Author Topic: So why do you do it? (Read 3486 times)

Mrs Ava · « **on:** October 03, 2003, 16:20:01 »

Why do you run an allotment? Thought it would be interesting to see what inspires you all to dig and toil week in and week out and suffer the aches and pains.

My reason is, I love growing things firstly - I get very excited and passionate about growing plants from seeds, and if they produce something that can then be cut and used, all the better! Plus, with 3 kids, it's great to have fruit and veggies that I have cared for, I know how it has been looked after and that they can come and see how things grow and then pick them and eat them. My daughter is a strawberry fan (who isn't!) and cleans the plants long before any get to the table, my son loves peas and pretty much did the same thing. I would love to be self sufficient, but with only 1 lottie I don't think it is possible, but I didn't have to buy any salad stuff, soft fruits, runners or spuds thanks to my small veggie patch in the garden this year.

So why do you do it? Social....exercise....glutton for punishment???? ;D

legless · « **Reply #1 on:** October 03, 2003, 16:52:48 »

i love growing stuff - my parents used to have a market garden when i was growing up and we're also very keen cooks.

i like to know where my food comes from - i went to agricultural college and i've seen the commercial processes for animal and plant production, so now i'm trying the small scale stuff! organic is totally new and i'm fascinated by companion planting and other such things.

i love the quiet down the plot and watching the kestrels and mice and stuff....

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #2 on:** October 03, 2003, 18:11:00 »

Same reasons really, I love to watch seeds grow into something I can put onto the dinner table! A great sense of achievement! I like to know where it has come from and what it has had put on it before it goes into our mouths. I also wanted the kids to realise that food has to be grown and does not come pre-packaged from the supermarket!
Also it is just huge amounts of fun and is my sanctuary away from the hassels of life!! ;D

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #3 on:** October 03, 2003, 21:01:23 »

It is a great thing showing the children where veggies come from - my step daughter was amazed when we dug spuds out of the ground. As far as she was concerned they came from tescos in nice clear plastic bags, all washed and uniform! She is still amazed when we show her things growing, she isn't an 'outdoors' girl and neither is her mother so the only exposure she gets to nature is when she is with us.

Palefire · « **Reply #4 on:** October 03, 2003, 21:42:02 »

I don't have a lottie as such - I only have about twice the size of a small greenhouse out side plus a small green house! The thing is that when the seeds have turned into fresh carrots, peas, turnip, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, sprouts, broccolli, cauliflower, cucumber, spuds, onions, leeks, cabbage etc on your plate - you know exactly where they came from, what they grew in, what went on them if anything at all and the kids find out where they come from.

There's also the pleasure and ego trip to be had from giving surplus away to family, too!!

Love, Palefire

xxx

cleo · « **Reply #5 on:** October 03, 2003, 22:45:18 »

I got my first half plot in 1977 to keep me sane when doing my PhD-I ended up a few years later with six full size ones.

Now I just have a largish garden and a hobby business called -well one should not advertise but I sell herbs and greenhouse veg.

I miss my lotties but there are none in this village :'(

Stephan.

Colin_Bellamy-Wood · « **Reply #6 on:** October 04, 2003, 00:51:42 »

EmmaJane, what you said about your stepdaughter being amazed etc, reminds me of when I was in our Shop. Next door was the Greengrocers, and one day Anne's neice asked her Aunt for some apples as they were making apple pie at school.

When offered red and green round objects that grow on trees, she said they were no good, what teacher had told them to get came in cans or jars. Presumably, the pastry came ready made too.

How can kids today learn how to cook using raw ingredients when those teaching them don't know either. I wonder how they would react to the better taste of runner beans that came off the plant this morning, in comparison to supermarket toughies?

tim · « **Reply #7 on:** October 05, 2003, 14:25:13 »

I offered an idea a couple of days ago, but it got lost. I hope it's worth repeating - if my memory is working! Quote -

As with others, not a lottie - just a demanding home plot. Gave up the 2 lotties some years ago, consistent with age. And anyway, I just can't be seen through the village at dawn in my shorties ( no, not au naturel, Lishka!) which is possible , and frequent, when the mood takes, in one's own bit.

Yes - all the things said - and organic, and the earth smells good, and so do the veg, fresh and crisp, and there for the taking, saving a trip to the s/market. And, as said, the c/ and g/chldren just LOVE to harvest.

