In the acre-and-a-half we are coaxing into production to feed nearly 100 families for 20 weeks, parts are so weeded-in or so clay-bound that they need to be bludgeoned into submission. That means we bring on the "pick-mattock," a blunt-force tool that resembles a pick-axe but has a shovel-like blade protruding from its useful end.

Despite its primitive appearance, it can be used almost surgically to break up sod or turn clay into a more malleable soil substance.

It's all in the swing.

Rather than hoisting it high in the air and bringing it down full force into the soil, blasting it into little bits, it is best to adopt something like a modified golf swing.

Think of the chip shots lofted onto storied golf greens on famous golf courses (Augusta, Ga., Pebble Beach, etc.) portrayed on Sunday afternoon TV, as the whispered voices of announcers proclaim the supernatural talents of our professional golfing gentry.

"Modified golf swing" makes sense here only if you think that the swing was modified by a Neanderthal, one of our close human relatives believed to have survived until about 35,000 years ago in Europe. It is not known how or why Neanderthal disappeared, but consensus has it that their golf swing was not a factor.

Slight digression: Do you know why Neanderthal went extinct? I have a private theory.

It is well known that Neanderthal had poorly developed speech skills. It has also been suggested that the species compensated for this by developing telepathic skills. When someone can read your mind, that means you cannot tell a lie.

So when Mrs. Neanderthal asked her mate, "Does this dress make me look fat?" she got an immediate, honest response. And then bingo, another dead caveman. Thank God our version of homo sapiens has such highly developed lying skills. It's a proven survival tactic.

To continue: Take the pick-mattock in hand, left hand above right. Plant your feet firmly, flex knees and keep back straight. Lift the pick-mattock about 45 degrees, keeping your head down and left elbow straight. Bring down the pick mattock in a skimming motion, as if you are taking a divot.

Unlike golf, where the purpose is to launch a ball toward the hole, and ultimately into the hole, here the purpose is to take a divot -- divot after divot after divot until the bed is full of divots and can be cultivated, therefore producing food instead of stupidly wasted effort that needs a lawn crew to make repairs (e.g. golf).

Because of the complexity of our existence at Long Meadow Farm, we cannot devote large amounts of time to perfecting our pick-mattock technique. So while I describe beating down the clay beds, Michele planted many beds of greens in better-worked soil and daughter Anna transplanted lavender from the big garden to the house garden in anticipation of sharing our harvest starting June 1.

Recent rains brought everyone inside to transplant, and I did carpentry tasks. Our days were brightened by the arrival of two new apprentices, Molly King, soon to be 21, from Harpswell, and Jami Walden, 23, of Lawrence, Kan., a recent graduate of the University of Kansas and theater design major.

As soon as the sun appeared, we set about transferring manure from our 50 or so chickens and small herd of sheep and goats. The goal is to make compost, ultimately. That requires us to build a "chicken manure sandwich" near the big garden, with a lower layer of sheep and goat manure, which is heavy in hay and light in manure, a middle layer of chicken manure, which is heavy in manure and light in bedding (shavings and hay), and a top layer of sheep and goat manure.

It took two full days and countless wheelbarrow loads to build a 6-by-10-by-20-foot pile near the garden. It looked like a big pile of wet hay, which mostly it was. The 200 bales we brought in last July were fed to the sheep and goats (some went for chicken bedding) over the winter and spring. Judging by the amount of hay left over, they seemed to have eaten little and spread the rest around their paddock.

It's not really wasted since it is now becoming high-grade compost. Within four days, the temperature of the pile went from 60 degrees to 160, with steam rising visibly. We will turn the pile in a week or so, for a second "cooking," and leave it for use next year. Because our soil is so heavy with clay, the compost we make is essential to successful growing.

Next tasks on the list? To teach our new apprentices the pick-mattock chip shot swing. "Always keep your head down ....."

Or possibly some wheel-hoe technique, which is a lot like a waltz (if your partner is on a unicycle with a stirrup hoe attached). "One, two, three; one, two, three...."

Denis Thoet "retired" into farming full time three years ago after a career in non-profit development, commercial fishing and journalism. He and his wife, Michele Roy, own Long Meadow Farm on 28 acres in West Gardiner. They grow vegetables for a 75-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a farm-share program where members pay in advance for 20 weeks of food from June to October. His regular bi-weekly column during the growing season will begin Friday, May 22.