Winter dreams of planting raspberries finally were realized as we finished up our new acre on Saturday!  The push to get those masses of bare root plants into the ground (well, at least mostly bare -- a few had shot out some sprouts and leaves) was at last accomplished!  And the number of the day?  2358!  Yessiree, we planted two thousand-three hundred and eighty-eight raspberries and blackberries last week -- thought I'd write the numbers out for extra emphasis!  It was a red letter day here at Plum Granny Farm!!

The week's planting began with a wonderfully rainy Monday and ended with scorching temps by Thursday.  The lack of rain this spring is indeed worrisome -- perhaps Mother Nature is giving us a break after such a soggy fall and winter.  This year it is hard to tell if it is spring or summer because the two keep running together!

After the planting was done, Ray and Cheryl continued the long-standing tradition of toasting the planting with a glass of raspberry wine.  Perhaps I should ask  -- does doing it for two years in a row make it a tradition?  I think the photos show that a good time was had by all...

After the few minutes of frivolity, it was back to work to get the irrigation going to our original raspberry field and the field that will be under the high tunnel.  Having lived in the arid West for nearly two decades, we are firm believers in irrigation.  Cheryl's dad hardly every irrigated -- but he planted more than twice as much as he needed to make up the difference -- we can't do that with our crops and drip irrigation is a key to ensuring the health of the plants.

Now that the raspberries are tucked into their new homes (and no longer living in boxes in the milk house), we can turn our sights to veggies, flowers and herbs!  And we're off!