You'd never guess it from the weather today, but we've had a mercifully early spring. Last year, it was almost the middle of June before the trees were fully leafed out. This year, they were almost a month ahead of that. I've gotten a good start on the garden already (last year, I didn't plant until the third week in June).
The boxes TJ built for the first raised beds 6 years ago were starting to crumble with rot, so he built new ones – this time out of hemlock, which has a natural resistance to insects and rot. The wood is from a local mill, rough cut, so even though we couldn't get the 2 x 10 boards we used last time, stacking 2 x 6s that are a full 2 x 6 inches (instead of the frail 1.5 x 5.5 of “finished” lumber) gives us new boxes that are taller, beefier, and much grander seeming. The three beds full of garlic (above, in the foreground) will have to wait until after harvest for replacement.