How to Till Soil Without a Tiller: Best No-Till Soil Prep Technique
Me using my hardpan broadfork from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is a good fork but arguably way too big for me.
March 6, 2025
If you’re reading this you’ve most likely already decided that not tilling your soil (also known as no-till gardening or farming) is the way to go — good for you! Your soil microbes are going to be so happy you ditched the machinery.
So, how do you aerate garden soil without tilling?
It turns out that aerating soil by hand is super easy — in fact, it’s even easier than using a rototiller. The way we perform soil prep on our 1-acre flower farm, and in our home gardens, is by simply cracking the soil open using a Broadfork. It’s such a simple process that it may seem to good to be true, but I promise you, it’s not! Broadforking is the easiest no-till soil prep technique there is.
the best no till gardening method
The broadfork is, arguably, one of my favorite tools in the garden. I say “one of” because I admittedly have several favorite garden tools I’d never go without (hello you lovely planting dibber and soil knife!)
The broadfork is a simple tool that requires nothing but your own body strength to use. Broadforks come in different sizes and hefts, and some are arguably heavier and bigger than necessary. The green broadfork I’m using in the top photo of this post is a hardpan broadfork sold by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is arguably way too big and heavy for me (I am 5’-0” tall), but I use it on my farm because we have heavy, compacted clay soil that the hardpan broadfork helps to break up.
For those without heavy clay soils, or for backyard gardeners, I would suggest using a lighter broadfork such as the Cobrahead Broadfork or Meadow Creatures All-Steel Broadfork. Both of these broadforks are high quality options and I would use either of them in place of my Johnny’s fork.
Broadforks are not cheap — good ones cost well over $200, but this is a tool that will last you for your lifetime and beyond, and is much cheaper than a rototiller and gas/maintenance for the machine over its lifetime. I would be wary of cheaper broadfork options on Amazon, which there are a lot of — a broadfork needs to be made well in order to last for years to come in your garden. So, stick with the two suggestions above for best results!
how to use a broadfork to aerate soil, without tilling
In my flower farm and home gardens, I have a simple, amazing soil prep procedure that includes adding shredded leaves, compost and amendments to the soil, then using a broadfork or garden fork to crack the soil open. My entire process is discussed in my brand new book: Growing Gorgeous Dahlias: The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Abundant Dahlias from Garden to Flower Farm. The soil prep chapter (and organic pest management chapter!) is universal to all gardens, not just dahlias, so I encourage you to get a copy or suggest your library buy one for you to borrow!
Broadforking is the last step in our soil preparation on the farm. Once all the soil amendments have been added, we use the broadfork to crack the soil open so that amendments fall down into the cracks, introducing organic matter and channels for air and water to penetrate.
no-till Broadfork method
We crack the soil open by sticking the tines of the broadfork (or garden fork) vertically down into the soil, as far as the fork will go. You will have to step on the main crossbar of the broadfork to get it to go all the way down into the soil. When the fork is fully sunk into the soil, you will step off the fork and pull the handles back toward your body until the soil cracks open. Finally, you will pull the fork out of the soil. The soil should not be flipped over or majorly disturbed — we are simply introducing air and organic matter deep down into the soil layers with this technique.
You will repeat this broadforking and soil cracking technique throughout your garden, every 12-24” or so, until your entire planting bed has been cracked open. Avoid stepping on your garden beds — always use pathways, or stand on a wooden board to distribute your weight if you must stand in the garden during this process. Stepping on planting beds creates unnecessary compaction.
Once your entire garden has been cracked open using a broadfork, you are ready to plant. It really is that easy!
Long-Term effects of broadforking soil
After broadforking your soil for several seasons, while avoiding tilling altogether, you will notice that your garden soil is much fluffier, holds more moisture, and is more alive with earthworms and other beneficial soil creatures. Especially if you use the soil prep program outlined in my book, you will be amazed how well your garden grows gorgeous, healthy plants with such little effort from you, the gardener!
It’s true that we don’t have to work so hard to nurture our garden soil. By using very simple tools and techniques, we can set nature up to perform the job she intended to do all along… grow healthy, productive plants that provide food, clean air, clean water, shelter, and support all forms of life!
I hope you’ve been inspired to try this easy no-till soil prep technique. It’s such a no-brainer!
peace, love, plant magic.
Fran Parrish