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Does anyone else get that lovely satisfied feeling when bringing in your home grown crops  ;D , especially if grown from seed??? I know this is a silly question ::),  but i am almost obsessed with checking my plants and flowers every few hours to see if they have grown!!  When i finally bring them in to cook or eat  i can't help having a great big smug smile on my face! ;D

You're not alone, I walk back from my plot with a huge grin everytime there is something to harvest. This is my first year and I get soooo much joy from pottering around, picking a few choice morsels to eat raw (my perk) and bringing home beautiful fresh veggies to incorporate in a meal.  I worked as a professional chef for a while and take it from, there is no substitute for vegetables brought to the table only minutes after they are harvested. ;D
Self satisfied but blissfully happy ;)

QuoteDoes anyone else get that lovely satisfied feeling when bringing in your home grown crops, especially if grown from seed???

Yep, definitely...unless the crop in question is hyssop. That smells like armpits...

Grinning has become a way of life for me, people cross over now when I come along ha ha!

Nothing like those first crops though, except for the second, and third . . .

Hey Derek...Do you have any recordings we all could listen to?
Not your plants growing, your guitar?

Picked the first ever broccoli florets I have ever grown, yesterday, (last years went to seed).   Steamed them lightly last night and had them for our evening meal.  Absolutley heavenly, like having black and white TV and suddenly seeing colour.  The taste was wonderful.  So know exactly what you mean bee.  Harvest time is fantastic.  :) busy_lizzie

I don't think it ever goes away!  The flavour of veg is so different when it is only hours old - you realise what old rubbish you have been eating from the supermarkets.

definitely!! I am a total newbie, got our first garden last October - 80ft weed bed and I adore it. Am out there 8am every Saturday and Sunday morning, even through winter. Is now looking lovely. Just started to harvest my first courgettes and french beans.

Was so impressed with them - we got ourselves a lottie last week - another 80ft! Has a major investation of bind weed and the soil is like concrete, but I love it just the same!  ;D

I'm glad I can show off my veggie pics on here and no-one thinks it's odd  :)  I was in the library recently for an allotment book and the lady there got talking to me about having one of her own and that led on to how to make compost.  Another lady on reception shook her head in disgust and called us "saddo's"  as she turned on her heels and walked out;D   I think we must have been keeping her from a Danielle Steel  ;D

It had never occurred to me that lotty gardening was sad.  It isn't is it?   ;D

Oh sorry, veered off the question.  Yes, I feel very satisfied with my produce as this is my first harvest and it gives me an enormous feeling of well being.  I think all us on here must be very pleased with ourselves, and feeling happy  :) :)

Oh, by the way I forgot to mention that i talk to my plants as well. But please don't tell anyone!!  :-X

I have smug smile.

I also do smug 'I grew this myself' cos i make myself a salad at work every day and someone invariably comments 'that looks healthy/nice'. I have great satisfaction in saying, 'yes, I grew the spuds, the lettuce and the onion myself'  ;D

I had to groan when I saw that sainsburys ad exclaiming how their strawberries go from field to supermarket in less than 48 hours! Who wants to buy 2 day old strawberries?  :-X

Sure do Glyn, but I tend to get a bit self conscious about just broadcasting that I play, cos I am only your regular amateur crappy player!

However, pm me with your email addy, and I will send some on (home recordings on mp3 format).

If it transpires that you do actually like them, then please just pass them on as public domain material . . .

Gardening and growing veg is far from sad regardless of what people say!

I have never been happier since I got a garden lest year. I miss it when I have to go away for work. I make my boyfriend walk around it and tell me everything that has changed that day!

I am 29 and most of my friends call me a geek etc.. admittedly, there are prob not many lottie holders my age, but then, I look at the alternatives - most of them sit on the behinds and watch 6 hours of tv a day, that is far sadder in my eyes!

Absolutely right!

My 18 year old also reckons I'm sad, but his idea of a worthwhile pasttime is to sit in front of a computer screen for anything up to 6 hours zapping all sorts of "creatures".

There's no way anyone with an allotment can be termed "sad" - from my reading of this site we're exactly the opposite - the happiest bunch I've come across in ages.... apart from the sad bits when plants die.. but pathos and bathos are good for us and the soul.

