The big news in the garden is that the deck is finished. We moved the furniture and a few select plants back this past weekend and had our first dinner party on Sunday evening. It was the first time for guests in over three months, they started construction immediately after we returned from New Zealand.

The new deck wraps around three sides of the house.

There is a connecting walkway to the large deck in the back, off the kitchen.

There is a gap next to the house where I have planted a hydrangea and a couple of ferns. They should quickly fill in and discourage anyone from falling in.

The new deck in the back is both wider and longer than the old one. We eventually plan to put a hot tub in the back.

The contractor thoughtfully built a small table next to the grill, and a power plug under the deck for the Traeger grill when we use it for smoking.

All this has dramatically increased our living space.

Both dogs love company, especially when they bring along their own dog.

So, what else is new in the garden? My handy husband has been raising the vegetable beds off the ground. If you are a regular reader you know about my battles with the roots of our surrounding redwood trees. They are very invasive and come in through the bottom of the beds, through two layers of extra strong weed cloth. I have had to dig out the beds a couple of times a year to remove the roots. Plus the roots acidify the soil. Most vegetables prefer soil that is a bit more alkaline or neutral.

It takes a couple of days to dig out the beds and raise them off the soil. So far we have three completed ones.

I have long wanted to put in asparagus, but that wouldn’t work if the bed had to be dug out. I had this problem with artichokes and it didn’t work very well. The closest bed now has asparagus. I checked this morning and it is starting to come up. Unfortunately, I will have to wait a year or so before we can harvest any for eating.

The next bed has zucchini, a summer favorite. I planted several colors and types.

The last bed, closest to the house, has mixed lettuces, arugula, and some bronze kale.

There are still six beds to complete. The next one built will get more lettuce or green beans.

What about the rest of the garden? Well, it’s spring and the flowers are blooming like crazy.

There is still a lot of work to do over the next few months. A Meyer lemon tree lived in a half-wine barrel for several years on the back deck. It’s time to plant it in the ground and it is looking very sad right now. I dug part of the hole last weekend and hope to get it into the ground this one. Fingers crossed that some good dirt, fertilizer, and room to spread its roots will save it. I miss fresh lemons from the garden.

The strawberries at its base are thriving although the dogs and birds get most of them.

Thank you so much for visiting and taking a walk around the garden.