Garden Claw

Thats thing with tines you stick in the dirt and twist. Looking to get off my knees tilling up soil. Im realistic and dont think i can do untilled soil. Anyone use them?

I use a small 2 cycle tiller

If you had a good sandy ground it may work out OK. My bet for down here in the red clay you would be trading it in for a tiller right quick.

Even a pitch fork.

I had one. Used it for about 10 minutes and converted it into a javelin.

Ha! Howd that fly??

Try a broad fork.

It flew about as good as it worked but at least it stayed gone.

mantis tiller is much easier

WS

I got one here was my father in laws..Not sure is even worth the cost it take to ship it to you. But I will give it to you if you want pay for shipping..It's going in yard sale my daughter is doing in a week from now..Don't even know what to put for a price on it?? anything more the couple cents worth of scrap it is I guess.. May just keep it use it to hold a plant stand??


Mac

That's the fork I have. It's the stoutest built of all of them.

Agree on the work out but it won't kill you and you can develop a rhythm of flip, drag, stand it up and stand on it, flip.
It will work as deep or deeper than a turning plow but can't bury trash as well as a plow. In clays it'll flip in big chunks, sands not so much. Doing an entire quarter acre garden one flip at a time is a project I won't repeat but it works great for smaller projects.

Oh and don't hook into roots thinking you'll flip them out. It can be done but small bites at a time.

Just saw one of those weed twisters thingees on some internet page, looks like they're all made in the same chinese factory, cheap too. Not sure how well it will work, but easy to make if you wanted to try.

As for broad forks, I'm on my second year using one, I have fake hips and bum knees and I don't find it difficult to use at all. Does a good job ,..and doesn't make much noise either...

DWC- I suspect that the garden claw would last about 15-30 minutes use in our heavy thick glacial till soils. Good luck!

I have one and I would agree it isn't a go to tool. That said it works well in a raised garden bed but I would advise against it in heavy clay / loam soil.

Brian

Find yourself a broadfork.