August in the Kids' Gardens

As they had mostly spring vegetables in their gardens, it's not too surprising that they haven't had as much to harvest these days.

 

My daughter's garden:

 

She's still got a few peppers coming, and a few carrots, but mostly it is flowers.

She loves the flowers, so that's okay too.

(A girl after my own heart.)

 

My oldest son's garden:

His potatoes have about died off completely in the far back.

He also has a couple of peppers starting to turn red.

He been picking beans off his bean plant (not pictured), and has a few carrots here and there, along with those beautiful snapdragons right in front.

 

 

Littlest guy's garden is still going, but about to be all harvested.

Carrots and beets are hanging on, but will be picked within the week.

The Kids' Gardens, Late July

These have been fun for the kids.

When friends come over, they're so proud of their little gardens, and have to show the friends everything they're growing. Warms my heart!

 

My daughter's garden:

The flowers have pretty much taken over here.

Not that she minds.

She does have a few peppers growing in that cage, and a carrot or two in amongst the rest.

 

My oldest son's garden:

Lovely snapdragons, plus potatoes taking over the world, and a few peppers.

He also has a few beans here and there, along with a carrot or two.

 

Youngest son's garden:

Peas gone now, but still some carrots and beets to pull up and snack on.

 

Now that the main garden is producing things there's aren't (especially the beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers), their interest in their own little plots has waned a bit. But they still enjoy going out and seeing what they have growing--and picking things if they can.

The Kids' Gardens

 

 

My daughter's garden.

She's pulled out spinach, beets, and most of her swiss chard.

The flowers are doing great!

I believe she planted some beans in the empty spaces.

My son's garden.

Still has a few swiss chard hanging on, plus his potato plant is twice as big as any of mine.

 

They've both eaten carrots out of their gardens, too.

Also, see that splash of purple in the very front?

Volunteer petunias. Love that!

 

Didn't get a shot of the youngest sons' garden this time.

We have picked some beets out of his so far.

A Garden of Their Own

For the first time this year, I gave each of my kids a small piece of the garden to make their own and plant whatever they wanted (with some suggestions.)

We've talked a lot about what size things are supposed to get, and such. We also did some spring vegetables and talked about leaving room for summer stuff.

My two older kids each got roughly a square, around 4'x4', on the bottom terrace. My youngest got a little strip next to the path about 18"x4', up in the middle terrace.

 

It has been really interesting seeing the differences.

My oldest son wanted all edibles. 

 

About a week after he planted it.

One lonely potato shoot coming up and a few miniscule seedlings.

 

Here it is now. A bit more going on.

For spring, he planted 1 row of carrots, 1 row of swiss chard, 1 row of beets, and 1 hill of potatoes.

So far some carrots are up (upper left), his potato is doing awesome, and a few beets and spinach are scattered around. 

 

He left some room for summer stuff, so he recently added the basil, and the 3 sweet peppers surrounded by cages. 

In addition, at a school event he received a few herb seeds, a few cosmos, and 4 garbanzo bean seeds. I didn't show that, but those went in all next to each other right in the front.

He didn't ask for help or advice on that one and I didn't say anything once it was done. I figure he'll be able to see pretty quickly as they come up what the optimal spacing would be next time.

 

There's nothing like just getting your hands in it and trying it for yourself to learn!

 

1 week after planting seeds, flowers just put in

 

My daughter's garden now.

 

My daughter wanted a border of flowers all around hers, so we marked off where that would be with a plank and a trowel. Along the left side, for her flower border, she planted some 'Little Sweetheart' sweet peas, which are only supposed to grow 25-30 inches high. In the top left corner she planted an ornamental grass called Bunny Tails (Lagarus ovatus). I hope this one grows, as she is really looking forward to it!  We took a little trip to the garden center for flowers to fill in around the rest of borders.

She chose petunias, marigolds, portulaca, lobelia, and verbena.

There may or may not be room for vegetables! 

 

A closeup of her carrots and flowers.

 

In the middle of her square she planted 1 row each of carrots (shown above), beets, spinach, and swiss chard. She found some of my bean seed from last year and planted a few of those amongst her flower border, as well.

 

With what little room she had left, she put in 1 basil plant and 1 pepper.

 

I wasn't originally going to do a separate garden for my littlest guy, but after he saw what his older siblings were doing he insisted! I couldn't resist that.

