Two Little Gardens

The Farmer's Almanac website and the weather forecast say the threat of frost has officially passed for our area, so the constant gardener in me is itching to get out and plant some things.

I put a couple tomatoes and some herbs in my planter, and I look forward to enjoying their bounty in our kitchen, but I wished there was room for me to plant a bigger variety of things.

Then I noticed a barren, shady, little dirt patch by our gate.  I decided to try sheet-mulching it--covering the ground with wet newspaper or cardboard to keep weeds from cropping up in my garden . . .

. . . then covering the newspaper with some good soil (and a stepping stone so I can easily reach the back of the plot without compacting the soil).  I planted a variety of shade-loving veggie seeds: peas, spinach, kale, chard, radishes, and a couple of lettuces.  I'm curious to see which things will flourish here.

While I worked on my little dirt patch, Todd happily played on his own nearby, repeatedly scaling miniature hills and hiking along the artificial creek bed.  Sometimes I think I need to find ways to entertain my kids all of the time, but I'm increasingly finding that they are good at entertaining themselves.  It's important to spend time together, but it's also important to let them learn how to enjoy playing on their own.