These 3 seed catalogs all came in the mail . . . in one day. Yep, 'tis the season to order seeds and plan out your garden! I know it may seem early, but we started sweet potatoes in January last year and lots of veggies indoors in February. Plus, what better way is there to beat the winter doldrums than anticipating and planning for spring?

This year, we will continue to use our raised square-foot gardening method, though we definitely plan to tweak a few things.

The kids will tell you, though, that the most exciting addition to the garden this year will be Girls 1 and 2's patches. They've each chosen foods they like (carrots and canteloupe for Girl 1 and green beans and watermelon for Girl 2). The idea is that they will plant, tend, and harvest their own patches (learning all along the way from us). Of their produce, they can sell 2/3 (more than likely to their parents) and give away at least 1/3 to neighbors and friends. Sounds like a fun idea, right? I wish I could take the credit, but it comes directly from an AMAZING parenting book I'm reading right now, Honeycomb Kids: Big Picture Parenting for a Changing World and to Change the World! by Anna M. Campbell. I'd recommend it. Little Boy will, of course, be my constant side-kick in the early months of gardening while the girls are still in school, so he'll get lots of gardening experience as well, even though he's not quite ready for his own plot. Here's hoping he's old enough to know the difference between a weed and cucumber vine this year! :)