Gardening like a child

Sheet mulch and rather untidy corner of the garden

My 3 year old planted Horsemint in that there pile of old stems

When gardening with a 3 year old, you really have to let go and go with the flow.

I had planned to put up some chicken wire on the bottom of the gates to stop @ForestGdnDog from running out in the road. But my 3 year old had other ideas. He wanted to do some digging in the polytunnel and play with the ice in the watering cans.

This reminded me of Alison Levey saying how the garden dictates what needs to be done, which goes against my nerdy list-making tendencies. In this case, it’s the 3 year old doing the dictating.

Luckily, I managed to interest the 3 year old in planting some Horsemint (Mentha longifolia) in a corner of the Farside (Horsemint is apparently one of the best mints for ground cover). This is a job I’ve been meaning to do for some months.

Me, I love mint, and so do the bees. Only trouble is, it’s rampant, hence why I’m planting it in a corner, with what will be mown grass paths on all sides. I had really neglected it, grown in small 9cm pots, left in the baking heat unwatered, ignored in the hard frosts of late. But there was masses of root growth on most of the plants, busting to send out lots of lively shoots.

I did find Horsemint hard to come by, I ended up buying seeds from eBay I think. Then I found out that Farmyard Nurseries, who are just down the road, have pots of the stuff.