Here's a rare image of Bob actually using the
Meadow Creature broadfork, his design, based on a traditional tool. The broadfork was made for centuries by local blacksmiths, designed for local conditions and needs. There are a lot of broadfork designs out there, with different kinds of handles, length of tines, width, and weight. Ours is unbreakable, all-welded steel construction, designed originally for the sand-clay-gravel soils we have on Vashon Island and around Puget Sound. The steel handles won't flex, wasting your effort, or break, wasting your afternoon. The tines won't bend if you hit a rock; with some extra effort you can dig it out.
We now have 3 tine sizes: the standard 14-inch for breaking sod, digging out blackberry crowns, and hand-tilling your beds; the professional-grade 16-inch for extra-deep cultivation of established beds; and the lighter weight 12-inch, which is a bit easier to use but perhaps not quite as powerful if your goal is to turn an acre of asphalt into a thriving garden. The 12-inch isn't on the web site yet but send us an email (sales AT meadow creature dot com, no spaces) and ask for one if you like it. The 16-inch is a terrific tool for growing extra-long parsnips, but harder to use if you're not a big tall person. If in doubt, go for the 14-inch.
