Hi Everybody, Well, today we planted the garden–even though it’s snowing lightly. Planting this early in northern Wyoming is either very brave or not very bright, but we’re starting with seeds rather than plants, so we’re hoping they won’t dare to sprout until the middle or end of April. We’re planting jalapeno and serrano peppers, tomatillos, grape tomatoes, corn, snow peas, and taking a chance on some Mandan beans recovered from an archaeological site in North Dakota. We’ve tried Anasazi beans, but they scream and perish come the first snow in September. We obviously don’t have a long enough growing season for them. We have the same problem with squash. We get to eat lots of blossoms in September, but never a single squash. We’ll also be planting a border of Datura around the garden. Datura, which is toxic, has large white trumpet flowers, and seems to discourage the chipmunks, cottontails, deer, and packrats from entering the garden. Those of you who’ve read our books also know that Datura was used for supernatural purposes by the native peoples–particularly vision quests. The problem with Sister Datura is that if you don’t know what you’re doing, she can kill you. Keep that in mind. She’s a Power plant. If you decide to plant Datura, don’t touch the seeds with your bare hands, and if you do, wash them thoroughly and immediately afterward. But she has a spectacular garden presence. Cheers, Mike and Kathy