There is a big movement where people are starting to realize that tilling damages the soil structure and those things that live within. It's called no-till gardening, and it's what I now do. I also use my leaf sweeper and clean up all the neighbors' leaves and bring them here to chop up. I take those and deposit them on top of the bare earth--again, I don't disturb the soil by trying to mix them in. That would not be helpful, whereas chopped leaves just lying on top will break down and create rich soil. On top of the soil, it is pretty and it keeps the soil moist and weed-free for the entire season. It was a dream come true! Back to undisturbed soil, the thinking is that you just cut the plant off at dirt level, rather than pulling it out, leaving the roots to decompose in place which helps to aerate the soil. Just wondering, being the garden is done, could you let your chickens in to eat the tomatoes? There is nothing better than chicken manure for a garden--no rogue weed seeds like you'll find in horse or cow manure.
