Under a great deal of Los Angeles is clay that goes to brick by August and will not take a shovel. RototillerGuy brings the machine to it — rototilling, soil turning and bed preparation that breaks the pan and gives roots somewhere to go. The best moment comes right after the first real winter rain, when the ground has softened and there are still months of mild weather ahead for whatever gets planted. Watch a compacted Valley backyard come apart into dark crumb behind the tines and you understand why people start planting again after years of giving up on the dirt. The result is not glamorous; it is just the beginning of everything else a yard can become.