So he got a long skinny patch, all right next to our little walkway in the middle terrace, for easy access.

 

Youngest son's garden (bottom of the picture)

We kept it simple for his.

He wanted all things to eat, like his big brother.

So we planted one section peas, one of carrots, and one of beets.

 

Here's a closeup of his peas, which are doing great!

He's very excited about his little garden and wants to water it all by himself.

I think he'll be even more thrilled when it produces food that he can actually pick and eat!

 

I think they're all planning to put in beans once some of their summer stuff is finished.

Maybe we'll actually get enough beans in the house to eat as a meal this year!

 

I'll admit it was a little bit hard to give up some of  my garden space, at first.

This has been great, though!

There have been so many teaching moments as we've talked about what to plant, when, where, how far apart, and all of that.  There will be many more learning experiences as everything continues to grow, including the weeds.

 

I've been doing what I can to help keep things watered, and if not weed-free, at least getting the big stuff. I really want this to be a successful venture for them.

It is heart-warming to hear them talk about their gardens, and show their friends who come over.

Spinach rules!

We are excited to be harvesting our first garden vegetable: spinach!

 

These smiles are not staged.

We really do love it.

The kids know they are free to pick it and eat it straight out of the garden.

So they do...often.

I'm not about to put a stop to that!

 

In addition to the spinach shown here, we've harvested at least that much another day as well.

So far we've had it in salad, soup, and vegetarian burritos.

I had half a packet of seeds left.

Surely I can fit another small spinach patch in somewhere, once the garden walls are finished, to extend this leafy green goodness for as long as possible!

Flower Family

 

My two assistant gardeners have caught the flower arranging bug.

They can pick all the dandelions and wild flowers they want.

Also, they have free reign to pick any that are done and need to be deadheaded.

(They love that chore!)

Even so, they often beg to be allowed to pick the living flowers from my flowerbeds.

Thanks to our experience with Erin's Garden Appreciation Society last year, I have been much more willing to let them.

 

I'm a complete amateur myself, but we have talked about trying to get as long a stem as possible, to make it easier to arrange them in a vase. Also, how it's better to snip one here and there, rather than leave a big hole in the middle of a section.

Mostly, though, we have had fun choosing and arranging what we bring in.

Giving the bouquets to friends makes it even better.

 

This time my daughter realized we had little, medium, and big vases all being used.

A flower family!

 

 

 

Assistant flower pickers and garden helpers.

The biggest vase on the left ("Flower Daddy") had the remnants of my purchased Mother's Day bouquet in it. The rest of the Family was all home grown.

 

It was a bit painful at first, to allow my precious flowers to be cut.

But the sparkle in those eyes and their eagerness to be involved with the arrangements has been so worth it.

I am planning to add a section of cutting flowers to my vegetable garden this year--a small patch, probably 4x4. Just because it is so much fun to say "yes!" and see what they come up with.

 

Makeshift Mud Pie Kitchen

One of my goals this year is to provide my kids with a place they can make their outdoor concoctions: soups, smoothies, cakes, etc.

 

But I've discovered kids are nothing if not resourceful.

In the absence of any kind of setup from me, they've taken to using the back wall along the shade garden as their makeshift mud pie kitchen.

 

From an old bread pan filled with bird seed and water, to a little bouquet in a 4-inch pot, they've got it covered.  They use scissors to snip everything up into small pieces for their smoothies and soups.

(When they're done with it, the compost pile welcomes the leftovers!)

"Granola with bananas (the rocks)"

"Noodles with some cake and some salad and some noodle sauce"

 

I would still like to come up with something for them out here. If nothing else, to corral all the various parts and pieces of their cooking utensils.

In the meantime, their imaginations have plenty of room to soar with what we've got, which officially, is odds and ends, castoffs, and nothing. Perfect!

Heat Wave Bouquets

We had an early spring heat wave last week!

With temperatures in the 70's, I decided to pick some of the spring bloomers so we could enjoy them in the house before the heat finished them off.

 

The kids were very eager flower pickers.

They even were excited to help me arrange them in vases.

 

Bouquet 1: The Heat Wave

 (Otherwise known as, the short-stemmed pickings)

 

Bouquet 2: Spring Lady

 I probably should have added some greenery, but I love it as it is!

