Sparta Farm

This lovely mild November day was custom-made for gardening - so the process of preparing beds for spring plantings was particularly enjoyable, in spite of the fact that our old tiller finally gave up the unequal struggle several months ago. Forced to confront the unpleasant fact of our dependence on technology, we spent weeks researching the ideal tiller for a small market-garden farm, while in the meantime I kept busy with the hefty Austrian vineyard hoe my father was given years ago...a vast, heavy and beautiful thing with a handle worn and softened and greyed by the years and the touch of strong hands. My friend Mary calls it "the axe."

Eventually, as the ground broke chocolatey and loamy beneath the hoe's edge, it dawned on us that maybe we don't NEED a tiller?  We've been in error: transporting back into a sustainable farming system an unsustainable method borrowed from huge conventional farms: tear up the soil, rake beds, plant rows, tear the whole thing down, start over, deplete the soil, spread the weeds around, swear and curse and use lots of gas, call a man with a tractor in twice a year, roaring noise and dripping oil and...no thanks!

Now, imagine Millet's "Angelus" except that we wear jeans and t-shirts instead of French peasant garb. With our trusty hoe, a shovel and a rake we have been meticulously turning over the soil, mounding it up, working in barrow-loads of magnificent black manure, and mulching it down with leaves and grass clippings.  Instead of being overwhelmed by huge tracts of land, we can deal with each bed individually - when the process is done we will number each bed and draw up a chart for rotation.

Our spring beds are heaped up with all sorts of organic goodness, ready and waiting for the first plantings of the new year - no more rush to prepare the garden as soon as the ground thaws! This way we will be able to plant on schedule and instead of furiously preparing beds will have time to attend to weeding, watering, laying out row covers...

I just have to keep reminding myself that the best-laid plans of mice, men and gardeners often go awry - but as long as everything proceeds according to plan, next year's garden ought to be spectacular!