I was wandering through the vegetable garden Saturday afternoon and was surprised to see asparagus up.

It was only six spears, and we had company, so the spears got eaten raw before the wine and appetizers even came out. But this is a sign that it is an early spring -- probably about a week earlier than normal.

I have to stop the in-garden snacking now, though, so we can have enough asparagus for Mothers Day dinner this Sunday.

I also saw a few blossoms on our strawberry plants, and they look good. The lettuce I planted last weekend has sprouted, but I am still waiting for the first green from the potatoes, peas and carrots. Probably we need a little more rain, which we are supposed to get later this week.

The Lancelot leek plants and our onions came in from Dixondale Farm in Texas, and I planted those Sunday after the company left.

The daffodils look good, the pulmonaria is blooming and the tulips are beginning to come in. We even had enough flowers for Nancy to cut some for inside.

Sunday's column opens with a piece on spring pruning and includes a few little items after that.

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