We topped off the flower beds this week, starting with a layer of alfalfa, then a layer of coastal hay (straw for you more inland), and iced with a thick layer of premium compost. Building the beds this way uses less water and adds nitrogen to the soil. Coco and Cherry loved spreading the hay.

Bacon unloads compost from his truck. He managed two loads for me before our next door neighbor recruited him to haul mulch.

Bacon tops the straw with compost. The Old Blush rosebush in the foreground is already blooming.

This beautiful broccoli is close to harvest. It was grown from seed in a layered bed built last fall using the same method.

These yellow blooms attract bees to the container garden.