When it comes to spring cleaning, getting the best garden fork is one of the first things you should be looking to update. You may want to aerate your flower patches or uproot any old plants that may need some care. You should have this handy tool in your garden, especially if you're looking to turn over lots of patches in the new season. Pair a garden fork with a spade, and you can get to work in no time.
Investing in a good garden fork is something that will save you money in the long run, as well as make your gardening experience far easier. From high-quality wooden handles to steel that stays sturdy, buying a good fork is well worth your money.
Best garden forks at a glance
• Best stainless steel garden fork: Spear and Jackson Traditional Digging Fork – View on Amazon UK
• Best digging garden fork with lifetime guarantee: RHS Burgon and Ball Stainless Steel Digging Fork – View on Crocus
• Best garden fork for durability: Kent and Stowe 70100006 Stainless Steel Digging Fork – View on Amazon UK
Before we dig into the best garden forks though, it's good to know exactly what you're looking for. Usually, on the end of a stick with four or eight points and a slightly curved head, garden forks are perfect for moving around soil, compost and mulch. Their spiked heads make it easy to move the most difficult soils. What you want to do with them is move over large parts of soil at a time, so if you have a bit of a larger garden patch that you’re changing, these can be really helpful.
Modern Gardens Magazine writer Geoff Stebbings has some expert advice about the best time of year to dig in the garden. Also, if you're a little unsure about the structure and type of soil in your garden, there's a handy guide in the FAQs below. Dig on!
Best garden forks
Best stainless steel garden fork
Description
Next up is this Spear and Jackson Traditional Digging Fork that has a stainless steel head, making it completely rust-proof. It won the British Growing Awards in 2022 and has lots of top-rated reviews on Amazon. Gardeners love this option for its ergonomic features.
Customer review: "As usual, excellent quality from Spear and Jackson. The tool comes with a warning that it is only for tilling and light garden use. Anything more and heavier equipment is needed (Crowbar). These tools are not for levering bricks and rocks out of your garden. I like the wooden shaft. It is warm to use in the colder months when we turn the soil. Comfortable in the hand and with care can last a lifetime."
Pros
- 10-year guarantee
- Lightweight
- High quality
Cons
- None
Best digging garden fork with lifetime guarantee
www.crocus.co.uk
Description
Want to get your dig on? This RHS Burgon and Ball Stainless Steel Digging Fork has forged tines for extra strength and reduces friction, making it incredibly easy to slide into the soil. It has a longer length so you can avoid too much bending over, especially if you're a little taller.
Customer review: "Bought this to go with the ground breaking spade, and it has a nice long shaft, so it is great for tall people. Mainly digging in clay, and it seems up to the job."
Pros
- Lifetime guarantee
- High quality
Cons
- Handle is a little rough
Best garden fork for durability
Description
This Kent and Stowe 70100006 Stainless Steel Digging Fork is made of stainless steel and hard ash wood, meaning it's going to last a long time. It's also lightweight; in fact, it's 40 per cent lighter than the regular garden forks, so you can have accessible gardening no matter who you are.
Customer review: "The garden fork is well made and looks superb. I feel reluctant to use it in case I spoil its good looks. However, I have done it, and it is well-balanced and very comfortable to use. It is also excellent value for money."
Pros
- High-quality digging fork
- FSC-approved ash wood handle
Cons
- One customer questions the durability
Best carbon steel garden fork
www.ebay.co.uk
Description
If you'd rather invest in a carbon steel option, this Wilkinson Sword Carbon Steel Border Fork is a great place to start. Under £25, it's good value for maximum material and is made with borders in mind. It's perfect for digging up flowerbeds and cultivating soil, even if you have confined spaces.
Customer review: "Nice length and sturdy to dig weeds and fork in mulch. Does the job and is not too heavy, very pleased with it, and it has got a ten-year guarantee"
Pros
- Lightweight
- Versatile option
Cons
- Not suitable for heavy-duty gardening
Best supermarket garden fork
www.waitrosegarden.com
Description
A versatile lightweight fork, perfect for loosening soil, weeding, aerating, and cultivating. Garden Life Lightweight Digging Fork has a rust-resistant stainless steel head with polished prongs that effortlessly glides through soil. The solid ash shaft features a comfortable YD handle. From Kent & Stowe's Garden Life range, this compact stainless steel tool is designed for easy handling – ideal for smaller spaces, gardeners with mobility challenges, or those who prefer lighter tools.
Pros
- Robust
- 15-year guarantee
- Easy to use
Cons
- No customer review
Best budget garden fork
www.wickes.co.uk
Description
Wickes Carbon Steel Powagrip Garden Digging Fork is made totally out of steel and has a strong grip on the handle. This one is for the gardeners looking for a bargain, coming in at around £10 it's completely affordable. As good as our other option, the carbon steel is hardened and tempered for durability.
Customer review: "Good quality and excellent value for money. Satisfied with product and service from Wickes."
Pros
- Low price
- Great for general gardening
Cons
- Some reviews show this fork can break
Best multi-use garden fork
Description
Looking for a unique tool? This Roamwild Multi-Digger is made out of fibreglass, making it a super unique product. It's also shaped slightly different from our other top choices, with wedge-shaped pointed times allowing you to easily dig through soil and break up lumps.
Customer review: "The well-thought-out design puts this tool in the category of the smart tool. No batteries or charging are required. As a professional gardener, taking mature plants, shrubs, and trees out of the ground has always been really hard work, and this works great. Highly recommended."
