>And yes, I am somewhat of a throwback in my approach -- I think there is  
>value in doing things by hand, and being closer to the land and the food.

I can relate to what Robert is saying. Which is why - when I did maintain a "garden" - it was almost entirely done using mulch gardening methods. I rarely used any gardening tools other than a forked metal weed tool on a long stick. With enough mulch (old cardboard, old periodicals, straw) the amount of weeds is minimal and the watering needs reduced. I do have a rototiller, but it hasn't been started for about 10 years (I doubt if it even would now :)

That being said, about 3 years ago I abandoned the larger garden in favor of containers. Now everything I plant goes into old whiskey/wine barrels filled with dirt and manure. Paleo? No. Easy? Yes. I can plant a container and pretty much ignore it until the plants are ready for harvest. It looks nice, there is no "hoeing between the rows", and I can pack quite a few companion plants into one container. For instance, I might have tomatoes growing in the middle, greens around the edge, and cucumbers trailing over the sides. It works great and provides me more than enough time to ignore it :)