Well, the gardening has begun!  I really enjoy digging in the soil, turning it, weeding and seeing the increased number of earthworms.  I decide to forgo the use of tiller for this job because I love connecting with the soil.  This process is very meditative for me and as I turn the soil I contemplate the miracle of growth and give gratitude to the earth and to my father who taught me what I know about gardening.
 I had started a compost pile which is not in an optimum place due to not having enough sunshine, so I decided to compost directly in the garden!  This seems to be a great decision and I believe this is the reason I have such a nice increase in earthworms.  All I do is take the kitchen scraps out, dig a shallow hole about 5-6 inches deep, spread the scraps in the hole and shovel some soil back on top.  The worms do the rest!  Make sure when you compost you use only vegetable matter and keep in mind citrus does not compost well.

I lucked out and discovered at the hardware store three 40lb bags of wood pellets that were being given away free because the bags were broken open and were exposed to moisture.  I snagged those babies and spread them in the garden!  I did my due diligence first and researched to make sure there were not additives or chemical content.  The wood pellets absorbed the moisture and broke down beautifully, adding organic matter and moisture retention ability to the soil.  Mushroom mulch is sold by the scoop locally here in PA; it make a lovely top dressing for your garden and I also use it to mix in with the soil when I plant tomatoes. 
So far this season, I have planted collard greens, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, carrots, radishes, kale, onions and potatoes.  Now, most people here in PA do not understand this thing with collard greens...this is a southern thing that is not understood this far noth, however, I am from Virginia and southerners know there is nothing better than some collard greens cooked with a bit of ham or better yet, a meaty ham hock!  I am making myself hungry now....!
To my dismay, I visited the garden this morning to find my lettuce and my broccoli had been topped by the resident rabbit!  Not good.  To discourage rabbits, I hear blood meal sprinkled around the garden arer will repel rabbits.  I prefer not having to purchase critter control products; I figured that since I had never seen my cilantro bothered, I thought it may act as a deterrent if I planted it next to the rabbit's preferable dining choices.  We will see how that works.....  The good news is, I harvested my first few asparagus spears today! They did not last long after washing; they were wonderfully sweet and crisp!