I was able to borrow M's rototiller. She works with me at the library and is also big into gardening. It's much smaller then I'd imagined it would be. Basically a chainsaw motor attached to a platform.
We'd almost always plant a garden back in PA when I was growing up. Our garden there was about 4 times as big as my little patch. So I was expecting something much heftier looking to accomplish the daunting task of tearing up the dirt. I remember last year being very sore and tired from trying to hoe the garden by hand.
Tonight when I got home, I removed the fence surrounding the garden, took out the tomato cages from last year, the plastic, and then raked up the dead corn stalks and grass as best as I could so it would be easier for my diminutive piece of machinery to work. Also, the yard is starting to seriously encroach on my veggie producing real estate, so I wanted to try and re-edge the plot as well.
I fiddled with the starter and pull rope and then off I went. At first I was a bit tentative. After all, I've never used a rototiller. Remember, on the farm, when it came time to dig the garden, dad brought the 40/20 tractor out and it was done in 20 minutes. But as I got through a 1/4 of my plot I became rather impressed with that tiny tiller. It was churning the earth like a champ!
All tore up!
Took me about an hour and a half to do the whole garden. I still need to edge, but I'll get to that tomorrow. I also need to do a little reading about fertilizing and get some horse manure, also courtesy of the very helpful and kind M.
I imagine my back and arms will be protesting tomorrow.
