From the moment we moved into this house with a nice big back yard, I knew we should have a garden. The great news is that my husband helped make it happen.

The first year, we only had one small raised bed for some tomatoes and green beans. The next year, we added another raised bed, much bigger. And now we have three raised beds. Could we use another? According to my son, yes.

He has been helping me garden from the very first, a small shovel clasped in his hands. He loves to run out to see if any of the seeds have sprouted yet. He watched for blooms or veggies to grow. Sometimes he’ll even help pull weeds.

Once things start growing, he helps snap green beans and pick anything I’ll let him. Last year, he got to shell peas for the first time. And this year, at the ripe old age of nine, he planned out where everything should be planted.

Did we plant our garden according to this model? As closely as we could, yes. Some of the plants needed a little more room than he gave them in his drawing, so we scooted things around to accommodate, but for the most part this is how our garden is planted this year. The broccoli is in front of where the peppers went. And we’ll need to get a few more trellises. But I’m almost as eager as my son is to see how things grow. We also added in some marigolds (to help discourage insects) around the edges, and sunflowers in the middle.

Also, I’m so proud of him for taking the initiative to plan it all. He knows we move things each summer so the ground can rest from providing nutrients to one item and give nutrients to another. Our own version of crop rotations. Ha. He’s watched me over the last seven years and has learned enough to plan out a fairly smart garden.

Which goes to show you can never be too careful. Because someone is always watching you and learning from you, even when you don’t think so.

Do you garden? What are some veggies you like to grow? What’s something your child learned from you?