Broadfork or Minifork: which one do you need?

The Broadfork and the Minifork do the same thing: they loosen compacted soil down to 30 cm without turning it over. The difference is size, and that decides where each one works best.

The short answer: if you grow on 75 cm permanent beds, get the Broadfork. If your beds are smaller, your soil is heavy clay, or you work around perennials and trees, get the Minifork.

Side by side

	Broadfork	Minifork
Working width	65 cm	30 cm
Tine depth	30 cm	30 cm
Tines	5	4, set closer together
Weight	7.4 kg with handles	approx. 5.1 kg (4 kg metal part + 1.1 kg handle)
Handles	Two hornbeam handles	One hornbeam handle, 38 mm
Steel	Laser-cut tines, galvanised welded head	Hardox 450 tines, galvanised
Passes on a 75 cm bed	1	2
Best for	75 cm permanent beds, larger growing areas	Hard clay, compacted soil, raised beds, tight spots, perennials

Both are made in Croatia, EU.

When to choose the Broadfork

The Broadfork is built around the 75 cm permanent bed. Its 65 cm width loosens the whole growing area in one pass down the bed, so you never step on soil you have just loosened. On a market garden with many beds, that is the fastest way to do the job.

Choose the Broadfork if you:

• grow on 75 cm permanent beds, or plan to
• have more than a handful of beds to loosen each season
• want to cover ground quickly and use your body weight on the long handles

It is the heavier tool, at 7.4 kg with handles. That weight helps push the tines in, but you will feel it if you carry it between plots all day. For the technique, see How to use a Broadfork.

When to choose the Minifork

The Minifork does the same job in a 30 cm format. Its four tines sit closer together than the Broadfork's five, so each stroke breaks up a narrower strip more thoroughly. That makes it more effective in hard clay and compacted soil, where a full broadfork can struggle.

Choose the Minifork if you:

• garden in raised beds, small beds or a greenhouse
• work heavy clay or very compacted ground
• need to loosen soil around fruit bushes, perennials or young trees in agroforestry plantings
• prefer a lighter, more compact tool that is easy to carry and store

On a 75 cm bed it needs two passes instead of one, so the Broadfork is faster on standard beds. Everywhere else, from clay to tight corners, the Minifork is the more effective tool.

At Amadeco in Salento, southern Italy, the Minifork is part of the toolkit in a syntropic agroforestry system. They use it to prepare vegetable beds and to work their way around the trees and perennials.

Why some growers have both

Many market gardens have both tools. The Broadfork does the main beds. The Minifork goes where the big fork doesn't fit: bed ends, greenhouse corners, tree rows, and patches of heavy clay that need a first opening before the Broadfork can work them.

FAQ

Can I use the Minifork on 75 cm beds?

Yes, it just takes two passes instead of one. If most of your growing is on 75 cm beds, the Broadfork saves time.

Which one is better for clay soil?

The Minifork. Its tines sit closer together, so they break up hard clay and compacted soil more effectively. Once a clay bed has been opened up and improved with compost, the Broadfork works well on it too.

Do both loosen to the same depth?

Yes. Both have 30 cm tines.

Is the Broadfork too heavy for me?

Your body weight does most of the work, not your arms. Good technique, covered in our How to use a Broadfork guide, makes a big difference. If you'd rather carry less, the Minifork weighs about 5.1 kg with its handle.