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Post by daylilydude on Dec 9, 2017 6:49:46 GMT -5
When we first started gardening we were younger and it was fun but as we get up in age do you still think it's fun, or has it become a "have to"?
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 9, 2017 8:57:40 GMT -5
Oh No, it is definitely still fun. I LOVE my garden. Not only does it keep me in shape but I garden organically and I love the fact that I am growing veggies that not only taste better than what I can purchase in the store but they are healthier too.
Sometimes my stores sell organic produce but it is never as fresh as my own and they never have the variety that I grow in my garden.
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Post by spike on Dec 9, 2017 9:47:42 GMT -5
There were always gardens when I was a kid but I didn't actually get to start gardening myself until I was older. IT WAS NOT FUN. My beloved Old Uncle tore up half my out back with a plow, loaned me a beat up front tine tiller to smooth it out (sod city, was not gonna happen) and then to top it off handed me 120+ tomato plants that needed planted within the next couple of days. But after years of my Old Uncles direction, I started really really loving to garden. Now it is not only a "Have to" but my greatest enjoyment! LOL sorry! A one sentence question and I write a book! Garden good! Much fun!!
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Post by ladymarmalade on Dec 9, 2017 9:57:30 GMT -5
Well, I'm not up there in age yet. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/1O7SOWgs0dheN6ogmHMC.png) Veggie gardening is one of my hobbies though and still a great deal of fun for me. How many hobbies do you know of that actually produces tangible results other than just personal satisfaction? With most hobbies there are the expenses that go into them with no return on that investment. Where with my garden, I spend a few dollars here and there and I get the bonus of being able to feed my family and friends nourishing and delicious vegetables! I hope I don't ever "age out" of my garden. My grandfathers both gardened until they absolutely couldn't anymore. One of my grandfathers passed away in August- and left a full garden behind that year.
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Post by paulf on Dec 9, 2017 10:00:00 GMT -5
The work that gets harder every year and the joy received from the hard work keeps me going. From the kids I coached to the adults I supervised I always said, "if what we are doing stops being fun then stop doing it."
Still fun here, boss!
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Post by Gianna on Dec 9, 2017 10:33:11 GMT -5
I've always enjoyed gardening - and with age comes knowing more how to do it well. I consider gardening and plants in general to be a passion. I love working in soil, compost, mulch, buying and germinating seeds, watching stuff grow and bloom and fruit... Plus harvest and eating it. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/1O7SOWgs0dheN6ogmHMC.png) Paying the water bill and weeding - not so much. The past few years I've been switching over to no-till beds. I still enjoy digging in the dirt, but the reality of no-dig allows me to plant out my starts sooner. My dad, into his 90s, still grew green beans in pots on the patio. He did however prefer to eat chocolate.
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Post by meandtk on Dec 9, 2017 10:48:40 GMT -5
I began gardening less than ten years ago. I enjoy it more each season.
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Post by september on Dec 9, 2017 10:49:45 GMT -5
I will always love the idea of gardening, and it keeps me in shape, but I'm now to the point where my knees and back can be a painful problem some days. Not much you can about old age arthritis. I have two large garden areas, and one of these years I will have to give one of them up. One garden is really enough for me to tend, but giving up the other spot means I won't be able to grow all those other 50 new tomato varieties I want to try every year. ![???](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/11qV_BRY4HbBOBB4teSL.png)
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Post by paquebot on Dec 9, 2017 11:23:15 GMT -5
I grew up in a "have to" world for food production. The only thing that I can remember not coming from the garden was macaroni! Of course, this was through all of WW2 when there wasn't a lot of things available like now. That thought is why my son will often raid my pantry and remind me of something from '09 or thereabouts. Nothing wrong with that as it's better to be looking at something than looking for something. Will admit that I may force myself to cut back next year. I had 7,200 square feet in a farm field and 1,500 at home. The field garden started to look a little shabby toward the end of the season but that land has now been sold to the city. May aim for only a 4,000 corner of another field. My maternal grandfather died hilling his potatoes. I'll probably go the same way.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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aqua
Pro Member
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Post by aqua on Dec 9, 2017 12:05:14 GMT -5
Fun? never thought of that adjective to go with gardening, but I like reading the responses here.
I could no more deny the need to plant a seed and nurture it, than I could deny my need to eat or breathe. Most of the produce gets given away- and I feel I HAVE to tell people- "this is how fresh broccoli (or whatever veggie I give them) REALLY tastes" - like I have to preach about real food, and soil importance, and water conservation...
Mostly on deaf ears, it falls. Even if I lost a hand or leg, as long as I could plant seeds, nurture, grow, and share, I'd be fine. It's that consuming for me.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Dec 9, 2017 20:27:16 GMT -5
I also don't think of gardening as fun, but I definitely enjoy it. This is because I love to cook and eat, and no food is like what we grow! Plus, there are so many things that I grow that simply can't be found locally. There are countless dishes that I make that are fairly simple, but have some essential ingredients, like some of those herbs that I grow. Even if I don't use them often, I must have them, for when I want them!
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Post by guruofgardens on Dec 10, 2017 20:53:42 GMT -5
Gardening is in the blood, so I don't know if it's fun. I'd be lost without it. Everyone I share the produce with has compliments about the wonderful taste of the organic stuff. I just can't eat the store tomatoes in the winter. . . .
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