And decorative. And you get a surplus so you make chutney, freeze, bottle - oh, the fun of it. And it gets you OUT there. And pride? - Tim

good_life_girl · « **Reply #8 on:** October 06, 2003, 15:30:50 »

To get outside and in the fresh air! I live in a small flat without a garden, but overlooking allotments - so it seemed like the natural way to get some outside space to enjoy the sunshine (or when digging this weekend the driving rain!!). But now I've started it's also for the sense of achivement.
My parents always gardened and as a child I had my patch to grow some bits and pieces (or make mud pies!!), and it's really great to be able to make a meal almost entirely from my own organic stuff (I say almost due to a weakness for bacon!!)

clare · « **Reply #9 on:** October 06, 2003, 18:43:57 »

After having a great success with tomatoes and herbs in the garden this summer I decided I'd like to have a go at growing other veggies... the garden isn't really big enough so when I found out that the nearest lotties were just a 5 minute walk away there was no stopping me!! ;)

This weekend we've spent loads of time down there digging out beds and weeding - in the lovely autumn sunshine. (Only slightly spoilt on saturday by the very noisy game of football being played just over the hedge - surely if they can still shout at each other they can't be running round enough?!) ::) ::)

Anyway.... today I am aching like crazy after all the hard work - but I've spent all day wishing that I was at the lottie digging instead of sitting at my desk staring at my PC!! Hoping to get down there one evening after work before it gets too dark :) :)

Looking forward to next year - the first harvest!

jethro · « **Reply #10 on:** October 06, 2003, 19:04:47 »

I like my lottie ;D, i love the fresh air (apart from the chicken shed etc) growing organic veggies that taste completely different from the supermarket,but the main reason, to get away from the WIFE, she who must be obeyed at ALL times ???. (only joking) i wouldn't swap her for the world. Also plenty of exercise which i really need being fat, lazy, and 46 years old.
So thats the reasons for now, ask me again after the winter digging and i will certainly have different answers.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #11 on:** October 06, 2003, 20:27:55 »

Carrying on more from my posting about my young step daughter being amazed that spuds come from the ground and not only shrink wrapped from Tescos, then Colin BW neice not realising that apples don't only come in jars but as globes of juicey crunchy yumminess, we had Sunday lunch with the inlaw and they were quizzing me about what I was growing in the plottie over winter and I mentioned garlic and shallots, which puzzled them. ??? My father-in-law didn't know what shallots were and had no idea how garlic grew....I kinda got the impression he thought it only came in butter for smearing on french bread! :P Makes you wonder huh!

legless · « **Reply #12 on:** October 06, 2003, 21:59:43 »

LOL Jethro! thats similar reasons to why my hubbie likes me having an allotment, he gets away from me without having to leave the house and i have my very own shed ;D

Palustris · « **Reply #13 on:** October 06, 2003, 22:09:32 »

In a way I am a double 'fraud'. a. I do not have an allotment and never have b. I do not grow veg.
I will explain. a. We have been fortunate always to have had a garen big enough to grow all the veg. we needed. b. My wife who is a far better veg grower than I ever was took over that side of the garden when we moved here, leaving me to do the gardenn construction and to concentrate on my first love, flowers.
I agree with all the above reasons for growing ones own food, but one has been missed out. Money! (Dirty word). On an income of about a quarter of that given as the poverty line we have to feed ourselves from our garden, or do without. Mind we would still do it even if we were rolling in filthy lucre. IT IS FUN.

legless · « **Reply #14 on:** October 06, 2003, 23:38:04 »

i'm sure over time the money factor will be important but at the moment (2nd month) it seems i've just spending out! only have a backyard at home and gave all my garden tools to a homeless shelter when we moved in so now its everything from scratch!!!

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #15 on:** October 07, 2003, 01:27:12 »

Money is a BIG factor thinking about it, especially now when everything in my lottie has died back and I was not on the ball enough this year to get winter veg in, or enough space to overwinter earlier stuff! (I promise myself every year I will become vegetably self sufficient) Unless we want to live for the next 5 months from rainbow chard and mooli, then I have to bite the bullet and buy veg from the local shop :'(. It galls me, but has to be! :( Mind you with all that I save earlier in the year I can afford to treat us to organic veg here and there! ;D
So Palustris is right money is a reason.

tim · « **Reply #16 on:** October 07, 2003, 22:08:41 »

coming in at this late stage - yes, it costs money to do the organic or 'good' thing. Those who want to will do their own thing, regardless of the eventual cost. It's worth it? And, DP, sometimes you can, with advantage, buy in seedlings - we always do - as a 'back up'. - Tim

ina · « **Reply #17 on:** October 07, 2003, 22:55:06 »

One more name could be taken off. When I registerd with the name Dutchess, the thing said that the name was taken. So, I registerd again using the name doubledutch and it said again that name was taken but this time I persisted and continued to enter my password and it accepted all. Later I tried logging in but it refused my password so I mailed that I had forgotten my password (I didn't), I got a mail giving me this coplicated password I never saw before, just letters and a number, it works now and I'm leaving well enough alone. I put the forum page in my favorites so I never have to log in again as long as I access from my own computer. Such a surprise to see the name Dutchess on the members list, she never posted because she is now Doubledutch. -Ina

ina · « **Reply #18 on:** October 07, 2003, 22:58:04 »

Oops, sorry folks, I posted this under the wrong thread, should have been under the "members" thing. -Ina

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Author Topic: So why do you do it? (Read 3486 times)

Colin_Bellamy-Wood

jethro