The Joy of Gardening

We are in our second year of a real garden. Last year was literally a wash since we had tons of rain and just couldn't keep up with the weeding. We had to get our stuff out way early before it all rotted. I had Leah right when our peas and beans were starting, so the work was pretty much up to Jon, if he had actually been able to get in the garden. This year is much better. We've had a good balance of rain and sun and we've both been able to spend a good amount of time outside. It's a bit difficult for me since I can't really take my eye off of Leah outside. She enjoys eating dirt in the garden, but then she gets bored and wants to do something else. So I try to work around her naps and my housework.

Today I was very excited to pick 3 buckets of beans. The boys helped for about 5 minutes, then Finn was adamant that he pick peas. Ben just walked around the beans, picking here and there, and then watching me work. I did some weeding this afternoon. The boys don't seem to quite understand, because Finn wanted to help and picked an onion. At least he got a good-sized onion. Ben's not big into weeding. They're figuring out this is a bit of work, though we try to make it sound fun. Finn is anxious to pick tomatoes. When it comes time to pull stuff up, they will be ready and willing.

We hope to instill in our kids an enjoyment of gardening. They know we get to eat the stuff out of our garden, and some day we hope they appreciate the wonder of God's creation and the feeling of accomplishment (as well as the taste of home-grown food) that comes with the work of gardening.