Bring Out The Pitch Forks!

I’m so excited and happy with my new garden tools which I bought yesterday I just had to share them with you! I got me a pitch fork and a shovel! 🤗

All you gardeners out there are probably thinking “is she getting all excited over a pitch fork?”. Well, every nursery and hardware shop I went to did not sell pitch forks. The owners and staff had no idea what I was talking about even after I showed them pictures! I guess that’s because it’s not used here in Malaysia. We don’t have hay to work with.

I’d been looking for a pitch fork for over two years. Actually, I found one last year but it was heavy and very expensive, more than RM100! But yesterday I found one which is lighter and cost me just RM29.90! Can you believe the price difference? Well, this one is made in China 😅

Garden tools like shovels and rakes (that I’ve seen) normally have metal ends with a wooden rod shoved into them (like the one you see in the pictures below). In time the ends of the wood would rot and come off. What I like about the shovel and pitch fork I bought is their look (plain and simple) and that they are 100% metal welded together. Hopefully they will last longer.

You might be wondering what the heck I want a pitch fork for. Well, about two and a half years ago, after viewing loads of videos on composting, I decided to give it a go. I found some wooden pallets and made a very simple enclosure by stapling some wire mesh onto them and tying the edges together. I try my best to simplify everything I do, thus the hours and hours of research. This is it 👇🏻

What I had to do was make a huge pile of alternating layers of grass clippings, garden waste, paper, kitchen scrap, some used coffee grounds and ready compost, dampen it and cover it with a tarp to protect it from rain. And every 3-4 days I have to turn the pile with a pitch fork to aerate it. Turning the pile with a shovel was tough, but it did work. I made me some compost!

I never made another pile of compost after that. Not just because I didn’t have a pitch fork but because I hadn’t started a proper vegetable plot. But now that I’ve got my little plot and my pitch fork I’m going to start composting again. Wish me luck!

_{The longest long beans I’ve harvested, 25” & 26”}

For great tips and fast results check out CaliKim29 and MIgardener on their YouTube channels.