Potatoes-in-Bucket are going along swimmingly (literally, considering all the rain this week). So far the bucket potatoes are twice as big as the trenched ground potatoes. However, the mulched potatoes in the tree line are barely sprouting, probably due to excessive weeds and minimal sun.
In the middle of the potatoes in this picture is my whiskey barrel of mint, which I've been growing with almost purposeful neglect for 8 years now. I usually keep three types - chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint. Mohitos, anyone?
Speaking of herbs, most everything coming up now is perennial, although I'm starting to see some volunteer seedlings from last year's basil, parsley and cilantro. The big guy on the left is tarragon, with golden thyme next to it. 
Here we have chives, Greek oregano and hot & spicy oregano in front, with some chamomile and a strugglig sprig of stevia in the back. I planted the stevia this year, and also had to replace my rosemary, which never seems to overwinter for me. My sage also died after lasting a few years. I'm hoping to get a common sage along with a pineapple sage, which is gorgeous as a huge ornamental plant. If you see that variety out, you should get it and put it someplace in full sun with lots of room - and wait for the show.
Moving along to the veg, this bed is badly in need of thinning, with spinach and some out of control turnips. And lots of grass clippings because the lawn was just mowed!
Next up is the bed where half the work was done for me in the fall. The greens furthest away is a variety of arugula called rocket, or wild arugula. I had arugula in this bed last year and let it go to seed, and the seeds went everywhere. All done! The seeds germinated when they were good and ready, and I didn't have to do anything (although I also now have an arugula lawn and arugula 
pathways). In front of that, I broadcast some mesculun mix a few weeks ago, and that's coming up nicely too. Both those crops are the kind you can cut and inch above the soil line, and the plants will regrow. Sow it once, and you can have salad for the whole spring and some of the summer. On either side of both crops is my slowly plodding along peas. I'm not sure how much they appreciated that week of 90 degree weather we just had, so we'll have to see how much they wind up producing this year.
pathways). In front of that, I broadcast some mesculun mix a few weeks ago, and that's coming up nicely too. Both those crops are the kind you can cut and inch above the soil line, and the plants will regrow. Sow it once, and you can have salad for the whole spring and some of the summer. On either side of both crops is my slowly plodding along peas. I'm not sure how much they appreciated that week of 90 degree weather we just had, so we'll have to see how much they wind up producing this year.
The second half of this bed consists of my wall-o-waters housing early tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. The only way to get summer crops started in the ground in spring is with some type of greehouse style protection. In between, I planed a row of carrots and a row of radishes. You can just barely see one of the tomatoes peeking out over the top. Hopefully the combination of putting an early fruiting variety in the wall-o-water means fresh garden tomatoes in June!
STRAWBERRIES! This will be year 3 for my strawberry bed. Last year we were buried in strawberries for all of June. It's worth losing a bunch of space to a strawberry patch, but they need to be contained somehow or they will run right over you. Even then, it's like keeping puppies in a box. Good luck!
Early morning dew on a strawberry leaf.
This shot is of my perennial bed, which is my asparagus patch, and horseradish in buried containers. We're also in year three of the asparagus, but I feel like it should be producing better at this point. Asparagus takes a few years to really establish, so maybe I'm just jumping the gun. The horseradish are in buckets because that's another crop that will take over (underground) if left unmanaged. In back is a cover crop of rye which I have yet to till under and let decompose - the purpose of a cover crop. Hmm, not sure when I'll be getting to that one.
Onions, shallots and garlic and doing just fine.
And last but not least, the Earth Boxes are housing a variety of lettuces. It looks like the endive and lettuce are ok, but the radicchio and mache are not so hot. For more details on the Earth Box, check my blog entry from 7/29/08.
That's all the news for now. In just a few weeks - TOMATO TIME!
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