Nov 25, 2012, 06:51 AM
Kosh IIIFork question
I was planning to get a Fork for use in my garden beds but I see so many: border fork, spade fork, manure fork, mulch fork.
They have varied number of tines and lengths.
Is there any significant difference for the light use I'll need one for?
Thanks
Nov 25, 2012, 07:36 AM
KimmSrWhat will you be using this fork for?
Spading forks are meant to turn over soil and are built solidly and tough to do that.
Hay forks are made lightweight so using them to fling hay around will not be very tiring. Using a hay fork to turn over soil can result in bending the tines and rendering that hay fork unuseable.
Manure forks are sometimes mistaken for spading forks but they are not the same thing even though they are made to handle some wet, heavy material.
I have used a hay fork to turn compost and a spading fork to toss hay around and they do those jobs although not as well as if you used the right tool.
Nov 25, 2012, 07:47 AM
Kosh IIII plan to use it for turning soil and prepping the bed. Sounds like spading is what I need. Thanks
Nov 25, 2012, 10:25 PM
ga.karenHaving been frugal (cheap) most of my life or just flat out poor...I use my spading fork for all kinds of things...including what it was designed for. The one I have is a heavy duty one that I got at Big Lots for $15 about 3 yrs. ago. I even fork mulch & spread it with my spading fork when I'm doing a small area.
Nov 26, 2012, 12:07 AM
still tryinKimmSr explained the differences already so I won't attempt to improve on a good answer regarding the differences. I do think what you are looking for is a spading fork. Make certain you try out the fork before you buy it. You want to purchase one that has a handle that is the right length for your height. The first one I bought had a handle that was too short and I gave it away to a neighbor is shorter than me. When I bought a replacement sized for me I really noticed the difference regarding comfort and ease of use.
When you use a spading fork you step on the shoulder the same way you would on a shovel. Try out the spading fork in the store by stepping on the shoulder with one foot while holding the handle to see if it is comfortable. You can stand on the spading shoulder with both feet and rock back and forth if you need to loosen soil.
I have read that spading forks are meant for use with clay soil. However, even though I have sandy soil I still find a spading fork much better for turning soil because when you lift up the tines any rocks will stay on top of the tines which makes it much better for detecting and removing rocks. Also, I prefer the spading for loosening the soil around a plant I'm digging up. If you ever have to dig up sod the spading is great because the tines are angled and sink into the soil better than a shovel. You can even stand on the shoulder and rock back and forth if you need to.
Feb 10, 2013, 07:51 AM
Kosh IIIThanks to all.
I got a sturdy spading fork and I love it!
I use it for many things, I dug up and moved some daffys, I turned my veggie beds, turn my compost heap. I wish I'd gotten one years ago LOL