Gardening introduction for toddlers
A couple of months ago I bought a little bucket with some strawberry seeds. I thought even allowing for my lack of gardening skill and interest we’d be able to manage that and that it would be a good gardening introduction for N.
We had 3 shoots, then they didn’t seem to get any bigger. And eventually we had to give up. N did enjoy looking at them and watering them, but he got a bit bored when nothing was really happening.
So I bought some ‘children’s’ flower seeds. A mix of seeds that should be infallible to grow, and would grow quickly. Then it would just mean weeding the soil in the wall, and popping the flower shoots in. Hopefully we’ll have some nice flowers without the dogs coming and eating them.
After only 2 days we had shoots – lots of them – so it was time to get some compost and put them outside. Yesterday N was off early from nursery, so we took the opportunity to get out and plant them.
N helped weed the compost and soil already in the wall; he has a little trowel so helped ‘chop’ up the compost I’d put in the wall to fill it up a bit higher. Of course he was more interested in just using his trowel to chop anything and everything including the shoots in the bucket, so I let him go off and just dig the bit of soil alongside the wall where it wasn’t going to harm or wreck anything. Give a boy some mud and a spade…
So the shoots are now planted out in the wall, and N sprinkled more of the leftover seeds in the bucket, so hopefully we’ll have even more to plant out in the next week.
My watering can had been commandeered a few years ago by my father-in-law, so watering the plants was a bit of a wash out. I don’t think N’s got the concept of watering along, rather than just sloshing the water in one place.
Today we did pick up a little watering can from the supermarket though, so he can sprinkle water to his heart’s delight. Hopefully being in the wall won’t be too dark for the flowers to grow any more, otherwise we’ll need to get some more compost to top it up.
It was his first forage into gardening with me (I don’t really do any of it), although they do have a vegetable garden at nursery that they help with a bit. But anything that means he’s outside is always going to be a winner with him.
Do your children enjoy pottering around in the garden?
Kids really enjoy helping in the garden, even if their helping is questionable! I hope you have some success in your wall there, always helps to see the fruits of your labour! Thanks for linking up and be sure to share the results soon.
If it works (and if the dogs don’t eat the flowers – like they used to with the tulips I planted), I’ll definitely be shouting about it!
It’s great getting kids into gardening, We’ve got our 3 year old planting veggies and just had some flower seeds delivered so that’s our next job for him #CountryKids
Only problem is our garden’s still a paddock and I have no interest in gardening. I might have more if the OH would get a border dug out for me (or do a veg raised bed). Am hoping father in law will take N on when he’s doing his veggie gardening.