Growing Things

kids grow nicely on boats--plants, not so much...

Maia asked for two dollars to buy a basil plant. Yes, a basil plant. It’s not that she particularly likes basil--she actually isn’t that keen on anybody eating ‘Oliver’. It’s that she likes growing green things. Any green thing. And she assumed we’d be more open to onboard herbs, than say, flowers.

I get this. I’ve had gardens in some pretty unlikely places. We once got in trouble with a building manager for growing corn on our small balcony. When we moved out, dirt (including a large worm compost) made up about half our belongings.

When we moved into our condo in Vancouver, Maia and I quickly took over a neglected section of the property and installed a garden. Toddler Maia got a particular joy out of planting seeds (and digging them back up when I wasn’t looking to see how they were growing…), and deep happiness out of caring for the plants as they grew. Eating the rhubarb, peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries was truly secondary for her.

Maia had the original Oliver when we were in Mexico. She had bought him at a market and nurtured him through seasickness (we don’t think he liked the salty air) and heatstroke. She finally gave him up for adoption when we were getting ready to cross.

Since then, at every Pacific market, she's wistfully eyed plants, stroking the green leaves, knowing that we couldn’t have one aboard because we’d lose it when we got to Australia. But when she showed me Oliver II, I realized it was time to grow something new.

 I'm worried corn may be next.