Around the same time I was planning this summer’s family vacation, Nature to You launched a library program titled “Portable Plants”. I wondered: What if I packed living plants and adapted my care for them while traveling? Come along for an unconventional travel photo album that follows a shoebox full of portable plants.
Meet the plants: celery bases and carrot tops that were already growing in trays at home; sweet potatoes I plunked into a jar of water the day before our trip; and sunflower seeds sold for sprouting, sprinkled in a tray of soil the day before our trip. During travel, they stayed tucked away on the floor of the van, either next to the wall or under my feet.
Day one: Our family of four rented a campervan in Phoenix, AZ, then drove San Diego, CA. The people stayed in the home of dear friends from college. The plants stayed in the van.
Day two: I checked on the plants before we left in the morning, and replaced the water for the celery, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I was excited to see the first roots on the sweet potatoes and several sunflower seeds sprouting. The people went to Legoland, then set up camp at Paradise by the Sea RV Resort. The plants got some fresh air on the counter of the van that evening.
Day three: I replaced water and took the plants out to the picnic table for fresh air and sunlight. The sweet potatoes were getting a little scuzzy but still had small roots. The people briefly visited the Pacific Ocean, then people and plants all loaded up for a long drive to Anthony Chabot Regional Park.
Day four: The plants got to air out while we had breakfast among the eucalyptus trees. Sadly, I threw the sweet potatoes out. They had rotted really quickly. Sometimes this happens at home too, but most likely these were bruised from travel. I had chosen not to suspend them with toothpicks, to make them more compact and be able to keep the level of water in the jar lower. The result was damaged skin from bumping against the jar. We drove to Arcata, CA.
Days five and six: The people stayed with wonderful relatives in Arcata. The plants stayed in the van, where I largely forget about them. We enjoyed mesmerizing redwoods, a vibrant marsh, windblown Moonstone beach, and plenty of conversation indoors and in the soft green yard. I even got to weed the roses and gladioluses! We also got sick… So energy turned to resting and to resetting travel plans. I did visit my portable plants and helped them find some sunlight on the front seat. 
Days seven and eight: Neither my husband or I felt well, so all attention was on putting miles behind us safely and resting when we could. I should mention the kids were on AWESOME behavior. They are currently at such an independent stage, and had their basic needs met, so we all survived that blur of the trip. The plants took a figurative back burner. We arrived at Yosemite Pines RV Resort, and made a renewed effort at planning the next few days.
Days nine and ten: Yosemite National Park! This place is as spectacular as advertised. Our plan had been to shuttle in and out of Yosemite for two consecutive days. An error on my part forced us to find emergency lodging in the park. Tensions were high, but all people remained safe. Plants were neglected again. We were relieved to return to our stuff, and to showers. Amazingly, most of my plants had survived. I culled some carrots and celery that had rotted in the van’s enclosed warmth, and gave clean water to the remaining plants. The sunflower sprouts were leggy and yellow from being in the dark. They got a little daylight, then I tucked them back in for the night to not get eaten by critters overnight. 
Day eleven: We were all physically all right but wanted to be home. I put the sunflower sprouts out for a few hours while we re-packed among beautiful oaks and birdsong. I never did eat any of the sprouts because I spotted a few mold spots, plus the plants were themselves starved of energy stores. Nor did I eat any celery or carrot leaves, but I still appreciated the company of their greenery. We drove to Barstow, CA. 
Day twelve: We returned the van, schlepped our stuff into our own car, and returned home! My attention quickly turned to plumbing repairs, unpacking, and to checking on all my house, patio, and yard plants.
Lessons Learned:
About a third of my portable plants survived the whole vacation – no sweet potatoes, some celery, some carrots, most sunflowers. After a few days on my counter in Tucson, only one celery remained viable, but the sunflower sprouts had actually perked up! They were greener, and remarkably strong considering the shallow space for roots.
I moved the celery – a cool season plant – to a smaller container of its own in the windowsill, where it is still green and growing. I transplanted some sunflowers – warm season stand-outs – into an outdoor pot shared with desert plants, where they have already stood up and grown secondary leaves. 
I normally have about a 50% success rate growing indoor gardens. Sometimes things just rot, often my attention is split among many responsibilities. So I did all right taking plants on vacation. I can see including sunflower spouts and celery leaves in a future picnic sandwich, if I choose to work a little bit more on vacation. A vacation garden would be even more helpful if grocery stores were harder to come by or our destinations were less green. However, I don’t feel a personal drive to bring plants with me beyond transporting materials for gardening classes. Do you? I’d love to hear other portable plant stories from vacations or moves, or for the sake of trying something new! 