Today I prepared the new garden area in what used to be my front yard. Then, I moved garden soil on top of the broken ground.

Lessons Learned:

1. Buying a tractor was one of the best purchases of my life. I can plow large areas fast. The backhoe allows me to plant trees in nice deep holes as well as break ground in areas with too many tree roots for the plow. Using the backhoe, I dug a hole for a dead cow (very sad loss) in about 30 minutes. Planted melons on top of the mound today which should do great.

2. Our soil is suitable for hay and row crops, but very poor for gardening. One of my first preps back in January for this pandemic was a huge load of garden soil (21 cubic yards). That soil will pay off in productivity over the next few months. The investment will yield far more veggies than I could have bought for the same money.

3. If you have soil, fertilizer, and seeds, you are on the road to survival.