Roto tiller blues

Yesterday, I borrowed my neighbors roto-tiller. Some people might think how lucky that he can borrow one. Or, how lucky that he got to roto-till instead of using a pitch fork. I'm here to tell you that I do not consider myself lucky at being able to use this particular roto-tiller.

This thing is a beast! It is big and clunky, there is no reverse, it literally beat me up trying to turn it around. The controls to put the tines into the ground actually fight back! My body is more beat up than the ground I was trying to till.

If all roto-tillers behave as this thing does I will never do it again!

What little bit of soil I was able to till (in a straight line) turned out to more closely match my dream soil than anything I could ever do with just a pitch fork. Two sides of the one bed I used this thing on is bordered by chain link fence. I got caught up against that fence more than once.

Please, somebody reassure me that not everyone goes through this kind of disgrace in trying to till their garden.

I guess I pictured something that would 'turn on a dime' for tight corners. And, something that would back up so I could erase the foot prints and holes I dug into the soil with my feet as I tried to maneuver this monster around.

I know I probably sound ungrateful, after all he did let me borrow it, but OMG I am a physical wreck right now. I need to take a day off to recuperate!

I sure hope my plants appreciate this torture I just went through.

Okay, now that I have gotten my whine out of the way, I found plans for a water tower to put in one of the perennial beds. I think I will make one and if it works well I'll build one for each of the other beds. Also, I found a plan for a Tower Trellis in an old issue of Birds & Bloom that looks pretty nice so I will make one of those as well for my cherry tomatoes.

I dumped some composted steer manure and top soil along north fence where the sunflowers will go.