Topic: What made you start a lottie?

[okra]

Is it the joy of seeing seeds grow? Is it in your genes? Is it the taste of home grown produce? Is it the thought of watching reality TV? Why Why Why?

For myself I remember wanting to grow things from a young age and coming from farming folk who are now in the smoke maybe its in my genetic makeup.

[Mrs Ava]

This is one of the questions that crops up from time to time.  ;D  Why oh why  do we do it?  Well, for me, it is the love of growing things - anything!  I am so sad, I get excited growing cress on cotton wool!  So the garden is packed with plants, mostly grown by me from seeds or cuttings, plus a big strawberry bed up in the childrens garden where they can just pick the fruits and scoff them whilst they play, along with an apple and cherry tree.  The allotment - I had my first with my dad as when I lived at home, the garden was small and I had always wanted to grow fruit and veg - just another growing addiction.  When he died it was to hard for me to continue with 'our' allotment, so I got one in Essex and it is mine, all mine you hear!  :D  It means I can grow an array of fruit and veggies, most of which I probably wouldn't and couldn't buy because of the expense, and varieties.  It means the sprogs eat freshly picked veg, clear of sprays and artificial fertilisers.  And I have an escape - I go there selfishly to spend a day, or a couple of hour, or a couple of minutes sometimes, alone, my own company, responsible for nobody.  Bliss.

[beachlover]

I have always loved anything outdoors and have always grown stuff, even as a child.
My father and even my Grandfather had allotments.
I retired early and as well as loving home grown produce, the exercise stops me defaulting to being a lazy git  ;D

[prink13]

Haven't got a lottie, just lots of raised beds in garden - but i suppose what made me start was:

1. always loved fresh fruit and veg, Grandma was a greengrocer!
2. Eat loads of veg as a veggie myself!
3. Other Grandad (thats Paulines7's Dad), always had fruit trees, He let me plant a pear tree in his back garden when I was little, I called it Poldark - yep although I was only 8 when 1st aired, I was in love with Robin Ellis!
4. Got opportunity to move to a more rural location, with suitable garden

That's really about it, I don't always enjoy the work, but I love the benefits!  ;D

[Jeannine]

Desperation, we moved off 10 acres to a postage stamp XX Jeannine

[greenstar]

I think it's in the blood.

It's only since I've  had a lottie that I've realised how much gardening everybody in my family does/did.  And I realise that my mum was a greenie long before it was ever fashionable.  She composted everything she could, re-used and recycled lotsof stuff for the garden, and turned our tiny back yard into a veritable goldmine of fruit and veg.

I've been thinking of her today as I sat and pricked out seedlings into recycled pots using an old wax crayon and a medicine spoon.  I think one thing that gardeners/allotmenteers have in common is the hatred of waste!

[angle shades]

:)

Years ago on Newsnight it said Lincolnshire had the highest rate of breast cancer and respiratory decease in women in the country because of its farming methods,

I got an allotment straight away, its never had a pesticide near it,and today it has been paradise, sun shone all day, bees, butterflies everywhere.

Its my space, I agree with EJ, I also selfishly spend the day there, I take photos of insects,socialise with like minded people, and grow great fruit and veg, its my sanctuary/ shades x

[bumble-dee]

ive often wondered this myself and today its been  brought home to me.

the love of growing things, anything, even if ive never tasted it and dont know if ill like it!

one of the old guys came to see me today, asking why i was growing this and that; i gave him this same answer. his response was that all that he grew, he gave away to others - never ate any of it!!  oh well, i suppose his reason for getting a lottie was to get away from her indoors!  we all have different reasons i guess. :)
dee

[HappyMouffetard]

The joy of watching plants grow, happy memories of helping my grandad harvest raspberries in his garden (he made us whistle while we picked them, so he knew we weren't eating them all!), and in memory of my mum, who loved gardening and passed that love on to me  :)

[sazhig]

Lots of reasons really....Money is probably the main one - we want to save some as DH is unemployed & has been for a year & a half & we eat a LOT of vegetables so growing our own seemed like a good way of cutting down on our outgoings. Being able to eat organic food is another. This is kind of linked to the money reason...when we had our son (he is 2.5 now) we realised just how much rubbish we ate....none of it was suitable for a baby so we started eating better, more fruit & veg etc & realised just how expensive organic stuff was....growing our own is the cheapest way to eat organically and we know exactly what has (or hasnt) gone into the crops so can be organic to our own standards. The other main reason is because we live in rented accomodation. If we were to grow veg in the garden its more than likely we would be wasting our time & effort & the little funds we can put towards growing our own....having an allotment means we can put in the effort & go for a long term plan....good job too as we got evicted last xmas so all our efforts last year would have been in vain if we had used the garden...and Im not sure the landlord would have been very happy if we had dug up their lawn!. I would prefer to have my veg plot at home - much easier to work on it, especially with kiddies about.....DS has a tendancy to run off so it needs both if us there at the plot - one to work & one to chase him ::)....but if the plot turns out ok & the site gets a little more sociable I might keep it on even if we do buy a house.

