Gardeners know that a lot of work at the beginning yields a highly productive garden throughout the growing season.
Last year it was simple. I raked it deeply, added some sheep manure and mixed it in. We were good to go.
I hit a bit of a wall this year early on.
But first some back story. The plots are located in a provincial park dedicated to preserving rural history from the Victorian era. The park itself is made up of five old farms. The park employed a farmer who tended the farms, the machinery, and the livestock.
Last year he plowed the plots and did a beautiful job.
Unfortunately the farmer retired and in the Ministry's infinite wisdom was not replaced. Instead the position was outsourced.
This is what the soil looked like after it had been 'plowed'.
What a difference. There is no way anything could be planted in THAT!
On Monday I tried to turn the soil with a garden fork. After about 30 minutes and only managing to get about 2 square feet ready to go I gave up.
I found a place in Milton that rented tillers. This was going to be an adventure! I drove to Milton on Tuesday and picked it up.
You might think that tilling would be easy. While it certainly is much easier than trying to prepare the soil manually it was still hard work. Three hours later the soil looked like this:
My arms were 'jelly' well into the evening from the machine vibrations, my back and arm muscles ache, I forgot my hat and sunscreen so I have a bad burn.
Nonetheless, the soil is getting there!
Today as I was driving back from Milton I stopped in at the dump. They were having their annual compost giveaway. It is a great service - they collect brown bag garden material throughout the year, compost it, and then give some of it away to local residents to assist with their gardens. They offer compost in the fall and spring.
Seven 'containers' were filled.
After dinner Paul helped me carry it to the plot and spread it.
Tomorrow we will add 20 bags of composted manure to the mix. At that point the soil will be ready to go.
The next big job will be the fence. :-0