount of time to produce finished planting beds is around a minute per foot in heavily compacted soil. With that in mind you could dig a 30 foot long planting bed in about a half hour.
If you were to work an hour a day with our 5 tine broad fork, in the course of a work week you will have made ready over 200 square feet of gardening space.

Did you know that you can actually dig deeper than a rototiller with a broadfork without creating the hard pan that rotor-tillers cause?

For more information on these broad forks see www.waycooltools.com

Intermediate sized un-breakable broad fork

Pictured here is the new 6 tine broad fork.
The 10" heat treated unbreakable tines are spaced 4.5" apart. With the unbreakable aircraft quality tubular steel handles, digging rocks out of your garden becomes a much easier job.

This garden work horse is stronger and more durable than wooden handled broad forks that bend in heavier soils and lighter weight than other all steel broad forks.

Using a broad fork (or U bar digger as some call it) to cultivate the garden, rather than the usual D Handle fork or spade makes spring garden digging stress free and actually enjoyable.

Available at: WayCoolTools.com

Broadfork: made in the USA

The Ultimate Broadfork- Made in the USA!
A human powered rototiller.

We've had many requests for a Broadfork, and without further ado: here it is! We have collaborated with WW Manufacturing and consulted with Eliot Coleman on the design of this powerful garden tool. Constructed with extra strong, heat treated steel blades and aircraft quality, lightweight, tubular steel handles. The 7 tines are 10" long and tapered to a point. Overall it is 60" tall and 27" wide, yet weighs only 15 lbs.
The size allows you to deep till a 30" wide bed in one pass, improving tilth without disturbing soil structure. Perfectly designed to maintain your double dug beds in a fraction of the time (and effort) it takes to re-tilth with a digging fork.
It's very easy and stable to stand on this tool and use your weight and gravity to move the blades through the soil. An all body workout similar to a rowing machine, but you are outside listening to birdsong and feeling the sunshine as you "work" :-)
We will post a video soon, when the soil here dries out a bit, of the broadfork in action.

Clarington Forge

We are pleased to offer the Clarington Forge brand of classic English garden tools, hand made in England. These are the tools originally called Bulldog and marketed by Smith & Hawken back when they were still an independent company.
These tools are the standard by which all other garden tools are measured. The Digging Fork and Digging Spade were invented by the Cistercian monks craftsmen at what is now called Clarington Forge in Lancashire over 800 years ago! All tools are manufactured using a unique specification steel which results in exceptionally strong tool heads with the flexibility to absorb all the shock and pressure of hard work, without distorting or breaking.
The ash handles are strong and beautifully crafted, and replaceable if that ever becomes necessary.
If you are a serious gardener or landscaper, do yourself the favor of owning these classic tools. Perfect for planting, tilthing, double digging and all the necessary garden chores that become a pleasure when using the right tools.
See our website for current prices and more information.