My Favorite Part of Farming

     Of all the phases of growing a garden, second only to eating the veggies you've loved from seedling to sapling to full grown plant, without a doubt, it's the tilling I love most~
     When learning the 101's of garden basics (thanks to Thurman who gets me going each season by turning my soil then laying off my rows with his big ol' tractor), the tools that are a gardener's best friend are two: 1) my hoe (which I have named "Ida") and my tiller (which I have named "Hun" as in "A tiller, the Hun", get it?). As these tools get used several times a week, you don't want to buy the cheapest ones. (Tried that. Didn't work. And yes, we've gone through all the jokes about not wanting a cheap hoe...Garden humor. It helps.)
     Shopping for my tiller was no small feat; I went through 3 the first season. The first one wasn't stout enough and I literally wore it out (fortunately while still under warranty). While waiting to see if it could be repaired, I was given the option of trying a rear-tyne tiller (the one here being a front tyne, which Thurman says is the only way to go, and I tend to agree).
       Like Goldilocks with her chairs and bed, with the first being too small; the rear-tyne too large, the third tiller (pictured here) was just right.
     Most important part of a tiller (from my female perspective anyway) is finding one that'll start time after time, after all, you yank on it like starting a lawnmower, so finding one stout enough that even a girl can start it is key. Second bit of advice I have for you is making sure your tiller is heavy enough to go deep into the soil (but not so heavy you can't steer it; there's no power drive in this thing, so in addition to your soil getting a workout, your arms get a pretty good one as well).
       Nothing says "Accomplishment" like a weed-free row~ Again, it's those little things in life ...What can I say?  But when it comes to things I love about my gardening life, you're looking at this girl's best friend.