Planting day

It's my favorite day of the whole year. It's the day I start planting my garden for the year. And what stupendous weather I had for the occasion! The weather man said it could reach 80 degrees today. I have no trouble believing that it did.

This year I'm calling a truce with the wild creatures that wreak havoc on my vegetable garden each summer. I'm only planting the vegetables they've shown no interest in eating. Specifically, I am not planting corn (I gave up after the first year when the raccoons got nearly every ear I had), I'm not planting beans (any leaves the Japanese beetles don't get, the deer will, and then the deer trample anything else nearby), and I'm not planting tomatoes (I believe the raccoons get more pleasure batting them off the vine than I do in growing them, and I refuse to lose another plant to cutworms). I've decided not to plant broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkins, squash, or melons. You find better in the grocery store.

So what will I plant? Today I planted lettuce and peas. I've always had success with lettuce. And you can't beat pea pods right off the vine. When the weather warms up, I'll devote a large section to cucumbers. They're my absolute favorite. And I think I'll plant some bell pepper seedlings, too. I enjoy the peppers all year long by freezing them for frittatas and stir fries.

In the foreground: peas. Oregon Giants are my favorite, but I had to settle for Oregon Sugar Pea II this year. That's no different than last year, and last year was just fine.

Along the left: lettuce. I mixed together an "Italian Blend" I used last year, and some Iceberg. I loved the color and texture of the blend varieties, and the Iceberg adds a refreshing sweetness.

The bricks and blocks in the center will become stepping stones once I lay out the cucumbers and peppers. The lettuce and peas will be done-in by then. It's not a good idea to walk on the garden, especially when the ground is still so wet and soft.

Hey, speaking of wild creatures, I believe I've got a tenant in my compost pile. I thought about sticking my garden fork in there, but I was afraid of what might jump out! I'll wait to turn my compost pile. In other news, I found the skeleton of some poor varmint out in my lawn. I added his remains to the compost pile. Ah, the circle of life.