Bevor wir etwas pflanzen, lockern wir die Erde mit einer kleinen Schaufel.

Because bevor is a subordinating conjunction. In German, a clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction usually sends the conjugated verb to the end of the clause.

So:

• wir pflanzen etwas = main clause word order
• bevor wir etwas pflanzen = subordinate clause, so the verb pflanzen goes to the end

This is a very common pattern:

• weil wir müde sind
• wenn er kommt
• bevor wir etwas pflanzen

Because the sentence starts with the subordinate clause: Bevor wir etwas pflanzen.

In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in the second position. When the subordinate clause comes first, it takes up the first position, so the verb of the main clause comes next:

• Bevor wir etwas pflanzen, lockern wir die Erde.

If you put the main clause first, you get normal subject-verb order:

• Wir lockern die Erde mit einer kleinen Schaufel, bevor wir etwas pflanzen.

So lockern wir is not unusual here—it happens because something else has been placed first.

Bevor means before as a conjunction introducing a clause:

• Bevor wir etwas pflanzen = Before we plant something

Vor is usually a preposition, not a conjunction:

• vor dem Haus = in front of the house
• vor dem Pflanzen = before planting

So:

• bevor + clause
• vor + noun

Compare:

• Bevor wir etwas pflanzen, ... = Before we plant something, ...
• Vor dem Pflanzen ... = Before planting ...

Here etwas literally means something, but in English this kind of sentence is often translated more naturally as anything:

• Bevor wir etwas pflanzen
  = Before we plant something = often more natural in English: Before we plant anything

German often uses etwas in places where English might prefer anything, especially in general statements.

Also, etwas is an indefinite pronoun, and here it works as the object of pflanzen.

Yes, it could be omitted if the speaker wants to speak more generally:

• Bevor wir pflanzen, lockern wir die Erde.

That means something like Before planting, we loosen the soil or Before we plant, we loosen the soil.

Including etwas makes the action sound a little more explicit: we are going to plant something.

Yes, die Erde can mean both:

1. the Earth = the planet
2. earth/soil = the ground, dirt, soil

Here, because the context is gardening, die Erde clearly means soil or earth.

German often relies on context for this word.

You may also hear:

• der Boden = ground, floor, soil
• die Gartenerde = garden soil / potting soil, depending on context

In a gardening sentence, die Erde lockern is very natural.

Because the preposition mit always takes the dative case.

The base noun is:

• die Schaufel = the shovel / trowel

In the dative singular with mit, eine kleine Schaufel becomes:

• mit einer kleinen Schaufel

So:

• mit
  • dative
• einer = dative feminine form of eine
• kleinen = adjective ending required in that case

This is because of case endings.

The noun Schaufel is feminine:

• nominative: eine kleine Schaufel
• accusative: eine kleine Schaufel
• dative: einer kleinen Schaufel

Since mit requires the dative, both the article and adjective change:

• eine → einer
• kleine → kleinen

So the full phrase is:

• mit einer kleinen Schaufel

Not necessarily. Schaufel can mean shovel, but in gardening context it can also refer to a small shovel or scoop-like tool. Since the sentence says mit einer kleinen Schaufel, it suggests a small shovel/trowel-type tool.

A learner should know that English tool vocabulary is often more specific than German. Depending on context, a translation might be:

• with a small shovel
• with a small spade
• with a small trowel

In German, a subordinate clause is normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

So in:

• Bevor wir etwas pflanzen, lockern wir die Erde ...

the comma marks the end of the subordinate clause Bevor wir etwas pflanzen and the beginning of the main clause lockern wir die Erde ...

German uses commas in these structures more regularly and more strictly than English does.

Yes, lockern is a very natural verb here. It means to loosen.

In gardening, die Erde lockern means to loosen up the soil so that it is better for planting.

You may also see:

• die Erde auflockern

This is very similar and often also used in gardening. In many contexts, lockern and auflockern are close in meaning, though auflockern can sound a bit more specifically like loosening up thoroughly.

A more basic version would put the main clause first:

• Wir lockern die Erde mit einer kleinen Schaufel, bevor wir etwas pflanzen.

That may be easier for a learner to analyze:

• Wir = subject
• lockern = verb
• die Erde = object
• mit einer kleinen Schaufel = prepositional phrase
• bevor wir etwas pflanzen = subordinate clause

The original sentence is completely natural; it just begins with the before clause for emphasis or flow.

The tricky part is the pf at the beginning. German actually pronounces both sounds together.

pflanzen is approximately:

• PFLAHN-tsen

Tips:

• Start with a quick p
• Immediately add f
• Then continue into the word: pf-lan-zen

English speakers often simplify pf too much, but in careful German pronunciation both sounds are there, especially at the beginning of a word.