Given the slug population explosion these last few years, this season in the vegetable, Red Shiso and Venus gardens we are forgoing our usual deep hay mulch to see if a scorched earth scenario breaks the slug cycle. After twenty years of keeping everything covered with a deep layer of mulch hay, I find myself very uncomfortable with all this exposed earth. I certainly hope it is making the slugs MORE uncomfortable.

Here is Elizabeth building the center piece of this year’s main vegetable- a tent of Scarlet Runner Beans. Note abundant exposed soil and tiny weeds demonstrating that without mulch, it is going to be a long summer of weeding.

In the Flowerbeds, the Tree Peonies are either about to open or just opening-

Emily is back from a wonderful adventure in Sicily and we are all so happy she is

ready to take on all the bindweed in the perennial beds which are looking very lush right now.

The beautiful new cold frames built by Jim during his April “vacation” are chock a block full of baby plants, hardening off until the end of the month when they can be planted out. The greenhouse also is teeming with baby plants and a lot of grumpy tropical plants who impatiently await their summer season outside after a long winter inside.

It is SPRING and our cup runneth over! I hope you too are wallowing in new life!