The 5 Best Tools for Breaking Hard PNW Clay
A quick note from Jordan: Some of the tools and supplies I link to in these posts are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at zero extra cost to you. It helps me keep Moss & Tomatoes running and allows me to keep writing these free, no-nonsense PNW gardening guides instead of burying the site in annoying popup ads. Thank you for the support!
1. The Root Slayer Shovel
When you are digging in native PNW soil, you aren’t just fighting clay—you are fighting the roots of every Douglas-fir, cedar, and invasive blackberry bush. The Root Slayer features a heavy-duty, V-shaped carbon steel blade with serrated edges on both sides.
2. The Barebones Ultimate Hori Hori
If you only buy one hand tool for the rest of your life, make it a Japanese Hori Hori knife. It is part trowel, part saw, and part measuring device for prying roots out of wet clay.
3. The Fiskars 4-Tine Forged Pitchfork
Tilling wet PNW clay is a cardinal sin. Instead, you need a pitchfork to gently crack the soil and aerate it. These have forged, welded steel tines that will not bend under pressure.
4. Bully Tools 12-Gauge Garden Hoe
A robust draw hoe excellent for loosening compacted soil and addressing large weeds.
5. Nisaku Hori Hori
Wider blade for scooping and prying rocks out of hard-packed earth.
