Down To Earth: The Broadfork

Monday, April 28, 2014

The Broadfork

Let me introduce you to the newest tool in my tool shed.... The Broadfork!

Many of my beds are now built up fairly high with dirt and have nicely fenced sides, so I really don't want to charge through them with my beastly rototiller, but I do want to till my soil. What to do? ...What to do?

After doing some research and consulting with the experts, I decided to try the Broadfork. And let me tell you....it surpassed all of my expectations!! This thing rocks!!! Let me show you how it workes....

First you stab it into the soil...and watch the ducks come running.....

Then you step on the crossbar with your foot and to push it down deep into the soil....

Then you pull back on the handles to start lifting the dirt....

And then rock it back and fork to loosen up all of the clods.....and release all of the slugs and worms for the ducks. These actions are surprisingly fairly easy because of the curved tines and handle design.

You work your way down the row backwards about 6 inches at a time, so you don't have to walk across your loosened soil. This thing really works! On some of the flat beds I ran the rototiller first, and then a couple of days later I ran through it again with the Broadfork, and the Broadfork was bringing up discernible layers of sand and soil that the rototiller hadn't even disturbed. I am so impressed with this tool!

And the ducks absolutely love this thing! I was planning to attach bells to it so the ducks would learn to associate the sound of bells with soil being turned over, but that was not necessary. All I have to do is pick it up and they come running!!!! And they all have to get in on the action.....the aggressive harvesters are right up there with their head in-between the tines taking the Broadfork ride, and the bashful gleaners are bringing up the rear sifting through the leftovers...