Despite all the stress & problems with people dumping rubbish on the plot & having to basically leave it over the autumn and winter because of our housing problems....so far its been quite fun - lots of fresh air & a nice view, lots of interesting reading & researching, planning (my fave pastime ;D) & ordering DH about (my second fave pastime ;D)...its turned into one of my main hobbies really....hopefully if nothing goes wrong this year I might get some crops out of it  :o

Saz

[cleo]

1977-In a cellar with head phones on watching rats,missing all my friends who had left when we graduated in `76.Was doing my PhD-I just wanted some air and space so I got a half plot.

The rest as they say is history

[caroline7758]

If it's in the genes it skipped a generation- my grandfather had a market garden, not that I helped him or anything- all I remember is being scared of the bottomless well in his huge greenhouse! My mum enjoyed gardening but again never helped her. It was only when the kids were getting older that I got into gardening (which I regret now, we could have had a lot of fun with an allotment then). I too love grwoing and eating my own food. The other reason was something for me & OH to do together, but somehow that didn't work out- he's happy to cook the produce but can't get enthusiastic for growing it!

[saddad]

Always grew some things to eat at home, got out of the habit at Uni, when own kids came along didn't want them eating anything "sprayed" if I could help it....
 :-\

[Doris_Pinks]

Mine was to grow organically, save money and to show my girls where food actually came from! (that it didn't come wrapped in plastic from a shelf! :o :o)

They used to love to dig up the potatoes, bit like an archaeological dig! ;D

Now they are teenagers and don't join me on the plot, so it is all mine to play on!

My OH is not one iota interested in growing plants, he enjoys eating the veg but try and get him up there requires bribery in the form of "but you could take a beer up and sit in the sunshine on the bench"!!! ::)

It is my bolthole, and is wonderful to chat to like minded peeps!

But mine did start young, My Grandad had an allotment, and grew masses of fruit n veg in his back garden, and my beloved Aunt was a great gardener, some of my youngest memories are picking veg from a small patch in her garden, especially her french beans and tomatoes!

Wonder if taking my girls to the lottie when they were young will have rubbed off on them, and will they get the bug too, only time will tell. ;D ;D

[bennettsleg]

Mum had a flower garden and was really, really into it - and I found it very boring indeed! ;D

Way back when, Mum & Dad were also pseudo hippies (she won't like me for saying that  ;D ;D) and she did grow veg then, but the farmer's cows used to break in and munch all the cabbages.

The first easter in our current flat we decided to blitz the tiny garden an worked like stink to get it done in a weekend.  That very evening - when my arms ached so much that painkillers were necessary - I was having thoughts about getting a plot.

Six months later my OH was on a countdown to redundancy and we were planning opening the shop - meaning at least a year of penury.  As such I phoned the council, got a plot straight away (very lucky as all the 5 sites in town have waiting lists now) and have become obsessed.... (ie: Couldn't go to sleep last night in anticipation of 2007's first weekday opportunity for being down the plot after work!)

Doris - I think our husbands are related... ;D ::)

[Blue Bird]

I got mine for selfish reasons - needed some ME TIME as I work full time and at week ends all the family came around to our house - we live 5 mins from beach / 10 mins from Asda Tesco Sainsbury 10 mins from Birkenhead and 15 mins from outlet Village so our was the ideal house to drop off the kids
.

Husband retired (aged 52 Firefighter) and has got all sorts of hobbies motor bike / push bike and hill walking to name a few.  Really saw red when 1 Sunday he said he was going for a long bike ride that he will be back at 5.30 so have tea ready when I thought I need something for me a space a place for me and m hobbie

So that is why I have got my allotment for me as MY HOBBIE ! Have always enjoyed my garden and growing things too

Am I too selfish  ???

[angle shades]

Blue Bird,

you are not selfish,

we only come this way once, make the most of it :) /shades x

[Blue Bird]

Thanks angle shades
I do feel guilty some times although the grandchildren have now found they too like to go and see Nana at the allotment  ???
No peace for the wicked they say  :)

[manicscousers]

Not at all, bb..we all need a space..
we started growing veggies when our children were small, we had a fair sized garden and money was tight (ted heath's 3 day week)..
then we were in business, for 25 years, needed something to get us away from it..I've always liked growing, and eating things so the plot was taken on..
now, ray has memory/mental health problems, I have osteo arthritis but we've adapted our plot to meet our needs and have some great friends there..as well as all that fresh air, light excercise and wonderful fresh veggies and fruit  ;D

[glow777]

When I was 23 i had the best of 18 months of due to cancer. Post chemo, radiotherapy etc I found myself bored silly but to weak to work. In the spring of 1994 I discovered my dads old disused greenhouse, cleaned it up and grew toms, aubs and peppers and also caught the gardening bug.

A few years later after growing in tubs etc in the backyard made the full step up to half a plot followed by a full plot the year after. I really like the way it gets me out of the house and I like the community spirit - I count some of my fellow plot holders as my best friends