Pros
- Versatile
- High-quality tool
Cons
- May be heavy for some
Best top-rated garden fork
www.tooled-up.com
Description
This Gardena ErgoLine Digging Fork is designed for comfort when digging, removing roots and loosening soil. The prongs are made from hardened steel with a coating to protect against corrosion. Additionally, this fork comes with a 25-year guarantee. While it's not cheap, it is built to last.
Customer review: "I've reached a point where I can afford a little more than the cheapest, and this spade was a bit of an experiment. Well, it paid off – it's noticeably better in so many ways."
Pros
- Highly rated
- Robust
- Suitable for heavy digging
Cons
- Not many reviews
Best Amazon garden fork
Description
Amazon has a variety of options with different price points, but this Draper 88789 Carbon Steel Garden Fork is well-trusted and for less than £20, you're getting your money's worth. It's made out of carbon steel that's fully tempered like other forks and has four strong times for getting through tough points.
Customer review: "My new Draper fork was very strong and stable, very easy to use."
Pros
- Low price
- Good value
Cons
- Made from plastic
Best garden fork and spade set
Description
If you need to stock up on more than one garden tool, why not invest in a garden and spade set? The Draper 83971 Carbon Steel Garden Fork and Spade Set is perfect for the new season, you'll be set to dig and dive around your garden, no matter the task.
Customer review: "This is a great solid spade and fork used to sort out rough soil. Really good sharpened the spade as had to get some roots up and after a couple needed it sharpened, but would expect that."
Pros
- Good value combination set
- Comfortable handles
Cons
- Not ideal for taller gardeners
Our Verdict: Best garden forks
We choose the Spear and Jackson Traditional Digging Fork as an ergonomic, good value, well crafted and durable tool for general use in the garden. It's mid-range in price and has received resoundingly positive reviews on Amazon. Spear and Jackson are a long-established brand and have been selling steel tools since 1760.
FAQs: Best garden fork
What should I think about when buying a garden fork?
Every gardener is different so you’ll want to be sure that you grab a garden fork that suits your needs. Material, size, weight and height are all the various things that you want to keep an eye out for.
Material: This can be the make or break of a long-lasting garden fork that works over the years. Look for options with stainless steel and hardwood for high-quality results. Make sure to cover your tools in the winter and rainy seasons to lengthen their life span.
Size and weight: If you’re an experienced gardener, you may not feel the heaviness of a bigger fork. On the other hand, if you struggle with heavy tools or just want something that’s not so substantial, go for a lightweight option.
Height: Garden forks also come in a range of full-lengths and it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the height of your fork so you’re not getting something that’s too large or small for you.
When's the best time of year to dig in the garden?
Autumn means digging to most gardeners, a time to prepare the garden for spring. Traditional advice tells us to get the digging done by the New Year. But why do we dig, and why now? Modern Gardens Magazine writer Geoff Stebbings says that autumn is when most people dig, and it is the best time to work heavy clay soils.
"Heavy clay soils are left rough over winter, so frost can break down the lumps into finer particles. If you add organic matter, it leaves plenty of time for it to mix with the soil before you rake it down in spring. The soil is also drier in autumn, so you will do less damage to heavy soils than in the depths of winter. It is not soil structure but nutrients that are the issue with the light, sandy soils. If you dig in autumn, there is more danger of nutrients leaching, so it is best to leave these till spring to dig."
"Instead, mulch so winter rains don’t damage the soil structure and dig these in spring. Even better, sow green manures in autumn, which stabilises soil structure and dig these in spring. They will add organic matter and help retain nutrients, especially nitrogen, which is leached from all soils in winter."
"Digging over the plot clears away annual weeds, and allows us to remove perennial weed roots and to mix in organic matter, thus improving the depth of the fertile topsoil. Worms will drag some organic material down into the soil but digging is quicker and will take the material down deeper. Plants will only grow and produce roots in the topsoil, the fertile upper zone."
What is soil structure?
"Soil structure is how the particles in the soil are arranged and the spaces between them, which can be filled with air or water. Clay soils have small particles, and these can easily be squashed as you walk on them, making raised beds a good solution. Digging, at least in the early years, is advisable to incorporate organic matter, which helps the soil develop a crumb structure and keep air spaces, improving drainage. Digging in sand or grit also ‘opens up’ the soil on a more permanent basis. Organic matter also sticks together the large particles in sandy soils and helps retain moisture."
What can I add to my soil to improve it?
"Bulky organic matter is beneficial to all soils, improving both drainage and moisture-holding capacity. It ‘opens up’ heavy soils, encourages a crumb structure and enriches sandy, poor soils. As it decomposes, it also retains plant nutrients. Most organic matter also contains plant nutrients, but some are not as rich in plant nutrients as often thought, so they are best used in large amounts as soil conditioners and not sprinkled on as fertilisers."
"Garden compost, if well made, is useful and beneficial and contains nutrients. It has a big advantage in that it is just where you want it and free. Well-rotted manure is another good option if you can get it in bulk. To avoid is wood shavings or sawdust unless you can leave them to decompose for several years. Any woody material, including un-composted bark or shredded branches, has problems because it can take years to decompose. Additionally, it can rob nitrogen from the soil if it is dug in raw. It can be used if composted with grass cuttings or other soft material for several years."
"Leaves are falling off trees and shrubs now and these make great leafmould. Rake them up or mow them off the lawn and pack into hessian bags or put on the compost heap for a great mulch in a year’s time, or fine leafmould for digging in the next year. You may be able to get other materials locally such as mushroom compost."
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Description
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Caitlin Casey is a Commercial Content Writer for Bauer writing across brands like What's The Best, Yours, Mother&Baby, Heat and Closer. She has written across various platforms and publications since 2017. Her passions include researching women’s lifestyle, popular culture and all things trending.