We picked up about a half-inch of rain overnight.
Yesterday was my big opportunity for tilling and mowing. There have not been many three-day windows without rain so it was either till on Sunday or wait an unknown amount of time before I could do it.
I still have hand-weeding to catch up on.
From the potato patch
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| Picture taken after tilling at about 8:30 in the morning. |
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| One quarter of the potato patch is dedicated to vegetables that are not potatoes. Approximately 50' east/west and 20' north/south |
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| I call this composition "A gardener and his loyal companions: Fence-post, man and Preying Mantis". Warning: ALWAYS feed your Preying Mantis before removing from cage. |
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| Rows from left-to-right: Rutabaga, rutabaga, mangel that needs weeding, carrots with beans planted every 2' for makers, misc peppers and eggplant, beets. |
There might be a few folks unfamiliar with the (praying) mantis tiller. It is a wonderfully productive tool.
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure: I don't have a Mantis tiller. I was referring to the shape of the shadow.
DeleteI have a 15 year-old (give or take a few years) Troy-Bilt with a 208cc gas engine. Other than replacing the pull-cord a few times, it has been a trouble-free machine,
Agree on the smaller-sized tillers. I have one of those weed-eaters with the detachable tool, and use the tiller-attachment frequently. I would however like to get a nice Pony and be able to really dig up between the potato rows... For the money, I may just invest in a hilling-plow for the tractor.
ReplyDeleteDo you have problems with scab and other recurring soil-infections that require several years of non-planting to get rid of? I've got a few diseases showing up that I may want to try to cover-crop away for a couple years.