Garden Fork

Tilling heavy soil
The digging fork is first used to till the soil. You would mainly use it in the vegetable patch to till heavy and clay soils. It requires less effort than a standard spade.

Pulling weeds
The digging fork also has other functions, particularly that of pulling out clumps of wild grass. A simple lever movement here allows you to extract whole weeds from the soil. Just grab the loose clump and shake extra dirt out to recover soil trapped by roots of the unwanted plant.

Dividing clumps
Another use of digging forks is to divide clumps of bulb plants (dahlia, daylily, iris). The tool allows easy extraction of a bulb from the soil, without risking cutting it, as would be the case with a standard spade.

Working the soil around trees
It is also better to use a digging fork to gently work the soil around trees and shrubs. It helps to limit damage on the shrub's roots, where a standard spade tends to cut them clean.

Aerating the soil
Used in the vegetable garden or in your ornamental beds like a bio-fork, the digging fork allows soil aeration without turning it over, thanks to a simple lever movement. The tool can even help specifically for this in light and sandy soil.

Handling hay, litter, and manure
The digging fork is commonly used to lift and move piles of hay or straw, especially to feed animals. It is also very useful for cleaning the bedding of these same animals, and for moving manure. It's a bit heavy compared to normal pitchforks, so if you often have large amounts to move, you might prefer having one of those instead.