It’s a little tricky for me to keep my hands off during this part. I love to plant! I really want to dig the little holes, nestle the plants into the earth, and gently cover them back up. Instead, I let my boys have this satisfaction.

We planted our gardens on Sunday, May 29, 2016.

Jude planted his garden first. He wanted to plant each plant by himself, and he carefully selected where they’d go. When I told him to place his tallest plants in the back, his mind quickly calculated what should go where and why. For example, when selecting the spot for his dill, he considered and said, “This (square) would be the worst possible spot for the dill because the corn would block all the sun.” He gets it.

Jude dug all the holes for his plants, took all the extra wrapping off, tore the bottom off the plants with the recyclable pots, placed the plants or seeds into the earth, and carefully covered them up. We saved five squares for potatoes that were coming via mail (Burpee.com), so his planting was done quickly…maybe too quickly for him. He really loved it.

Morris planted his garden next. At age 4, he wants to do what his brothers do, but his attention span is shorter. With his dad, he dug the hole for his tomato plant, tore off the bottom of the paper pot, carefully placed it in the earth, and covered it up. He continued with the cabbages he wanted, but started to lose interest after that. His brothers were on the trampoline, after all! Reluctantly, he popped pea seeds into the little holes I dug, and then said, “I’m done, Mom. You do the rest.”

Rex was the last to plant his garden, and he did so with care. As the oldest, he takes responsibility seriously, and he wanted to make sure he did it right: placed plants in good spots, and covered them with enough dirt. To speed the process along, he asked that I help did the holes while he prepared the plants (took off the paper pot bottoms and wrappers) and planted them. He planted his entire garden, and then we were done!

Three boys. Three gardens planted!