How will our garden grow?

We planted our garden last Friday! We've got grape tomatoes, various peppers, squash, zucchini, and cucumber. And we have some big tomatoes we still need to plant. Mysteriously, one of the cucumber plants has vanished. Only a string is left. It was pretty sickly just after we planted it, so I guess it's not a big loss. I'm hoping to replace it with an eggplant, but our local garden center is sold out. We also have dill, a few plants I'm growing from seeds, and strawberries a friend gave us. Here's photos of our little plants. Hopefully this post isn't too boring; I just think it's so fun to see these things growing! Last year we were amazed by how our tomatoes took off, so we expanded things this year, and I'm dreaming of the fresh veggies to come.... I added a photo of Natalie filching tulip bulbs. I thought only rabbits did that!

My Yard's Most Abundant Perennial

Dandelions. They are taking over our lawn! Yesterday I pulled the heads off hundreds of dandelions (which is pretty amazing when you consider that the lawn in our backyard is about the size of a postage stamp). I figure if I pull all the heads off the dandelions as they bloom, at least they won't spread new seeds. And when I get a chance, I use a little spade to uproot a few of them. It gets a good portion of the root, and it makes me feel like I'm doing something to turn the tide. Anyone have a tip for getting rid of dandelions without killing the lawn too?

A Taste of Spring

While I was cleaning up the backyard this afternoon, Natalie learned the first rule of the outdoors: dirt doesn't taste good. She picked some out of a planter, and the rest was history. The little dirt eater next to Natalie is Dave. He's probably about the same age as Natalie in this photo. The only difference is, Dave was enjoying it.