Based on a 5x5' area: I'd make a raised bed, using the lasagna method of soil enriching, with shredded leaves for the top layer. Along the outer edges, skipping 3' of one edge: plant seeds for tall sunflowers about 8" apart. In between each sunflower seed, plant a climbing bean such as scarlet climber (for looks and edibility) or Fortex (for vigor, tolerance and amazing 18" bean pods). Plant a short marigold on either side of the skipped space. Once the sunflowers reach about 5' tall bend them to the middle of the bed (have dad help!) and loosely tie them together, just below the flower heads. She will now have her own play room - the skipped space becoming the doorway. I'd suggest putting any herbs or other flowers in pots... she can water to her heart's content, and the excess will drain out.

Check magazines such as Birds'n'Blooms (I think they had an article w/pictures last summer) or check link to a nice little article on starting a child's garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: NWF child's garden

Don't know where in arizona you are....but I most places I can think of would not a having the sort of weather for starting a garden now.
2 is awfully young to have any sustained interest in anything.....
When my kids were that age I had them plant big seeds like nasturtiums and sunflowers. But outside of poking the seeds into the ground, there wasn't a lot of interest after that.
Linda C

Meldy,

That's a really cool idea with the sunflowers---and a great link too.

Skybird

I garden quite a bit with my two year old. Here are some things we have done:

She has helped me plant a few seeds here and there (the only seeds that she can manage were nasturtium, sweetpea and sunflower) and has her own tools to dig around with. I grow quite a bit of edible stuff for her to snack and graze. She loves the our strawberry and raspberry patches. I like to grow a cherry tomato in a container on our patio for her snacking. We also eat nasturtium and borage flowers for fun.

I take her to the nursery with me and give her a rides in the wagons and she likes to visit with the cats and doves they keep there.

We bought a catnip plant for her kitty and we planted it near her play house.

I have raised beds with my veggies growing, and it was a bit of a struggle keeping her from digging when there were seeds and young plants. But now it thriving and she comes out to help harvest. When I needed to distract her I would just find some worms or bugs to keep her company.

Here's a link for a kids garden. It is for the NW but I'm sure some ideas are adaptable.

Here is a link that might be useful: NW kid's garden

My son loved to pick cukes and peas and beans. I showed him how to use 2 hands to pick so the plants wouldn't get pulled out. He'd sit in the walkways and munch.

Toddlers like to put things into containers and take them out...good sorting and dumping activities. They like pails and watering cans and little shovels and dump trucks in their own space.