Using our waffle maker. Tortilla wraps, ham and cheese.

Strawberry short cake later.

Cher
I went today to Tractor Supply for a battery operated cultivator. They said if I ordered one they could get me the one I was interested in, in a week. $350.00 and they would order it. I said I want to look at one before I buy one. I been online searching, and found a better one at Menards on sale. The good thing, it's in stock at my store. I may run over and pick one up tomorrow after we go to a funeral.

https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-power-equipment/augers-tillers-compactors/masterforce-reg-10-80-volt-brushless-cordless-tiller-cultivator/2800194me/p-1570516249443-c-10106.htm

don't recommend tilling because it breaks up the microbial action in your soil. Over time it makes the soil unproductive. I wouldn't buy this because you're only supposed to till once--when you start the garden the first time. After that, you're supposed to dig only when you put a plant in.

There is lots of material on this but this thread has a good discussion on it. See in particular this post:

Mechanical tillage loosens the soil, making it easier to start crops.

The problem is that it creates a hard pan/compaction, in the deeper soil layer, and kills the “soil life” (like the mycorrhizae that connects individual trees into a forest networks)

A single tillage works for a season.

Farming based on tillage kills the fertility of the soil over time.

On that thread you'll find many links to the science and thinking behind this.

You might say how do I keep the weeds down? Well, actually, tilling keeps turning up the old weed seed. This research has been ongoing and the damn weed seed can maintain viability for something like 130 years! Just read the first 4 paragraphs of this:

https://wssa.net/wp-content/uploads/Weed-Seed-Factsheet-2016.pdf

So bottom line is take it easy! And be kind to your pocketbook and don't buy it!

What you do instead is just put your row or plant in like what you see here, and then cover the ground with straw. I like to put cardboard around the plant, leaving about 6" clear, and then pile straw around it:



I put cardboard everywhere there are weeds at my place and then I pile straw on top, like what you see in the pic. I have to pay for straw, but I'll bet you could even get it for free.

Even though that tiller at Menard's is $240, think how many vegetables you could just buy for $240! You'll never recover your investment.

I know from pics you've posted in the past about how big your garden is, so it would require some reorganization of how you do things, but it's way, way easier than constantly pulling weeds.

Broiled pollock fillets with an orange-garlic glaze. As sides I made steamed cabbage with apple slices and microwaved sweet potatoes. Cheers!🥂

Bugs me to go the lazy supermarket route, especially for something as easy as burgers or hot dogs, so I was up making vegan hot dogs last night until after 1:30 and just had some for dinner. They’re pretty damned good! (Good thing, because I quadrupled the recipe to have some in the freezer for quick meals.)

Added in some bicolour corn for good measure.

Starting to feel like summer here.

https://plantifullybasedblog.com/how-to-make-vegan-hot-dogs/#recipe