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On Sunday I raked up and hauled to the front yard a ridiculous number of branches from the back garden. Then I dug part of my front flower beds and planted in 9 new plants to add some variety to the hostas that have taken over the space. In the middle of all this I made a couple trips to garden centers to pick up the best dirt and potting soil available in Madison. And I’m not telling you where it is. :)

Yesterday I looked a the weather outlook for the week and decided that if there was going to be a day to till up the garden, Tuesday would be my day. After my co-worker pointed out the chance of t-storms for the afternoon (which, obviously, did NOT happen) I decided that Tuesday morning was my one shot this week to get the big back garden ready. I called the supply rental place a few blocks from my house and had a small rototiller reserved for Tuesday. After I got home I dug out the rubber garden border so that I could expand the garden space by a foot or 2.

That brings us to today. I stayed up too late last night, woke up tired and, er, crampy. A bad start to what was supposed to be a promising morning.
I ran Adam over to daycare, stopped at Jamba Juice for a treat, and then headed to the hardware store for more garden supplies: 2 huge cubes of peat moss and 2 more bags of manure/compost mix. I dropped those off at the house and went to pick up the tiller.

Many things:
1. Until today, I’d never laid eyes on a rototiller
2. I had no idea a small one weighed 125 lbs
3. I had no clue how to use one
4. The yellow jackets will NOT leave our tool shed alone.
5. I have a wonderful husband who will cater to my crazy whims;

The guys at Badger Contractor Supply seemed a bit skeptical when I said that there wasn’t anyone to help me get the thing out of my car. They showed me how to use it and loaded it into the Forester. I’m sure they were convinced I was going to break it.

Well, fortunately, gravity and some core body strength were working with me today and I managed to fairly easily lift out the 125 lb tiller without scratching my car, hurting the tiller, OR hurting my back.

I went to work fairly immediately. It took me a few passes to get the hang of how to run it efficiently. Once the soil got broken up, it got a lot easier to manage. Unfortunately, it also started getting a lot hotter outside. I spread the peat moss and manure and went inside to take a well-deserved iced tea break. Then I called M. and begged him to come home and help me get the tiller back in the car over his lunch break. There was just NO way I was going to get that back in by myself.

I went back out and tilled in the peat and manure and finished up just as my knight in shining armor arrived to save me from my own lack of planning.

I was hot and sweaty and covered in dirt, but I actually got something pretty major accomplished. I still have loads more to do before I can plant tomatoes, peppers, green beans, peas, jalapenos, and some other yet-to-be determined veggies, but I’m over the major hurdle.

It feels good to be productive.