Gardening with toddlers can sometimes feel like herding cats through a mud puddle. But watching their faces light up when they discover something new in nature can be worth every spilled watering can and dirty handprint.

If you're looking for ways to make gardening more engaging for your little ones, here are three simple hacks that transform ordinary garden tasks into magical experience!

 

1. The Buzzy Bee Trick
Turn your toddler into a pollination expert with a cheap electric toothbrush! The buzzing of the toothbrush mimics the vibration of buzzing bees, which helps shake loose pollen in tomato flowers.

Show your little one how to gently place the vibrating toothbrush near the back of the tomato flower for a few seconds. It’s the perfect chance to talk about how the flowers will turn into tomatoes! For best results, try this between mid-morning and early afternoon when flowers are most receptive.

2. The Magic Fun Pinch-Prune
You can teach your toddler the magical "pinching trick" when the plants are young (about 8-12 inches tall). Show your little gardener how to carefully pinch off the top few inches of the plant just above a set of leaves. Or in the case of tomatoes, show them how to pinch off the triangular shoots

Explain that this is a “special garden magic trick.” What looks like making the plant smaller actually signals it to grow multiple stems from the pinched spot and produce even more flowers! Little ones might be convinced they really did do magic when their zinnia patch explodes with blooms later in the season.

 

3. Easy Bulb Planting - "A Buried Treasure!"
Make planting spring or fall bulbs extra fun and easy with an inexpensive auger bit for your drill. It’s essentially an oversized drill bit (available online for around $10) that attaches to any handheld drill and quickly creates perfect holes for bulbs.

You operate the drill to make the holes, then your toddler gets the joy of dropping in the "treasure" (bulbs) and covering them with soil. Be sure to mark the spot so they can watch their buried treasures turn into beautiful flowers!

These simple hacks make gardening with toddlers more fun and teach your little one the joy of nurturing growing things. What garden adventures will you and your toddler try first?