There are no bodies buried here ...

I understand that 6-foot-long mounds of earth could spark lots of questions, so let me dispel the fear and rumors right now: those are potato beds. I did mention last week we'd soon be planting potatoes. This weekend's weather was fantastic, and of course I could think of nothing better to do than dig 6-8" deep trenches. Well, I did have some help. On Saturday the kids lent a hand by bringing glasses of ice water. On Sunday I convinced Chris that his superior digging techniques would get the job done more quickly (I was right!). The mounds of earth come out of the trenches, so to speak, and will be used to form little hills around the potato plants as they grow. The bed to the rear contains Maris Pipers, a British variety. The front bed has both Desiree (a European red potato), and Austrian Crescents (a fingerling potato). Can you ever have too many potatoes? No ....! Behind the potatoes are the peas, which are just starting to come out of the ground (pictured at right).

Finally, all the way at the back of the garden, are the strawberries and raspberries. Oh, and weeds. Those beds are kind of a mess but we're trying to improve on last year's neglect. This weekend we "recycled" some metal poles, formerly a silt fence, to create a barrier from the deer. This should give the berries -- and, in fact, the entire garden -- a fighting chance.

Next up: lettuce, in that bed at the very front. But that will have to wait for another day ...