Book 3 Seeds and Sunflowers

Seeds and Sunflowers

" I've got another idea, " Mike announced. He was sitting at the kitchen table, cracking the shells of sunflower seeds between his molars, spitting them out, then eating the seeds. " Another idea for making money?" asked Mr. McCarthy. Mike nodded and pulled another seed out of his bag.

Since the end of second grade, Mike had been trying to pull together sufficient funds to buy a Super Spy kit. A retail kit was seventy-five dollars, but Mike's friend Derek had offered to sell his kit to Mike for twenty- five dollars-what a bargain! So far, Mike hadn't managed to get together even that amount, but he was not a quitter. He held up his favorite snack and narrowed his eyes speculatively. What if he grew his own giant sunflowers and harvested the seeds? He could save his allowance dollars and sell the extra seeds at the farmers' market! Then he might accrue enough to buy a Super Spy kit. " I'll cut out the middleman, " he explained to his family, " because I'll be the farmer and the salesman. " " You'd have to sell an awful lot of seeds to clear twenty-five dollars, " Mrs. McCarthy said.

“ Not if I go organic, " Mike said. Organic crops didn't come cheap--Mike had learned that the hard way with his lemonade stand. If he grew organic seeds, he could charge an arm and a leg for them. Organic farmers had stuck it to him with their pricey organic sugar and lemons. Now it was his turn to stick it to the consumer! “ You probably need a license to sell at the farmers' market, " Mr. McCarthy said. " I'll look into it, " Mike said. He was not the kind of guy to be intimidated by a little legal mumbo jumbo. " Gardening takes patience, " said his little sister, Aster. " I can be patient, " Mike said. After lunch, Mike carried his bag of sunflower seeds out to the backyard. Under the blazing summer sun, Mike could feel himself baking like a potato. He gravitated toward a shady patch of dirt in one corner of the yard, sat down in it, and started digging.

Soon Aster popped her head out of her bedroom window. “ You don't want to plant there, " she called. " Why not?" shouted Mike. “ Too shady, " she called. " It's too sunny in the sun! " Mike shouted. Aster smiled. “ They're sunflowers, Mike, " she said. Her head disappeared back inside. Mike sighed and relocated his garden.

After a week of watering, Mike scratched his head. " Do you think I should've removed the shells first?" he asked his mom. " I don't think so, " Mrs. McCarthy said. " Just out of curiosity, where did you get your seeds?" " You got them for me, " Mike said, " at the grocery store. " Mrs. McCarthy's eyes widened. " I bought them for you? When did I buy you seeds?" “ A couple weeks ago, " he said. " Wait, " she said. " Was this a packet of gardening seeds or a bag of snacks?" Mike shrugged. “ Both, " he said. “ Mike, " she said, " your snacks are roasted and salted. Is that what you planted?" “ Right, " Mike said. “ Roasted, salted, and organic! "