 

 

I'm glad we were judicious in our picking.

So far most of the blooms have withstood the heat, and this week we're back to our usual early May temps in the 50's and 60's.

Spring Veggies In!

Can I get a "hurrah!" for gorgeous weather?

I finally got my spring veggies planted and the weather was just perfect.

This is the latest I have ever been, in the 9 or 10 years that I have planted a vegetable garden.

It's kind of odd.

And oddly enough, I'm okay with it.

There was about a 2-day window a couple of weeks ago, which I missed.

It has been rainy, cold, and miserable ever since.

 So here we are, just skimming into May.

 

My husband asked if these would all be okay getting frosted.

Um, actually, they all coulda shoulda been planted a month ago. Ahem.

 

Once again, the garden will be expanded this spring.

So I put all these in on the right-hand side.

With the two terraces as options, I was able to rotate them all a little, at least.

 

Middle terrace, looking through the pea trellis.

So, we're going to have a whole mess of peas this year. I hope.

Rather than try for lines within my blocked-off area, my daughter and I just planted peas all throughout, about every 2 inches apart. Then I strung up 3 lines of trellising front to back in the terrace. I hoping that will take care of whatever comes up.

The front half is 'Oregon Sugar Pod II', boasting multiple disease resistance and heavy yields (seed from last year.)

Back half is 'Little Marvel Pea,' a shelling variety, new seed.

I think the shelling peas taste better, but the sugar pods are easier for the kids to munch on.

Neither variety claims to need staking, but I pretty much ignore those claims. Peas get to be such a tangled mess all over the ground otherwise.

Speaking of trellising, no pea tee-pee this year.

That didn't work out so well!

Instead, we put in some pavers as a little path front to back, for easy picking (and to avoid trampling other stuff that will be planted in a month.)

 

Carrots seeds were liberally sprinkled to fill in the whole block between the peas and the side of the terrace there. I expect to do a lot of thinning. That's okay, because the kids snap up those baby-sized carrots anyway.

The front half is 'Rainbow Blend': a mix of 'Atomic Red,' 'Lunar White,' 'Solar Yellow,' and 'Cosmic Purple.' The kids and I can hardly wait to see what comes up in front!

For the back half, I went with my favorite regular (i.e. boring) carrot: 'Scarlet Nantes.'

Even the baby helped sprinkle seeds for these.

Did I mention the thinning?

Yep, we'll be on top of that.

The bottom terrace has potatoes, beets and spinach.

 

I learned a few things about potatoes last year. Namely:

 

1. My kids won't eat the potatoes that have purple flesh.

Purple skin is cool, purple flesh--weird and yucky. Got it.

 

2. If the potato piece doesn't have actual roots coming out of the eye when you plant it, there's a good chance it will rot instead of growing.

Rotten potato slime is one of the nastiest, smelliest substances ever.

 

So I ended up with 5 hills/holes of 'Yukon Gold' and 4 of 'Viking.'

Viking on the left, Yukon Gold middle and right.

Every hole has at least 3 pieces with roots already growing out of the eyes, and 1-2 pieces with eyes that have not started growing yet. Insurance, I hope, for all 9 to produce healthy plants.

 

Beets are next. Not too big an area for them, about 2' wide.

My seed is 1-2 years old, so I don't know if we'll even get any.

Front half is 'Chioggia,' which is supposed to produce red and white stripey beets (what is it about unusual colors of vegetables? I'm such a sucker for those!)

Back half is 'Cylindra', supposed to be uniformly 6" long for easy slicing.

 

Finally, the section next to the terrace steps is spinach.

I made about 4 rows within the section.

In front I planted 'Tyee' again, to finish off the seed from last year. 

It's supposed to be extra-slow bolting.

In back I put 'Olympia Hybrid,' a smooth-leaf variety.

You'll notice: I didn't bother with onions this year.

I decided to use the space for what we love more.

I'll be interested to see how the later (but warmer) planting date affects the growth.



My New Best Friend

Whoops, not him.

Although he's pretty darn cute.

Nope, not big sister, either.

Oh yes.

The mini tiller.

My first rototiller.

Yes, I have been digging out the vegetable garden by shovel every spring.

What was I thinking?!

It will probably get a name, but the right one is still eluding me.

