The kids are so worked up they can NOT stand still for a moment!  Not even for the camera!  They are excited to go outside!



Here is the 'before' picture of the garden!



And the kids are sizing up the problem.



Here they are digging...



The first square is weeded... and here are some potatoes from the kitchen,r eady to plant.  They are easy to propagate... take the potatoes with 'eyes' on them, cut them individually into pieces with eyes and plant the pieces.  You'll have a bumper crop.  I dont think these will produce... DH threw them out there to be planted, but there are no eyes to speak of.  I think I will just wait for the next batch ;)



Here I have been working on the second square... you can see my stirrup hoe in the picture.  The kids are off elsewhere, getting out some energy.  They are pretty useless the first hour or so because of that energy!  Anyone would think they'd been cooped up for YEARS!



DS is scraping moss off of the bricks.  To be honest, he is not supposed to... but he had already dug up some gladioli bulbs (for replanting) with all their little baby bulbs... and now he wanted to scrape a brick.  DD is watching with interest!



She got tired of bricks and wandered off to watch ants instead.  There is some borax-sugar mix there because we are trying to stop the ants... they live under the siding on the house and are already trying to get into the kitchen.  We know it wont be long before they make it and are trying to stop them now!!
That is mint behind her...



Here is one of the numerous field pansies that cover the property... this one is in the middle of the driveway!  They are tiny members of the violet family... no more than a few milimetres (about 1/4 inch max) big.  DS found these... and I identified them for him... so we're definitely getting in some nature study here!



The second square is weeded... and the path beside it is cleared too!



A bit of mathematics... DS is measuring the square for me... 3ft 11 inches.  A-HA!  We are off by 1 inch... so I move the bricks some...

and I place some canes over it to make a Square foot garden!!



The kids are diverted by the visit of a 'bucket truck' from the power company.  It entertains them for a good half hour or more!  Meanwhile... I am busy!



DS is back at the garden weeding...



I am getting ready to plant the potatoes... I have put four in each square foot, but only three look like they will grow!



And then I cover them up.  I have used a pine needle mulch for one reason only... it is free... courtesy of the pine tree in the front garden!



And here we are done!  I have weeded and cleared all three squares...  with a little help from the kids!
DS was very agreeable... he cleared the paths and weeded some.  Admittedly it was all because he really wants to plant the sunflower seeds... which we will chart the growth of!

Who says that using the garden for school is neither fun or possible? And this was not even 'official' since we were on top of school for the week!!