Sue Dunn

I plant my garlic after potatoes also.I do turn and fluff the soil as well as add amendments(compost , or all purpose organic fertilizer). I use no-till and till methods in my garden , it depends on what I'm planting next.Some crops need a fine seed bed for seeding (carrots) and sometimes I need to add amendments.Sometimes I plant vegetable starts right through a mulch layer without tilling.In the PNW the winter rains compact the soil , so that can be another reason to till for a winter crop.( I garden on Gabriola Island, BC.)

This is a topic that has been on my mind a lot.My husband and I are 56 and we have our own Landscaping business . We want to retire sooner than later.I also think that reducing the amount of money that we need to live is how to retire sooner. We have been developing our property with ageing in place as our goal.
Single story house , no stairs. Easier to reach gutters for cleaning { we harvest rain water}
Food garden closest to back deck , with some raised beds. I find less weeding and maintenance for raised beds .
Fruit trees pruned short /or espalier to reduce having to use a ladder when we age.
We chose a property close to our small village centre {walking distance}
Getting to know our land and what varieties of plants are most productive here , refining our bed rotation and seeding schedule to maximise success .Less screwing around when we are old , just keep efficientcies and what works for us.

West Coast Seeds in Vancouver (on-line catalogue ) has a hulless pumpkin called Lady Godiva.