We have had a garden full of mint in our backyard for several years. Starting with nothing, it took over everything until all we had was a very fresh garden.
Avery and I reaped the benefits of mint almost daily by pulling leaves and eating them right on the spot. I’d pick some for her…
…then she’d return the favor. Or should I say flavor?
Having grown tired of our giant mint garden and wanting more diversity, Going Mom decided having so much of this herb just wasn’t mint to be. With a hoe in both hands and determination annihilate our herbal haven, off she went. But she had to stop for a mo-mint when two big frogs appeared from deep within the bug-rich soil.
At the announcement of her amphibious discovery, Avery appeared as if out of nowhere to see. She loves finding and catching frogs, lizards, and, much to Mommy’s dismay, snakes. Yes, Daddy loves reptiles and it seems I passed the love down to our daughter. Snakes might be off limits, but Going Mom gets along with frogs, so she caught one for Avery to pet.
We need to remind her not to pet the eye, but besides that Avery is fairly gentle.
The frogs felt otherwise, and struggled to escape. Kelley could only hold on for so long, but Avery was adamant about catching them herself.
She tried, tried some more, and tried again after that, but these big jumpers did not want to play on Labor Day. We tried to explain that the frogs don’t like to be picked up and just want to be left alone, but Avery was like….
It’s understandable, playing with new creatures is fun and is a wonderful experience, but we must respect them too. My wife worked around the frogs that refused to leave the garden and removed all of the mint just as she said she would. We still have basil in one spot, but for now, no more mint for Avery and I to snack on.
We can get over the lack of mint, but I was concerned the frogs only liked their fresh abode because of the fragrant herb. But, after a short break, we returned to check on the guys and found a new sign posted.
Guess they still like the spot. Bad news for them since we’ll plant new produce soon. Not sure what, but hopefully it grows as well as their minty predecessor.
Labor Day was fairly low key besides the garden and lots of backyard play. Just how we like it. Now it’s time to find something to plant for the Fall. Any good ideas?
I made the mistake of planting mint next to my house one year and in two years I was like you digging it all up. I didn’t have any frog buddies to displace though when I was excavating it!
I wish we kept a little mint, but I know we’d end up in the same situation again. As you know, it spreads fast! Frogs are pretty cool to have around though.
Avery’s so cute. We had to removed our herb garden this year. The drought hurt us in the Mid Atlantic. Like the Frog Crossing sign!
Thank you, hope you recover from the draught!