OK Question - why did you start?

[Lumpy]

Sitting here in my own contemplating by huge amount of belly fluff I had a thought.
Why did you start growing ‘stuff’. By stuff I mean veggies, fruit and flowers?

My Grandad did it but it wasn’t till I had oldish kids of my own that I started. No memorable reason comes to mind except sowing a whole packet of lettuce seeds in one go.

So, why do you, did you start?

[mrmauy]

Wanted to start growing my own when my son was born to have better control of the food he ate. Small scale garden growing didn't get to much and took me over 6 years to get a plot.

Now I've got a plot I can grow interesting things that are hard to find in shops so the kids can try different vegetables (I'd never even heard of kohl rabi). Also reduces the amount of packaging/food miles.

[veggiechicken]

My Grandad had an allotment so I "helped" him. We only had a backyard at home with no soil except window boxes.
When I married we had a garden so I finally had the space to grow whatever I wanted. One of the first things I did was to put a GH on the flat roof of the kitchen extension (more sun and no slugs) and a window in the bedroom changed to a door so that I could access it easily. The bathroom window also looked onto it so I could take grey water straight from them bath to the GH. Had the best tomatoes ever from that GH.
We were known as the "people with a greenhouse on the roof".
My ideas have become steadily dafter over the years - as have the number of GHs.

[Bren In Pots]

I bought two tom plants from the greengrocers on a whim, soon I'd got runner beans and lettuce growing all in buckets. Following year I dug over an area to make beds, I needed more space so not long after the pond was filled with the shrubs going on free-cycle. I'm happy with the space I've got there's something to eat from the garden most days even if its just lettuce.

[nickdub]

I think I've always felt an affinity for natural things as far back as I can remember. Living in the country we had a garden and so I had a chance to try things - I remember growing ornamental brooms from seeds and also got the fruit of an ornamental quince and grew the seeds from that.

[Greenleaves]

Being of an age and raised by my grandparents, it was what I grew up with.

My old pops was 10 times the gardener I will ever be

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Many years ago, too many to mention (I'm only 21)

My Mum and Dad separated when I was 2 year old

We moved into a corporation/council house which always comes with a large if not a field or meadow sized garden

My old dear now being on her own bringing up 3 young boys on her Todd, money short, decided to cultivate a section of the garden to a veg patch to try kill the food bill, money now being short

Worked a treat!

And always remember being asked to venture up the garden, with a shopping list as to what to pick for tea

Hooked!

[Nicos]

My grandfather loved gardening as did my father, so naturally I was exposed to it from an early age.
When I met my OH his parents grew all their own fruit and veg in their garden and he too had been a willing helper from the start.
Just seemed natural once we were married to get hold of a lottie ASAP...then 2... then 3

It's in the blood!

[Chestnut]

Mum and dad always grew a few bits - raspberries, courgettes, tomatoes etc, so I grew up knowing how much better the home grown ones taste. Once I finally had my own growing space, I started to realise that many other things taste better homegrown too, and I was hooked

[SelkirkAlex]

I always liked the idea of being self sufficient, so when ill health forced my retirement, my natural masochism kicked in and I started trying to grow.

[vikkib]

I was into growing stuff when I was a kid, I remember getting a little 'greenhouse' kit as a birthday present (essentially a propagator!) and absolutely loved it. I was allowed a little vegetable patch in the garden but lost interest when I got into my teens. Got back into it when I moved from a flat to a house and had a garden of my own. Got on the allotment waiting list and the rest is history.

My Nan loves gardening (flowers) and my Granddad used to grow loads of veg, I suspect I got it from them.

[tallis]

Two things happened in rather quick succession -- firstly a partner got into homebrewing, and then I became a homeowner and had a garden of my own to do whatever I wanted with! For some reason, years of growing up with my mum and my grandad as keen gardeners didn't help as much as the prospect of growing my own booze

[SarrissUK]

I grew up on a farm where we grew crops on a large scale, but also a kitchen garden. I remember distinctly all three of us kids helping with planting potatoes literally one foot apart. When I left home up until I moved into this house 13 years ago, I hadn't grown much, although I was always interested. I suppose my focus was elsewhere. Now it's my therapy and very much my focus and I love it

[Thelma Sanders]

Dad always grew a few bits in the backyard - runner beans I particularly remember climbing up the fence
So when I got married and had my own garden, much bigger than dad's - I bought a tiny wooden greenhouse and started growing tomatoes as well. It has just carried on from there.... the gardening space got bigger whenever I moved, and then I got an allotment as well.
I've reached the age when I might have to consider downsizing, but can't see me ever giving up completely

[rary]

My dad wanted a bigger garden so there was a swap (council houses) with a neibour who had a big corner garden, my brother and I helped my dad for a short time then he took ill and sadly died, in those days gardens had to be kept tidy or you got evicted, we tried cultivating it but it was too much for us so we turned it into a lawn (we'll it was green and needed cut quite often) moved to a smaller house and garden where I grow chrysants for a time, got married a family and no time for anything else other than some roses and a few veg, bought my house with a big garden then extended the house three times which took away some of the garden, now work the garden in between watching the grandchildren, spend a lot of my time in the greenhouse as don't watch a lot of TV as i can't really hear it too well and OH gets annoyed having to tell me what was said or having to rewind