It was meant to be a birthday present, but I was chomping at the bit to get outside and plant some spring veggies. So the Easter bunny dropped it off.  Surprise!

Then it rained for a week.

Today was the first time out of the gate.

I remembered to take the wheels off and put the pin in a safe place.

That's practically a win right there.

I was surprised at how much it bucked and pulled.

It took a firm hand, but in fairly short order we got 'er done.

[It took 20 minutes to till all the compost in to the middle terrace and another 20 to unwind the aspen roots from the rotors. Ha! Take that aspens!]

I have a feeling this will be our best year yet for the vegetable garden, and the beginning of a beautiful friendship for me and....Rhonda (?)

 

Have you already planted your spring veggies?

Does your rototiller have a name?

 Do your children beg you to ignore the warning sticker and just please, please let them try it?

This is going to be good. 

Gardening With Kids: Raising Butterflies

I have very fond memories of raising monarch butterflies, as a kid.

We had a whole patch of milkweed down in one spot on our Idaho farm, and there were always caterpillars to be found. My mom would help us get them all set up in a jar, with holes punched in the lid. We put fresh leaves in every day, and watched with delight as they eventually formed their chrysalis'. When they emerged, it was magical!

We would let them sit on our fingers, and "teach them" how to fly, by slowly moving our fingers up and down, as their wings dried.

 

By the way, Carolyn, over at This Grandmother's Garden, has recently posted some beautiful pictures showing this whole process.

 

So when my kids wanted a caterpillar for a pet, I had an idea where to go. No, we don't have any milkweed, unfortunately. We decided to head out to the broccoli patch.

Judging by the number of cabbage whites flying around, I was fairly certain we would be able to find a couple of candidates.

 

Sure enough, we found two: one big, one little.

They named the big one Jack and the little one Annie.

We got them all set up in their new home in a jar, much to the kids' delight.

Well, Annie didn't make it.

But Jack thrived and eventually made a tiny chryalis that stuck right onto the glass!

We were all impressed by that.

 

After about a week or so, my oldest came running out of his bedroom one morning, saying that there was a butterfly in the jar!

"Wow! Awesome!" he said.

Jack had emerged and was flapping around.

We knew we needed to get him outside to some nectar soon.

Butterfly on right.

 

Two attempts to get a picture of Butterfly Jack inside the jar were only marginally successful, as you can see.

Butterfly on left, broccoli leaf on right.

 

We took Jack outside and opened the lid.

Off he fluttered above our heads and away out of sight.

So long, Jack!

May you enjoy what's left of the broccoli patch.

Magic Purple Beans

Do you believe in magic?

What about the tallest beanstalk you've ever seen, with a giant at the top?

Well, those are different magic beans.

But apparently, magic runs in the species.

 

This magic is more of the home-spun variety.

Are you ready?

For this spell, you will need:

 

1 large handful of magic purple beans, 'Royal Burgundy' type

(a few regular old green beans won't hurt anything, either)

 

hot boiling water

* * * * * * *

 

Immerse the beans in the water for 4-5 minutes.

Or let them cook in the hot steam for about the same amount of time.

Don't forge to say the magic words!

"Ala-kazam! Presto chango!"

 

When you take off the lid, the purple beans will have disappeared, leaving green beans in their place!

 

This trick can be repeated many times, and it never fails to delight.

 

Disclaimer: This spell is guaranteed not to harm the beans or the bean-eaters.

In fact, it seems to impart a delectable flavor, judging by how quickly they get gobbled down at dinnertime. (A dash of magic makes all the difference!)

Pirate Treasure: Purple & Gold Potatoes (and a few onions)

My little band of pirates dug up some booty last week.

Well, I did most of the digging, and they picked out the treasures.

We had purple potatoes, of 2 varieties, and some Yukon Gold.

 

Digging up potatoes is one of the most kid-friendly garden chores.

We all love it. You get to play in the dirt!

And there's always the suprise of what you will find when you bring that shovel-full of dirt up.

Big or small, a lot or just a few; that unassuming patch of dirt could be hiding just about anything!

Those big purple beauties right on top were exciting to find.

Their bright skin just popped out at us from the dark dirt.

I planted 6 hills of Yukon Gold, and 3 of purples.

We got many more purples than golds.

In fact, we kept finding them way over in Gold territory.

Trespassers, that's what they were.

