What sifting looks like

For those of you who don’t know what it looks like to sift through a screen, I’ve attached the following pictures:

Notice the Netafim drip system I’ve moved out of the way  to dig my trench. The soil goes into the wheelbarrow, then back into the trench. Also note a large root in the bottom of the trench. This needs to be cut out of the way (I use a small reciprocating saw) and then there’s a huge rock underneath the root that I will remove. I use a combination of pickax, hoe, and shovel to move the soil around. When I have to remove roots, I use a small hand-held hoe and a trowel. It’s backbreaking work because I cannot avoid bending over to do most of the digging.

Notice the bag of “compost” next to the wheelbarrow. I drop handfuls of this incredible product, made by Kellogg’s and called “Bumper Crop” onto the really sticky clay on the screen, and work it into the clay, much like working flour into dough.