As I push my garden shovel into the loam, grit, and pebbles of my yard, I feel a mix of excitement and mild anxiety. Mostly, I am wondering whether the squirrels will undo my ambitious spring bulb planting. (For new gardeners: spring bulbs go in the ground in fall and make their big debut come spring.) I am also hoping I have timed things right.

Still, I am grateful for this small window of dry weather today, dodging the famous Pacific Northwest rain that has settled in for the season the way I will soon be settling into my couch with a blanket and a delightful book.

This time of year, I like to take stock of what went well in the garden and what I learned. My biggest takeaway? You cannot fight nature, especially curious critters who treat raised beds like their personal buffet. Two roun

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