While I am waiting for the winter to slip into Spring I am planning my raised garden beds and wondering about my strawberries. This winter has been very mild, so much so that the strawberries never really died back. I cut them back in the fall and covered them with straw. With a consistently mild winter this year, they really have grown back and the strawberry plants are peeking out of the straw here and there. I do hope this won't stunt the quantity of the fruit. This week has gotten cold again and there's frost in the mornings so it remains to be seen. Mother-nature has a wicked sense of humor here in North Carolina. Last year she waited until I planted my garden, albeit I planted a tad bit earlier than usual, but she waited just to drop loads of drowning rains and frozen over night temps. I tried to cover the garden with plastic and it might would have helped if the rains hadn't been so hard and persistent. Most of the garden did nothing. I was so sad I just yanked every bit of it up and left only the strawberries. When I say I yanked it up, I yanked the whole garden up, the wooden rails and all. It felt good until it was gone. No garden left there except and 4X20' strawberry patch. It turned over loads and loads of berries last year so I am looking forward to a great year this year. My plans for gardening this year include raised beds and not putting plants in until at least the end of April. I will be a good girl this year and do everything exactly right! Yeah. Sure. ;)