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My little brother always overwaters the herbs, so I set up a simple chart.
He kept drowning the basil by giving it too much water, so I drew a weekly chart with pictures of each plant. I added colored dots for the days each herb needs watering, and now he checks it before grabbing the can. It has saved our small balcony garden from soggy roots, and he likes having a job. What simple methods do you use to include kids or siblings in garden care?
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paigewright7mo ago
The colored dots chart is such a good idea. My little sister was the same with our tomato plants, she'd just dump a whole cup on them every day. I ended up painting the handles of her small watering can and my big one with nail polish, red for hers and green for mine, so she knew which one to use. I also stuck popsicle sticks in each pot with how many fingers deep the soil should feel dry before watering. It turned into a game for her to check.
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the_simon7mo ago
That red nail polish trick from @paigewright is a solid move. Turning chores into a game is the only way it works with kids.
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davidcraig7mo ago
Yeah color coding is key with little kids. My neighbor's boy kept mixing up the recycling bins until I put green tape on the paper bin and blue on the cans. Made it a mission for him to "sort the colors". Simple visual cues stick way better than just telling them what to do. Turns a boring job into a matching game.
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