Last week, we received two dwarf sweet cherry (Prunus Besseyi)trees I ordered online from Sandusky Valley nursery. They arrived quickly and were well packaged in reused newspaper and plastic. We planted them on Saturday. Lil helped dig the holes and plant the trees. Then she and Alex moved some mulch and we mulched overtop.

Here we are after planting:

Then Lil and Alex planted beans.

We recognize that it could be faster to garden without three year old assistance. It would most definitely be less messy.

But what a skill to teach a child? We are modeling good stewardship of the earth and giving her first hand experience with how plants grow.

Lil feels such attachment to the foods she help grows. If I serve peas at dinner, she will rarely eat them. Allow her to pick off the vines, and peas become her favorite vegetable. Lil is already eating mint leaves right out of the garden this year and even drew a picture of a mint plant the other day.

Besides all that, gardening with other people, especially children, is way more fun than gardening alone.

Spring is here and our favorite family pastime is back too - planting together.