Don't worry, we snapped them right up and put them where they belonged--in the basket with the rest of the treasure.

 

 A couple of the pirates decided shoes were optional.

Captain Mama decided a bath was not optional.

 

Oh, the fun to be had in the potato patch!

We got done just as it started to rain.

Perfect timing.

 

I just found out from my dad, the master potato farmer (1200 hills this year!), that potatoes put on their most growth in the last 2-3 weeks before frost.

Oops. That could be why we mostly got small ones!

Good to know for next year!

 

The onions should at least get a mention, I suppose.

Anyone have tips on growing big onions?

Ours were all pretty small, which makes them a bit annoying to use, quite honestly.

You have to peel 4 or 5 to equal one regular-sized store bought.

 

Plus, they're not nearly as fun to harvest, since they're all just right there in plain view.

I'm afraid potatoes have spoiled us for above-ground harvesting for awhile.



Hands-On Sensory Container (aka: The Kid Magnet)

I bought another pot! I even forced myself to branch out from my usual true blues. So it's a gray-green. Hey, can't branch out too far or I might break off.

Why did I need another container, you may ask?

(No doubt, my husband would like to hear the answer, as well!)

 

I wanted a container that my kids could physically interact with, filled with plants that would delight their senses in several ways.

Granted, that's a lot to ask of one container.

On the other hand, when you have a garden, your kids will have sensory experiences outside. Picking herbs for dinner preparation, eating fresh vegetables out of the garden, playing in the grass, smelling flowers, feeling raindrops on their skin, watching the clouds, bugs, animals, and birds: all of these things are sensory experiences.

 

So rather than trying to make this container equal the sum total of all their sensory needs, I just put in a few kid-friendly plants that either:

 a) needed to be in a pot anyway, or

b) I didn't have elsewhere in the garden. 

No stress.

 

Here's what's in it:

Tangerine Sage (Salvia elegans 'Tangerine')

I chose this one by personally sniffing all the herbs for sale at my favorite nursery. Yep, I looked like a loony. As my kids would say, "Pretty much, mmm-hmmm." This passed the sniff test with flying colors! er..aromas.  It really truly smells like tangerines! (Go figure, eh?)

The bright, lipstick red flowers are a bonus.

 

Spearmint 

Did not want this one invading my entire garden, so it was an ideal candidate for the container.

Smells great, can even be munched on (watch for bugs!)

Our breath has never been more fresh!

 

Lamb's ears (stachys byzantina) 

For them to pet, of course.

And rub on their cheeks.

And make blankets for their rock babies.

Whatever they want.

 

purple and white lobelia

Just for color, and also because I had an extra that needed to go in somewhere before it shriveled up and died.

 

That's it.

Nothing fancy.

But I guess that's the point, isn't it?

Fancy would mean hands off.

 

Which leads to my absolute favorite thing about this container: the YES factor.

As in, "Mom, can I touch this leaf?"

"YES!"

"Mom, can I taste this leaf?"

"[Probably] YES!"

"Mom, can I handle every single thing in this pot, and smell it, and pick some to show my friends?"

"YES! Please do. That's what it's there for."

 

* * * * * * * * *

How will you know if your container is a success?

It won't take long, my friends.

 

No, this is not my daughter.

She is a sweet little friend who came over, and was drawn to the lamb's ears.

She was even more tickled when my kids introduced her to the other plants, and had her smell and feel and taste!

Then she asked if she could pick some to take home.

And of course, my answer was yes.

 

Of Pea Tepees and Baby Carrots

First things first: can you say "pea tepee" 5x fast?

I'll wait.

 

Welcome back.

Now get the nearest kid to say it.

Who won?

 

Gardening with kids is an adventure.

Sometimes it's an exciting, fun adventure, and sometimes it's an adventure in frustration.

Either way you get a little more for your time than you would flying solo: more meltdowns, more mud, and more interruptions; but also more delight, more laughter, and more creativity.

Not to mention a whole lot more carrots than you had planned on. 

 

Consider it gardening plus.

Around this neck of the woods, early April is the time to get spring veggies planted.

The weather was expected to cooperate, as were the children.

