Growing up in a townhouse, I never really tended anything. My mom has orchids, but I hardly feel they count. Orchids are like those small, overbred dogs that were so in about four years ago: tempermental, requiring a lot of attention, made only for show, and just large enough to be inconvenient.
But now, in beautiful Kalihi Valley, I have a garden. And I only grow stuff you can eat (you know, because of these tough, economic times). There's something mysterious and humbling about planting seeds and watching them grow into food. All I do is pull the weeds and harvest.
And you learn how plants actually look. I didn't think I was overly sheltered (I mean, we did have cable growing up), but until this garden I didn't know, say, how a broccoli plant looked (kinda like a lettuce throwing up a broccoli, nothing big), or how a leek developed (you gotta bury the stem as it thickens; that's what makes it white and so tender and delicious in soup). But the coolest one thus far is asparagus.
An asparagus seedling looks like a bit of lacy fern. It grows into a bush and, if untended, can become a fair-sized tree. I think asparagus is related to bamboo. Asparagus sends down a deep root system before it makes stuff you can eat. This can take three years. On the upside, an asparagus plant can last 15-20 years.
So ladies, forget roses. If a man gives you an asparagus seedling, you know he's in it for the long haul.
But now, in beautiful Kalihi Valley, I have a garden. And I only grow stuff you can eat (you know, because of these tough, economic times). There's something mysterious and humbling about planting seeds and watching them grow into food. All I do is pull the weeds and harvest.
And you learn how plants actually look. I didn't think I was overly sheltered (I mean, we did have cable growing up), but until this garden I didn't know, say, how a broccoli plant looked (kinda like a lettuce throwing up a broccoli, nothing big), or how a leek developed (you gotta bury the stem as it thickens; that's what makes it white and so tender and delicious in soup). But the coolest one thus far is asparagus.
An asparagus seedling looks like a bit of lacy fern. It grows into a bush and, if untended, can become a fair-sized tree. I think asparagus is related to bamboo. Asparagus sends down a deep root system before it makes stuff you can eat. This can take three years. On the upside, an asparagus plant can last 15-20 years.
So ladies, forget roses. If a man gives you an asparagus seedling, you know he's in it for the long haul.
