Making Love to my Garden

I have one of those handy-dandy small roto-tillers made especially for gardeners. It can do darn near anything, short of creating world peace.

I used the roto-tiller one time. Its performance was impressive! But now it's gathering dust in my shed.

The roto-tiller, though a marvelous device, took away my satisfaction in tilling the soil.

I like the feel of the shovel handle while I dig a new bed. Sweat trickles down my aching back while I stab the metal blade deep into the ground. I lift out the blade to reveal fertile earth ripe for planting seed.


I plunge my arms into the warm dirt to mix the soil and compost by hand. The sun is hot on the back of my head. I can feel my too-fair skin burning under the rays. But I keep mixing and lifting and sweating.

And then one morning, after days of watering, waiting, and watching, I find the first brush of green seedlings in the new bed.

A sense of peaceful satisfaction steals over me. I usually give the seedlings a pep talk.

Roto-tillers are terrific. But having an aching back and dirt under your nails from doing all the hard work to reach the moment of green life...

Baby, there's nothing like it!

About the Author

Jenny Harker is an avid gardener and writer offering free PDF e-books on gardening and the gardening life at mygardensoul.com