What Is a Garden Hand Fork Used For? Is It Perfect For Your Garden?

what is a garden hand fork used for

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With the start of spring and summer comes the arrival of warmer weather. This hot weather is just what you need to melt away the ice and snow. Everyone loves days full of sun, and where better to spend these warm summer days than in your own garden?

Gardening is one of the UK’s favourite pastimes, and if you’re an avid gardener, you will know how important a garden fork is.

If you’re just starting, here is everything you need to know about what is a garden hand fork used for exactly.

The Right Tools

To make a garden unique and beautiful, you need the right tools to do it. Nowadays, there are many different tools that you will come across. Each tool can be used for a different job.

Even though every garden is made unique and beautiful, keeping up a garden can be hard. From removing free-standing weeds in beds to digging holes to planting plants and seeds to aerating soil and more, gardening needs to be easier to save time and to save energy.

What Does a Fork Look Like?

A fork is a garden tool that every gardener should know. A fork is a small handheld tool that is often ergonomically designed to ensure your comfort during use. It usually will have a short rubber or wooden handle and a small extension that splits. It looks exactly like your kitchen fork but is bigger and heavier.

These forks have around 3 to 4 initial tines. The number of individual fork points on a hand fork will vary depending on where you buy your hand fork.

What Can a Hand Fork Do?

Whether you call it a hand fork, a digging fork, a garden fork or a garden hand fork, this multipurpose tool can help out a lot. It is because hand forks do many different jobs.

Weeding

One job that hand forks do in a garden is weeding. Hand forks are excellent at removing weeds and other unwanted plants from any flower beds you may have. A hand fork is better than a trowel for this activity because it’s small, and its fork points won’t disrupt or damage the roots of the plants you want to have in your bed.

Use your fork to loosen the soil around the roots of the weeds to make it easier to remove them and prevent regrowth. You can do this by inserting the tines of the garden fork near the base of the root and moving it back and forth.

Digging

As one of its many names suggests, a digging fork is an excellent tool if you want to dig. A digging fork is the best choice for you having to dig big holes in the soil for planting around any site. By using garden forks to dig holes in the soil, you will save time. It is because a digging fork has tines that are spread out. These spread out tines remove more soil than a traditional trowel in less time with less effort on your part.

The tines can easily penetrate the soil and pull out larger clumps, making good progress in any flower bed.

Aerating Soil

Use a garden fork to aerate your soil by pushing the tines into the ground. Make sure it is angled straight down and penetrates around 3-4 inches for the best results. Aerating your soil promotes growth by allowing air and water to reach the roots, creating a luscious green lawn for you to enjoy.

Picking the Right Fork

More often than not, it’s common to come across damaged hand forks when you go to pick one out. Due to this, it’s essential to choose a fork that is in the best shape so that you can use it to its share of fair potential.

To start, pick a fork that has a durable but comfortable handle. It will protect your hand from cramps as you dig in your garden. Look for an ergonomic handle or something made of soft rubber if you have sensitive hands or use your garden fork a lot.

Also, try to pick and buy a fork that has carbon steel or stainless steel tines. These materials are durable and tough. If you can’t find a fork with stainless steel or carbon steel tines, it may result in breaking down and rusting.

Keep Your Garden Healthy

Forks are a great tool for any gardener, so to make the most of one, it is important to know what is a garden hand fork used for. All serious gardeners should own, use and know what forks for gardens are. Gardening is fun, and by using forks, gardening will be an even better experience. No weed is a match for the useful fork!

Do you own a garden fork? Do you have any experience of using a garden fork in your garden? Let us know in the comments below.

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