My Little Garden

Well, I finished 95% of my chores--it was just a mite later than my goal. Today was a beautiful day here, and I planted two types of beans, in addition to lettuce, and turnips. I have three small garden plots on the side of my yard; each one is a raised bed in a sort of stair-step arrangement going down the slope. Each plot is about 6 x 12 feet and varies as to the amount of sunlight it gets. Sunlight is a premium in my yard since it is surrounded by Douglas Fir, Western Cedar, Red Alder and Pacific Madrone trees, in addition to a thick understory of Salal and Huckleberry found under the trees. The sun at these latitudes, as I have mentioned before, seems to always be low to the horizon and only in summer does it peek above the trees. I have laid boards down in the plots to demarcate the planting areas and to provide something to walk on so I won't tramp down the soil. One half of one little plot and three quarters of another one is overgrown with mint plants. I haven't the heart to pull it up since I love the smell so much and also love the taste in my tea. There are also volunteer chard and potato plants coming up which takes up another goodly percentage of the plots--not to mention Dandelions
We are at the height of the Spring blooming time, with tulips, rhodendrons and many other flowers and shrubs at their loveliest. The wild Huckleberry is putting out new growth and the tips of the new growth are an unsual orange which is striking against the green foliage. The Salmon Berry bushes are now beginning to set little green berries, but it will be a while before it ripens.