If you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your toddler, why not plant an indoor herb garden? Not only is it educational, but it’s rewarding, too. Check out the blog below for some tips on what to do. Good luck!

On Feb 15th 2022, The Currie Family started to plant our indoor herb garden. We decided we wanted to enjoy the taste of summer in our home year-round. There are plenty of options to start and maintaining an herb garden. My vision for this herb garden is to produce enough herbs to be able to dehydrate the herbs to make our own spices. After much research, it appears that store bought spices have a lot of fillers in their spices. I did try dehydrating onions and that is where I became hooked on planting an herb for future cooking and making spices. I dehydrated the onions and used a spice grinder to finely grind the onion into a powder. I made my own onion powder. Was it good? Yes, so much better than the store-bought ones. It will take a lot of herbs to make a lot of spices but I’m here for the challenge.

Gather some soil and biodegradable pots and let your kids help with filling the pots with soil. It’s great for toddler’s motor skills. I put trays under them so the cleanup in easy and stress-free. Listening to the stories the kids tell while playing in soil was priceless. A toddler’s imagination is golden.

The kid’s enjoyed looking at the different colors and speckles in the soil. They also loved being able to use big kid tools. Did we make a mess? Yes! And it was worth every bit of every smile and giggle.

The list below are the herbs we used and more detailed information on planting and gardening tips:

Basil

• 5-10 days for germination
• Moist, well-drained soil
• Grows and produces best in warm temperatures
• Minimum of 6 hours of sun daily
• Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep
• Plant 4-6 seeds per pot for indoor gardening
• As the plant grows, cut the top bud. This will allow the side shoots to grow.
• Harvest leaves about 90 days after planting.
• Basil is fragrant and have a mild and sweet flavor. Suited for classic Mediterranean dishes and some cocktails.

Lavendar

• 14-28 days to germination
• Requires moist soil
• Germination is best for starting when planted indoors
• Needs 16 hours of sun daily
• Plant each see 1/8 inch deep and do not cover with soil
• Gather flowers in the morning on a warm, dry day by cutting at the base
• Hang upside if you want to use the drying method
• Dried Lavendar is good in tea

Parsley

• 14-21 days to germination
• Well-draining soil
• Full sun
• Soaking the seeds overnight will help them germinate
• Remove any flowering stalks to increase the production of leaves
• Parsley can in stored in the refrigerator for a week
• Dried parsley is good short term
• Parsley is used for cooking Italian cuisine

Mint

• 5-9 days to germination
• Well drained, rich and moist soil
• Grows best in warm temperatures
• Full sun to part shade
• Matures in 70-80 days
• Plants will self-seed after blooming
• Uses for mint are ice cream, drinks, fresh salads, and main dishes

Rosemary

• 14-21 days to germination
• Light, well-drained soil
• Full sun
• Prune lightly by pinching the stems
• Rosemary can tolerate a light frost
• Use on roasted meats, poultry or fish
• Can be preserved in oils and vinegars

Oregano

• 10-21 days to germination
• Well drained soil
• Full sun but will tolerate light shade
• Harvest after the plants are 45 days old
• Used in Mexican, Italian and Greek cooking
• Can be added to pizza, pasta, soups, sauces and stews
• Goes well with tomatoes, garlic, lemons and olives

Update on herbs:

Today is Feb 25, 2022 and we have some sprouts coming in!

March 2023: We have moved since I first published this post. This is an updated. Even though our herbs did well, we did have a lot of herbs not sprout. It’s important that your herbs get plenty of sunlight. We’re currently using our cellar as a grow house until we get a greenhouse built. We purchased these <a href="http://<a href="https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-93101230-Balanced-Spectrum/dp/B07NN6SVG6?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.bf0b8a00-43f7-4020-a8a0-e0196cdea663.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.bf0b8a00-43f7-4020-a8a0-e0196cdea663.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&content-id=amzn1.sym.2501e731-e00e-46aa-97f8-28a8de3ef511%3Aamzn1.sym.2501e731-e00e-46aa-97f8-28a8de3ef511&cv_ct_cx=grow+lights&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.bf0b8a00-43f7-4020-a8a0-e0196cdea663.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-pecos-desktop&keywords=grow+lights&pd_rd_i=B07NN6SVG6&pd_rd_r=3b8a8e42-135e-4bf7-88f6-2f1686d58212&pd_rd_w=hUrh0&pd_rd_wg=dEfNm&pf_rd_p=2501e731-e00e-46aa-97f8-28a8de3ef511&pf_rd_r=7HHB18GNH23MQN4RYKRB&qid=1678709154&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-2-c26ac7f6-b43f-4741-a772-17cad7536576&linkCode=li1&tag=thecurrieroot-20&linkId=3fdaf531376cd032c4b4dce6565a22b7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il&quot; target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B07NN6SVG6&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thecurrieroot-20&language=en_US" ></a>grow lights, and they seem to work very well. Right now, we have several things planted indoors and our broccoli plants have sprouted and are thriving. We also lightly spritz our seedlings with a water bottle. I try to keep my soil moist but not overly wet. I’ve also recently learned that if you sprinkle cinnamon on top of your soil, it helps prevent fugus such as mold. Cinnamon is anti-fungal so it should aid in good plant growth and keep away harmful fungus.