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Post by daylilydude on May 1, 2018 4:15:43 GMT -5
Anyone ever just take a year off to do something other than gardening... ! If you did/could what would you do?
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Post by brownrexx on May 1, 2018 6:23:26 GMT -5
When I was working full time my garden was not as big as it is now and mostly I just grew tomatoes and peppers but unless something would change with my health I would not want to take a year off. I think that I will always be growing something even if it is a smaller garden than the one I have now.
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Post by octave1 on May 1, 2018 7:30:44 GMT -5
Not really. If I did not feel like gardening "in full", I'd still manage to plant a couple of tomatoes and zucchini. I would not tend to them assiduously but I would grow them nonetheless.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on May 1, 2018 7:48:36 GMT -5
Not by choice, but yes.
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Post by september on May 1, 2018 8:58:53 GMT -5
Never have taken time off since I became a gardener. I need to be outside doing something, I get cranky if I have to be indoors too long. If I couldn't garden for a year, I would like to take a slow summer road trip up to the Canadian Rockies and on to Alaska. I'd also like to see the upper east coast like Maine, New Brunswick, PEI. Maybe one of these years I should not do any containers or pots, and just plant in ground, abandoning the gardens to what rain comes?
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Post by paulf on May 1, 2018 9:05:18 GMT -5
The vegetable garden "could" be let go for a year, but the landscape and flower gardens could never be ignored for a year.
If we were to take a year off, we would hire someone to mow and trim. We would then travel, most likely a lot in Europe and maybe Asia. There are some places we have not been in the US. Maybe we would plan a trip to visit everyone who posts in NJT.
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Post by spike on May 1, 2018 9:13:48 GMT -5
Once we moved back home and I was able to actually garden, no I have not taken a year off. And have no plans to ever take a year off. Yes I could go to the store and buy veggies BUT ew. I need my garden so we can eat during the winter!
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 1, 2018 9:21:30 GMT -5
The only reason I would take a season off from gardening (besides the obvious - being physically unable) would be to travel. However, the places I would travel to are in hotter regions, that would be hotter than here in the summer, so I would rather visit them in the off-season, which suits the gardening obsession.
Forgot to mention - years ago I began growing herbs and some greens indoors, for the off-season. I can hardly be without those things now!
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Post by ladymarmalade on May 1, 2018 9:51:34 GMT -5
Also not by choice, but I've definitely taken years mostly off.
I say mostly off because I had a community garden plot, but it was some distance away both years that I took off from gardening. I technically had gardens going, but gosh, it was so hard to find the time to get away and garden several miles away. I got some harvest that year, but I wouldn't say that what I did was gardening. I think those people were secretly relieved when I told them they could rent my plot to someone else because I wouldn't be back.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 1, 2018 9:52:35 GMT -5
If I ever take time off gardening for any reason other than inability (injury, illness), it would probably be to travel. But unlike Dave, I'd probably go to places where summer is not quite as hot. DH and I have talked about taking a leisurely tour up US 1 from Key West all the way up to its endpoint in Maine some year after he retires. I'd also like to see the PNW, Yosemite National Park and other spots in NorCal (I've been to SoCal), and Alaska. Plus there are several overseas destinations I'd love to visit. But if I am smart in my planning, I could probably take a month or two off in the hottest part of the year - when not much except long beans and okra is really happy anyway - and still have spring and fall gardens. I could even use the time while I am gone to solarize my garden. EDIT: I forgot to say that I have taken several breaks from gardening in the past. But since I can garden year-round, most of my breaks were just for a season or two, not for entire years. Usually I punted on summer gardening when I was pregnant and couldn't deal with the heat. Sometimes I took breaks when I had an infant to care for and there were just too many other things that I needed to do when baby was napping. The last time I gave up on gardening for a while was after some bad seasons when I was really discouraged. When I came back to gardening in 2012 I quit trying to garden in-ground and started raising all of my veggies in SIPs and raised beds. I've been much happier since then.
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Post by meandtk on May 1, 2018 13:04:39 GMT -5
I've only been attempting to garden for about 7 years. I can't say that I envision taking a year off.
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Post by octave1 on May 1, 2018 13:48:56 GMT -5
I did (and still do) travel during the summer, sometime taking 5, 6 weeks off. Every time I just set up the garden and leave. I never encountered a problem upon my return. Some weeds, yes, and some overripe, gigantic produce (zucchini especially), but nothing ever dried out and died.
