The State of my Garden

The soil has been warmed up over the last few weeks and a recent rainstorm meant that things were good and wet. It was the perfect weekend to get outside and do some work on the garden. There is a reason that New Jersey is known as the Garden State, and it has a lot to do with the lovely growing conditions and rich soil in our corner of the mid-Atlantic coast.
I do my best to further enrich my garden. Over the winter, I use the garden patch as a nice big compost pile, mixing kitchen waste layered with soil and leaves to create a nice rich nourishing mix for the garden patch. This past weekend, with the aid of my friend T and the garden tiller my father sent me as a surprise gift, I set to work getting the garden patch ready for the spring planting season.

In previous years, I have turned the soil by hand. It's a tough chore and not the best way to get the garden ready. A tiller is much more effective. My knowledge of machinery of this sort is best characterized as limited, so T's help was needed; both to get the machine running and to keep me equipped with 10 fingers and 10 toes (not to mention take the pictures!).
Next week, I'll give the patch another once-over with the tiller and then I will plant the seeds for my early crops ---- lettuce, radishes, carrots, and cilantro. It will be several more weeks before I have any goods to harvest. But a patient gardener is always rewarded for her time. I can wait.