what awaits the "last spring frost" (April 15)

Despite the fact it may get up to 90 (!) this week, the average last frost tends to coincide with the tax deadline. Here's my garden layout as of yesterday, when I stopped by to start my "potatoes in a barrel" scheme, as well as to transplant dill, cilantro, parsley and thai basil and harvest some asparagus. If I was less of a risk taker and had more room under the grow lights, the dill and thai basil would still be indoors until the 18th, when I'll transplant pretty much everything I've started indoors.

You can't see 'em, but there actually are very small spinach and lettuce plants sprouting up. The peas, however, did not make it. Each year I've tried, they've eluded me in separate ways. Meep meep.

My garlic is doing quite well. It's all cloves I bought from the co-op or farmers market over the past three years that planted after they started to sprout, and which subsequently produced seeds. Onions are not too shabby either. The big ones are from seeds I planted last year. And Ed the raspberry is almost getting so big that a pruning will be in order this coming winter/spring.

the witnesses

I've decided you kind of develop a friendship with your perennial plants that come back year after year. My oldest is a spearmint plant that began life in my late grandmother's garden. "Such a nuisance," she said. "It just takes over." Ah, but when there is mint tea and tabouli to be had, you work out a compromise with its expansionist nature. It lives in the black plastic pot, half submerged in the background (back left of photo). It stealthily tries to take over the whole corner, but I refer back to our 2006 negotiated treaty that established the mutually recognized borders of Mintania. As the pot slowly deteriorates, those terms will probably have to be renegotiated.

The second is the red raspberry plant in the foreground. "Ed," as he was named by an ex girlfriend. Ed has expansionist privileges that the mint can only dream of. This pic was taken in June 2006, soon after I drove Ed over from the nursery and installed him. He's at least 3X bigger now. As you can see, the weeds have already recovered from my labor the month before. This was before I started growing corn in that area.

Along with the asparagus, oregano and thyme are also permanent residents. "Be fruitful and multiply," spake I. It's supposed to be good to talk to plants anyway. This study shows that women have an advantage in that field though.