Janice--
I think that this usage has been common only in the past five years or so; that's only an impression, with no data to back it up. It bothered me the first several times I heard it, but I can't say quite why. It just doesn't seem idiomatic or entirely logical. We do grow flowers, and grass, but we don't grow children; "grow" is a transitive verb, but I'm not sure it can take just any object. I wish I could articulate a solid reason for deploring this construction; I would never use it myself.
One word nerd's opinion!
Best,
Jean
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