 

We had blue skies:

Exhibit A

[yes, big brother took this picture]

 

We had a list for the nursery:

onion sets

seed potatoes: Yukon Gold, and a few purples for the kiddos

spinach seeds

broccoli seeds

 

violas & pansies 

1 blueberry bush, if they had one this early

(only about 4 to choose from, but they said more coming soon)

acid-lovers soil x 4

 

 I had such good helpers. They wanted one or two of everything.

I could empathize.

I let them talk me into a couple extra seed packets: 'Chioggia' beets (stripey insides!) and magical purple beans that turn green when you cook them ('Royal Burgundy').

 

 

We had a close call at the nursery:

Big brother and sister ran around the corner (outside) while I was paying.

I asked them to come back where I could see them.

Big sister yelled, "He can't come back. He's going potty!"

Oh, no.

Say it isn't so.

Just as I was sputtering an apology to the chuckling clerk, (and wondering what plants I would have to purchase as a result) they both came running.

Fully clothed.

Big brother proudly told me he remembered where the bathroom was and had found it all by himself, "the sneaky way."

I remembered there really was a restroom accessible from the back of the building.

Phew! Disaster averted!

 

We had peas and onions planted!

The pea tepee, aka "the snack shack."

My husband was not so sure why we needed stepping stones underneath the trellis. We explained the the genius of the plan: a hideout with its own food supply.

What could be better?

He was still not completely on board.

But then again, at 6' 3", he clearly would have to be hiding out (and presumably snacking) elsewhere.

 

2 varieties of peas:

left side of the tepee: Little Marvel (shelling)

right side: Super Sugar Snap (edible pod)

 

We got the onions planted right close by.

No special varieties listed on the tags this year.

"Yellow" and "white."

 

We had a bunch of extra peas so we added another row along the very back, behind the onions.

I don't remember what variety they were. One of the two.

Guess we'll find out.

 

This little guy was a trooper.

He did very well for being locked up buckled into the stroller most of the time.

[Big sister was in her jammies for a very good reason, no doubt.]

 

Day 2: Potatoes

 

It was quite a bit cooler and we had other stuff going on all morning.

So that left baby's afternoon nap to get done as much as we could.

I've always worked better with a deadline.

 

These are in the middle terrace, directly behind/above the peas and onions.

 

I did the square-foot gardening method for potatoes.

As you can see, I started by digging a hole, placed the seed potatoes at the bottom, and covered with dirt. I will keep adding dirt as the potatoes grow.

 

3 holes far right: purple

all the rest: Yukon Gold

 

Two potato planting tips I just learned:

1. Cover the whole plant with dirt as it first starts to grow.

(I had been trying to leave some sticking out. This will make my life easier!)

2. Put the seed potatoes in an egg carton and place in a sunny window until the eyes sprout to give them a jump start in the garden.

(Next year, I'm on this!)

 

It was not all work with no play.

The kiddos found some scrap wood and made a fire pit.

Pretty soon they were making s'mores out of rocks, twigs, and pine needles, and pretending to roast penguins...?

This all led to some very interesting conversations at dinner as they tried to explain what we did all day to Daddy.

 

Day 3: beets, spinach, carrots, broccoli

 

This is where the planting got a little interesting: all those teeny-tiny seeds.

After I added some stepping stones next to the potatoes, we made space for half a row each of spinach and beets (going front to back in the terrace), and a full row of carrots.

We were just smoothing the dirt over the carrot seeds when the packet slipped out of my daughter's hands and spilled all into the spinach and beet row.

 

Good thing we are top-notch carrot thinners, after last year.

In fact, I hope it's not bragging to say, but we are carrot thinning experts.

It looks like we will be keeping our skills sharp once again!

 

He's 5. Need I say more?

 

Besides, what do you get when you thin carrots?

Baby carrots!

Perfectly edible, just right for little ones.

Almost like we'd planned it that way.

 

Finally, my friend gave us some broccoli starts that she had grown from seed.

I forgot to ask her if they had been hardened off and stuck them right into the garden, next to the carrots. Apparently they had been, because they have survived. We ended up with 5 plants.

 

Spinach: 'Tyee'

Beets: 'Chioggia' and 'Cylindra'

Carrots: front 1/3: 'Scarlet Nantes'

middle 1/3: 'Tendersweet'

back 1/3: 'Royal Chantenay'

Broccoli: ?

 

It has rained almost every day since we got the veggies planted.

Perfect timing.

I really love it when I don't have to water the garden!

Grow, veggies, grow!