May 6, 2017

Last year I had the boys plan their gardens on paper first. I made a table on a Word document – 4 x 4 – with a total of 16 squares to fill.

Like last year, the boys looked at a Square Foot Gardening website, complete with pictures of lots of vegetables they can grow, from tomatoes and green beans, to herbs and more unique veggies. The pictures show us how many of each plant can grow in each square foot, and the planning helps me, so I know how many plants and seeds to purchase. This is important as my head tends to spin when I get to a greenhouse or the plant section of a store.

This year, Jude planned first, and true to his personality, his garden grid is full of pictures. He selected lots of cucumbers (8 plants originally, but we backed off to 4! He loved these last year.), tomatoes, chives, beans, corn, carrots, mint, potatoes, squash, and the unique bok choi. He even drew his airplane planter, which he wants to grow flowers in. Jude also added a picture of what looks like a smiley farmer; I think it’s a self-portrait. 🙂

Rex planned next, and he knew exactly what he wanted: peppermint (His favorite.), cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, basil, onions, carrots, chives (Another favorite.), cilantro, chili peppers, and garlic (if we can find any). He was very decisive; I think he’s been thinking about his garden for awhile.

And, this year, Morris filled out his own garden grid. He drew pictures of each plant, and I added the words. Lots of green beans (two rows, he wanted!), squash, hot peppers, chives, yellow peppers, carrots, and maybe a radish. Watching him draw his garden plants was a sweet moment…