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Post by guruofgardens on May 1, 2018 14:30:18 GMT -5
I love to garden so I would have a difficult time taking the summer off. We usually schedule our vacations between November and February. I have that garden bug.
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Post by aftermidnight on May 1, 2018 15:26:40 GMT -5
There was a 6 year period when we lived in Ocean Falls B.C. known as... drum roll...The home of the rain people. tkmorin.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/how-much-rain-does-ocean-falls-b-c-get/ Yep that much. I did manage to grow one hydrangea a couple of dahlias and a few glads outside but no veggies in our postage stamp yard, company town, you rented. Inside I had a few houseplants and loads of African Violets which did help me from going nutters. The few days the sun did shine in the summer the black flies ate you alive. Can't say I have many fond memories of that place. When we came back to V. Island and bought a place with a big back yard and when I saw that big blank canvas I started to salivate and my eyes glazed over. To this garden starved gal it felt like I just walked into paradise . Annette
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 2, 2018 0:15:09 GMT -5
330 rain days a year?!? Ewwww...how did you stand it for six years?
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Post by aftermidnight on May 2, 2018 8:59:51 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL , The only way out of Ocean Falls is by seaplane or boat, this place is not much more than a ghost town now. Since the pulp mill shut down only a dozen or so people still live there. We went there after hubby got out of the navy, jobs were scarce and being he was from there knew he could get work. A great place for men who liked to hunt and fish, a sportsman's paradise, not so much for women. Back then there was a school, hospital, library, movie theater, doctor's office, swimming pool, police station/courthouse, post office, one of the largest hotels, company houses for married people, sporting goods store, florist/greenhouse, legion, a small newspaper and a couple of more small businesses. Martin Valley on the left where people owned their own houses, town site and mill on the right.
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Post by horsea on May 2, 2018 9:14:58 GMT -5
I technically had gardens going, but gosh, it was so hard to find the time to get away and garden several miles away Unless a person is awfully determined, having a garden miles away would be such a trial as to be useless. However, where the garden is a large, field-type garden (ie, nothing but an acre of corn, potatoes or squashes etc.) it would not be such a bad thing.
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Post by horsea on May 2, 2018 9:17:40 GMT -5
There was a 6 year period when we lived in Ocean Falls B.C. known as... drum roll...The home of the rain people Ghastly!
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Post by september on May 2, 2018 9:52:20 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL , The only way out of Ocean Falls is by seaplane or boat, this place is not much more than a ghost town now. Since the pulp mill shut down only a dozen or so people still live there. We went there after hubby got out of the navy, jobs were scarce and being he was from there knew he could get work. A great place for men who liked to hunt and fish, a sportsman's paradise, not so much for women. Back then there was a school, hospital, library, movie theater, doctor's office, swimming pool, police station/courthouse, post office, one of the largest hotels, company houses for married people, sporting goods store, florist/greenhouse, legion, a small newspaper and a couple of more small businesses. Martin Valley on the left where people owned their own houses, town site and mill on the right. That is a beautiful place to live! I could easily deal with the lack of amenities and people, but the lack of sun would be too hard for me, too! We have too many cloudy days for just Nov-Jan, and it makes a huge difference in my moods.
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shelleybean
Junior Member
Posts: 20
Joined: December 2017
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Post by shelleybean on May 7, 2018 17:12:23 GMT -5
I did once. We were moving in July and I didn't want to start a garden and leave it, and there was no way I'd leave my Texas tomato cages there! At my new house, I wanted to build raised beds and have them tied into my irrigation system and that took time so I was not able to start until the following year.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 7, 2018 17:45:11 GMT -5
IMO, setting up drip irrigation for your raised beds pays you back over and over for the time you spend on it. At least it does if you live in a hot climate.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on May 7, 2018 17:54:37 GMT -5
I rented a house for a couple of years in the 80's that had almost no sun in the backyard. My neighbours had gardens but try as I might, it just wasn't to be. Back then I knew nothing about container veggies and growing out front just never occurred to me. I lived near a very large farmer's market so it wasn't an issue getting fresh veggies in the summer and fall. It's still not the same and growing your own though.
As we get older and looking after a house is presenting challenges, I find myself taking mental note of apartment buildings that have balconies with lots of flowers growing on them. I at least want enough room to be able to raise some tomatoes and peppers of my own.
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