We cut down the shrubs in the fall, but their ugly stumps remained above the ground all winter. I wasn’t opposed to leaving them and letting them decay on their own…but my husband (Joe) knew this was a less than ideal situation, and so we started digging. And digging some more. The stumps remained firmly rooted. I gave up and told Joe to get them out.

So one day Joe bought a long metal tool home after work. (I’m not exactly sure what to call it, or what it is actually designed for. It is simply a long, sturdy metal pole that has a sharp side and a flat side.) Joe rides his bike to work, so somehow he managed to bring a heavy, six foot long pole home while riding a bike.

Within fifteen minutes, one stump was gone, and the rest soon followed. We are left with beautiful planting beds, that have been naturally tilled by roots and have the added organic matter of many years of needle shed. I’ve already planted one with peas, lettuce, radishes and a few herbs.