Gardening With the Toddler

I have always loved the idea of gardening.

I’m big on hunting and gathering.

It just tastes better if you have to work for it.

I don’t hunt though. If it wasn’t such an expensive hobby, maybe I would.

I like to fish, even though I get sea sick very easily.

And I really love crabbing, because eating crab is my favorite. We also happen to have Dungeness Crab here, which, in my humble opinion, is the best tasting crab.

Anyhow, I digress.

I love the idea of having a garden. I’ve dabbled in it here and there, but I have never had much success.

Now that I have kids, I am more motivated to follow through. Plus I was really jealous of people I knew that had a garden last year. Would it have hurt them to share their bounty?!

There are so many fun learning opportunities involved.

Not to mention the delicious food the kids are more likely to eat because they had a hand in growing it.

My plan is to have a small raised bed and teach my girl all about the how-to’s of gardening, (as I learn them myself.)

It’s the beginning of February and definitely not time to plant anything outside in my neck of the woods. So why not experiment with seeds inside?

I let Z pick out a few seeds to plant and I picked out a few.

We used egg cartons for our little starter project.

Using a glue gun, I glued empty K-cups to the lid side of the carton.

It was a great project for her because she got to do pretty much all of it. She filled the cartons with dirt, which was the really messy fun part!

Then she put the seeds in and watered them once she was all done.

She got a kick out of the different shapes and sizes of each of the seeds.

One carton was a few different types of herbs: basil, cilantro, rosemary. The other carton had zucchini, and sugar snap peas.

If you and your little one decide to do this, be sure to label everything you planted!

I tied each of the two full sized cartons in plastic bags to create a little greenhouse.

It’s something I saw on Pinterest. Supposedly by doing this, we don’t have to water them everyday.

I have one half carton without a bag, so I can see if there’s a difference.

Since the day we planted them, Z has asked to check on “what we’re growing,” every day.

I chose to plant sugar snap peas because I was pretty sure they would sprout in a few days.

They pulled through for me-they showed in less than a week!

My girl was even more excited than me!

Like I said, this is all experimental. I am fully intending on buying plants at the store once it’s time. If any of our little starters make it, they’ll be a bonus!

Do you have a green thumb? Feel free to share any tips in the comment section below-I can use all the advice I can get!