We planted our home garden the third week of May. I’m better about knowing what to do on my own  – such as purchasing plants and seed packets (…because if I bring the boys along, it will take twice as long and surely give me a headache from over-stimulation and cause me to yell at them over something trivial like which green bean packets to buy. This is, of course, the opposite of how I want them to remember gardening.) – and when to call in the boys: to plant a few of their favorites in their garden.

So, one Tuesday afternoon I purchased most of what we needed and had the boys plant what they wanted. I did the rest.

Last year, Jude ripped Rex’s chives out of his garden as a naughty way to torture his brother, so I know this planting gig can go sour quickly, especially if I expect them to do too much. They get bored waiting for me and give in to mischievous garden acts.

Rex wanted to plant his cucumbers, one of his two tomatoes and his chilli red. I planted the other tomato and his basil.

Jude wanted to plant all of it, from cucumbers to green bean seeds to yellow tomato plants. He gets into gardening the most.

Morris wanted to do the seeds, and it is so sweet watching his little hands drop the seeds in the holes. He is especially nurturing with the plants, gathering dirt into a mound around the stem with his little six year-old hands. He likes to plant most of his garden on his own, too.

I added herbs to mine, and Jude selected a few flowers to plant for our fairy garden. Then, we were done!