I just have to join in so I can mention my wonderful peas! got the plot last year, no peas worked so this year have put in raised beds and they are blooming! There is nothing more wonderful than having a sneaky tasting session in the late summer sun! sun warmed strawbs are goooorgeous too.  I am constantly amazed how strong the plants grow from tiny seeds and often find myself having conversations with them encouraging them to grow and become big and strong!  Think I might start taking a radio down there with me to perk them up and get them dancing even more!

Tip for the day - have a BBQ on your plot then you'll be able to watch your plants grow and have dinner at the same time  :D

SPea,


That sounds like a pea-fect idea!!  If the weather stays like this then we may well be down on the lottie at the weekend doing the same thing.  So you have had your first pea harvest then - we're still waiting for ours.  Also for our first courgette harvest.   I think it's because we put things in a bit late seeing as this was our first time on the lottie.
Have a nice evening on the lot!

BP

I think that gardening, and especially growing edibles from seed, is one of the most healthy and rewarding pastimes you can have.  How anyone can regard this hobby as sad is quite beyond me.  You meet so many nice people in garden centres and nurseries who are happy to pass the time of day and share their experiences.  You can chat to helpful friendly people here and swop seeds for the price of a stamp.  You can swap spare seedlings with friends and colleagues and best of all you get to eat wonderful fresh food which tastes so much better than shop bought stuff.  I picked my first ever crop of French beans a few days ago and they were delicious.  Never tasted anythings like it and yes, I too had a big smug grin on my face.   ;D

G xx

Quote from: Baked potato on July 20, 2005, 17:53:21
SPea,


That sounds like a pea-fect idea!!  If the weather stays like this then we may well be down on the lottie at the weekend doing the same thing.  So you have had your first pea harvest then - we're still waiting for ours.  Also for our first courgette harvest.   I think it's because we put things in a bit late seeing as this was our first time on the lottie.
Have a nice evening on the lot!

BP

hi baked pottie

not going down the lot tonight is a shame but am having BBQ somewhere else tonight as we like our sausages!  don't worry about your peas you will soon be reaping the rewards.  All of a sudden the pods will appear without you even noticing.  Make sure you keep your courgettes well watered.  Were they the female only variety?  If not, you might need to help them along - look in Hessayon about pollinating the flowers.  We did this last year but not this year - but the plant we have has already got a marrow and 5 courg's on it already!  If you cut when courgette size they will continue to fruit.

do you have a big lottie for your pottie's?

No quite a sall lottie actually.  DO you mean harvest when they are the correct size and then they will continue to grow.  How do I know if they are male or female.  They are already growing and have lots of flowers so I think we are OK - what do you reckon?

BPott

Oh well you get the idea!

Ha ha very funny. going pottie on the lottie  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :o ;)

 :D :DTop tip of the day ..

Growing your peas from sead?  Then put them into toilet roll holders whilst cultivating in your greenohouse.  it helps keep them moist and grow straight before planting in beds
:D :D :D

sounds like all's well in lotty land  :)  Just replete from tea  :)  My own onion, garlic courgette (naturally) and basil to make some spag bol.  My husband groaned on seeing the bits of courgette.  Well I've got to use it all up  ;D  Wait til he sees what he's got for breakfast  ;D ;D

I'm 30, and had a one of the older folk on our site tell me that I was doing a lovely job of weeding my mum's allotment! He looked amazed when I told him it was actually mine, so maybe lottie gardening keeps you looking young... or he may have had really bad eyesight?

The toilet roll planting tip is a great idea, ta.

I think I may need to start gardening a bit harder then ! ha hah a

Quote from: organicartist on July 21, 2005, 10:42:30
I'm 30, and had a one of the older folk on our site tell me that I was doing a lovely job of weeding my mum's allotment! He looked amazed when I told him it was actually mine, so maybe lottie gardening keeps you looking young... or he may have had really bad eyesight?

The toilet roll planting tip is a great idea, ta.

Our Lottie Secretary God bless him thinks I look just 42 as he was querying my claim for the over 60's discount on yearly subs :o I had to show him my bus pass :-[ ;D

Good fresh food for free (almost) - can't be beaten. ;)