When I first heard about people putting plastic forks in their yard, I thought it was a joke. And, after seeing various TikToks of said forks staked into soil with the little tines poking out of the ground, I couldn't deny it looked pretty unusual. But then I delved a little deeper and realized it actually makes perfect sense.
No, it's not a weird neighborhood prank (or at least not anymore), but it does have something to do with keeping unwanted critters and/or pets away from your plants. If you've got a cat, squirrel, or rodent problem in your yard, this is a cheap, easy, and instantly effective solution. But, how exactly does it work?
What is lawn forking?
If you've ever spotted forks in someone's yard, you might think someone's pulling a prank and contemplate telling the homeowner, or maybe you'll think it's a weird decorative trend. Let me tell you now, it's not, and I'm not sure what aesthetic lawn fork would be hoping to achieve.
But, while 'lawn forking' did in fact start out as a bit of a prank, it's actually turned into a very clever defense tool for your yard.
The term once referred to a joke people pulled on their neighbors by placing a bunch of forks in their yard to weird them out or just generally annoy them. Nowadays, it's a pretty practical solution, working as a great deterrent for animals, such as cats and squirrels, looking to cause havoc in your flower beds.
Wanting to put a cat off roaming around your yard like it owns the place? Then show them that the forks own it now. All you have to do is place the forks around your yard, like a tiny spiky army, in specific areas that you find are getting targeted, evenly spaced, and voilà.
Either they'll approach the fork, realize it's a bit spiky and uncomfortable and never return, or they won't approach them at all, fearing they're some sort of garden fork intruder. Problem solved.
And unless the cats are off building some sort of spoon army in retaliation, you can rest easy and enjoy a yard that's animal-free. Plus, it's a chemical-free solution, meaning it most importantly causes no actual harm to them, aside from a little prod to put them off.
Other ways to keep cats off your yard
I've recently moved home and I've found there's been a couple of cats, regulars at this point, that like to take up residence in my flowerbeds. But, after realizing they'd squashed my lovely plants, I went searching for solutions to put them off. Forking, turned out to be one of them.
But, I found more. Firstly, there's 7 plants that repel cats and keep them out of your yard – and as a lavender lover, I was pleased to hear I can now grow more of it.
You can also sprinkle coffee grounds and citrus peel, use pinecones in the same way as you'd use the forks (and also, it's more eco-friendly), or chopsticks, which I'd worry is a little too risky for hurting any of the animals that are wandering around your yard.
I even read that you can keep your soil moist because cats hate to dig in it, which is great news for the 'ber months, but a little trickier when it starts to heat up.
For now, I'll proudly use my box of forks around my yard and hope that the cats and squirrels don't come up with a clever plan to dig them out, pile them up, and tease me.
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