Thanks for taking the time to read my article on the best ladies garden fork. If you are new to gardening, there is an assumption that all garden forks are roughly the same type of fork.
That isn't actually the case as there are a number of different types. We shall cover those in more detail later in this article.
The big question I want to answer here is what actually makes a good garden fork for a woman. Is there any real difference between the garden fork a man would use, and one that a lady would use?
Before looking at that, there is something to understand, that I think is much more important than which sex you are. Garden forks are used for a variety of jobs around the garden that include:
- Weeding
- Turning over the earth
- Digging borders
- Digging on raised beds
- Digging flower beds
- Digging vegetable gardens
So the more important question is what purpose will the garden fork be used for? The reason I ask that question is that many people, and even some experienced gardeners don't know, is that there are three common but distinct types of garden forks. These are:
- A garden fork
- A border fork
- A hand fork
In this article though, we are going to focus on the best ladies garden fork for digging borders and flower beds, and also explaining which types of digging forks are the best to use.
What Digging Fork Do You Need?
Below I have given some more detail on the three most common, but slightly different types of forks that can be used in the garden. There are three main types that most ladies will have some use, and those are the digging fork, the border fork and the hand fork.
Digging Fork for Women
This is the one that most people will be familiar with. This is classed as the general purpose garden fork.
It can be used to dig borders but can also be used on larger flower beds, and on vegetable gardens.
These garden forks have four, strong tines and a long handle. They can deal with any type of digging.
It is also worth noting that they are great for working on soil types that are made from heavier clay.
The Spear & Jackson fork shown above comes with a 10 year guarantee. This one weighs just under 2 Kg and has a really nice balance to it. This is my wife's preferred fork and aside from just liking the look of it, she uses it regularly in flower beds. In her opinion this is fine for light digging.
Check Amazon UK for Availability - Price when reviewed £26.00 - 88% customer satisfaction based on 2,500+ buyers
Border Fork for Ladies
The border fork is slightly smaller than a garden fork. That makes them much lighter than a standard garden fork, and are also much easier to handle and use.
They are perfect for working in what are classed as tight spaces. That of course includes borders and raised beds. They are also ok to use on smaller flower beds.
As a side note these are also a better choice for those who are no longer as fit as they used to be. I am just over 60 now and a smaller fork like this is a perfect choice for digging borders.
As they are lighter you just won't suffer as much from user fatigue, as you would from handling a larger and heavier fork.
The Spear & Jackson fork shown above comes with a 10 year guarantee. Just be aware though, this fork is not intended for heavy use. It is a border fork with a large handle, as you can hold with both hands to "claw" the soil to remove footprints and uproot small weeds.
Buyers say that it gives a good finish and it comfortable to use and light enough to handle.
Check Amazon UK for Availability - Price when reviewed £29.59 - 88% customer satisfaction based on 2,000+ buyers
Hand Weeding Fork
The hand weeding fork is a good choice for getting down close to the border and removing weeds. They can also be used to break up the ground just before planting.
The disadvantage of those is of course that they mean you have to kneel down or bend over to get close to the ground.
We prefer something with a smooth wooden handle and a good quality head that is strong and tough. We also like it to be tanged to avoid your knuckles getting whacked.
A hand fork with a 12" handle is a good choice for both leverage and knuckle clearance.
The Spear & Jackson fork shown above comes with a 10 year guarantee. It is a traditional hand weed fork with a 12" handle. It also has a mirror polished stainless steel head.
Check Amazon UK for Availability - Price when reviewed £13.23 - 94% customer satisfaction based on 1,000+ buyers
So as you can see you have some choices to make. If the fork is going to be used for general purpose digging, then you will want to buy a standard garden fork.
That type of fork is suitable for all types of digging, be that vegetable beds, flower beds, raised beds and borders.
There are only two real requirements for any type of digging fork:
- It has to be able to do the job quickly and effectively
- It needs to last as you don't want to be constantly having to buy tools all of the time.
My strong advice is therefore to spend just a little bit extra on your purchases, and buy forks that will last. In other words they won't bend, break or rust.
Which Garden Fork is Best for a Lady?
Now I am a man who is just a little bit over 60 years of age, and one who loves gardening. There is therefore very little point in asking me which is the best one for a woman to use. For that very reason I asked my better half, which is of course my wife, and also a very keen gardener.
The answer she gave me was the one that I already have alluded to. It really does depend on what type of digging you are going to be doing. Now she does prefer to use the smaller border fork as it is lighter and much easier to use.
I am in the same position as my better half. Twenty years ago I would have simply used the heavier garden fork, but these days I prefer the lighter option. That said, if we are working on the vegetable garden, then the larger fork is just faster and easier to use to dig faster.
If you are a fit healthy and strong young woman, then you can handle any type of garden fork. If you are a smaller lady or an older lady then using a border fork is probably a better idea.
A border fork suits people with a smaller stature anyway, and the fact that they are light, makes them easier to use, and also you will be able to use them for longer periods of time.
I found this info excellent – all in one place. Thankyou! 🙂