March- The beginning
This February, after two years on the waiting list, I received an email congratulating me on the assignment of a community garden allotment! They gave me a choice as to which size plot I wanted, 200, 400, or 800 sq.ft. In the past I would have gone right for the 800; but now post 65, I decided that 200 sq. ft. was enough for me. And, after prepping the soil, I’m glad I did!
Congratulations – you have a community garden plot! 
Looks like compacted grasy soil 🙁 
Hand tilling, harder than it looks, when your 65+. . 
Tilling compacted soil by hand with a garden spade…ouch! 
Pulling out grass with long roots takes time. 
A garden fork makes tilling the soil easier than a spade. 
Progress stead bt slow. 
I had to call in the reserves in order to turn over soil. 
Start making planning beds. 
Planting beds almost done. 
Feeding the soil with compost. 
Motorized tiller makes light work of turning over soil for planting. The next time for sure!
Tilling densely compacted soil – This plot had not been worked for over a year, and the soil was very compacted and had lots of grass growing in it. The grass had roots that were dense and deep. My enthusiasm took over and I decided to just jump right in and begin turning over the soil by hand. I started using a garden spade but eventually figured out that using a garden fork was much more efficient to use. It went into the ground with less effort and loosened the soil with fewer motions. Turning the soil with a garden spade resulted in big chunks of earth that then had to be chopped up, utilizing more motions and energy!
Using the garden fork, while easier, wasn’t easy enough for out of shape over 65 me! I had to call in the reserves. They were able to finish tilling in an hour. This extreme effort will not have to be repeated next spring, as I will keep the soil loose and composed. In the future, if I have to do this again, I’ll choose the smarter way to do it; by renting a small motorized tiller. You can rent one from a local farm or building center for about $50 a day!
