Gardening With a Toddler

Gardening with a toddler is a whole different experience than normal gardening.  In case you haven't had the chance to experience this type of gardening, or maybe you've forgotten what toddlers are like, there are few things you should know.

Gardening makes a girl thirsty, hence her need for two cups

How ever long it takes you to complete a garden task, plan for at least double that amount.  Your helper will want to help.  Unfortunately, the tools will be too big, the work too heavy, the jobs that need to be done won't be to her liking, she will need a drink or chalk or her wagon, and she will wander (usually to the bathroom) enough that you will consider putting a cow bell on her.  In fact maybe triple that time.

Toddlers make good Landscape Supervisors

You can't weed with a toddler...ever.  While you recognize that a weed and a garden plant aren't the same thing, they don't get that.  They see you pulling plants and guess what, they start too.  It's adorable, until the rip out a whole plant, or damage something "important".  Granted, if you let the weeds take over it doesn't matter what they pull.  Maybe this should be people's excuse for not weeding.  You're creating a garden environment for toddlers.

Make sure you pull weeds and only weeds.

They will get sooo dirty and so will you.  I'm not even exactly sure how this happens, I understand dirty hands, faces, feet, legs, arms, etc, but mulch and dirt in your diaper?  Why?  How?  Are you sure you aren't sticking it there when my back is turned.  What else could it be?

It will be bath time really soon

You may have planned a color pallet for your garden.  You probably spent time thinking about how the different plants and hardscape materials would play off each other.  Toddlers don't care about your color plans.  In fact if you let them, they will redecorate any hard surface you put in front of them.

Let me add some color and movement to your garden patio

Hand watering in the garden will be an entirely different experience.  Every time is like their very own splash pad in their backyard.  They want to hold the hose and use the watering can "all by them selves".  Now you will balance how much water the plants are getting with how much water your toddler is getting.  Mine is a bit of a water hog and wants more than her fair share.  On the plus side, it does mitigate the dirtiness factor.

"Helping" water the plants

Chores in the garden will become part of their routine and they will want to do them.

Feeding the turtles with worms freshly dug from the compost pile

If you are doing it right they will love being outside and want to spend time in the garden, helping with all of the work.

They will wake up and ask to play outside that day and will love it when you let them eat lunch or snack on the patio.  Eventually they may even become gardeners themselves.