I Never Would Have Thought It, But I've Achieved This Because Of You!

[wellie]

When I think back to when I started learning about flowers and shrubs and weeds and soil and grass and machinery and everything, I now realise just how very much I've learned really, and I'm truly amazed.

The reason I took myself off to horticultural college in the first place, at the tender age of late wotsits, was that I developed an interest, that became a hobby, that became a passion, that became a 'I want to do this ALL the time', because I'm very greedy! And I am SO pleased that I did, because now, I never stop learning....and I love it.

I personally 'stumbled' upon it. My Dad's Dad grew tomatoes in his greenhouse, and I had the fondest of fond memories every Sunday going in there with him to 'shake' the tommy plants of their pollen, even though my memory says that it 'chucked it down raining' every Sunday, and that gorgeous tomato-plant aroma lived so affectionately in my nostrils, that I had to go do it for myself after. His enthusiasm and passion inspired me, and a couple of decades later, I began to relive that, which has thankfully, taken me, leaps and bounds to where I am now.

Every day I swear I learn something new from somebody, and if I don't, I like to think that I teach something new to someone else.

Who, or what inspired you to start gardening, and actually, just as importantly, who keeps you inspired in what you're doing now?

[jackie j]

My dad was a keen gardener, even tho I was only six years old when he died my fondest memories are of the time spent with him in the garden. If he took his shirt off then so did I being a girl didnt bother me at that tender age. Now I would like to think he would be proud of me and my gardening skills. The other day my sister who also loves gardening asked me how I knew what and where and when to grow stuff on my allotment my reply was I just do.
My inspiation just comes from loving what I do and I would like to learn more.

[lynda66]

Who, or what inspired you to start gardening, and actually, just as importantly, who keeps you inspired in what you're doing now?

decided i'd been here long enough without growing anything, so planted my flower beds early this year, then found 1/2 price veggie seeds in poundstretchers

hopefully i'll get some veggies .... and eventually a decent front lawn when all the veg are up and i can replant it

i did have a little flower patch when i was little, but only remember burying my tortoise in there, don't remember growing any flowers.

we did have an orchard too, and i'd love to have one again, all those apples there for whenever you wanted one

[blue411]

My mum spent hours in her garden and i used to laugh at her in the rain weeding and tending to her plants, i just didnt get it...too boring for me!!!
And here i am now, tom plants, onions, strawberries, garlic, peas, peppers, chilli peppers and lettuce everywhere, i was always told "one day you will turn into your mother" and they were right!
I love it, it totally chills me out after a hard day at work, and im about to book a course myself to learn even more and im soo excited! Ive finally found something i am good at and that fancinates me and gets me outdoors in the fresh air rather than sitting in front of the tv!

[Winged one]

I need to write a letter to my Dad - I was writing a piece for here but it is much too long and I think he could really do with a boost at the moment so Thank You Wellie from my Dad. For yes, twas he and I will post on it when I can get some brevity to it (believe me, the post I was writing would have sent you all to sleep before you even got halfway through it).

[Snadger]

I don't think it's a heredity trait that's passed on!

My uncle had a smallholding and my Dad liked to 'dabble' but neither were particularily keen.

My offspring hate gardening, likewise with OH.

My whole family look on me as a bit querky as since an early age I've had an affinity with the land!

In a nutshell, I motivate myself, I do my own thing and don't think it would have mattered who my mentors were. I would still be who I am, doing what I enjoy and as wellie says, learning all the time.

[scarey55]

For me, it was my beloved Grandad.

When my Grandparents retired they had a house built at the side of my parent's home and Grandad took over a big part of the garden for veggies. I can still remember gong down the rows of veggies with him, picking and eating raw peas straight out of their pods, purple sprouting, carrots that were pulled out of the garden, brushed off and eaten raw.

I often used to find him wandering about in the garden just looking at and loving it, or sitting on an upturned bucket smoking a cigarette watching the world go by.

So, thanks Grandad, you made a gardener out of me after all

[SlugLobber]

I think I need to start a new thread for mine!

[Finedon.Dandy]

I started by sweeping up the leaves off my Grandparents back lawn - their garden was surrounded with oak trees and enevitably I planted one and it grew. What is unusual is that it still survives as far as I know but in the form of a bonsai in the care of a friend of my driving instructor - long story but holds out the theory that I say the strangest of things to all and sundry!

[Mikey]

Plain and simply pops, he still inspires me today.

[SarzWix]

Grandad, me Mam's Dad. He had a veg plot in our back garden (coz he didn't have one) from me being age 4 til about 8 when we moved house. He helped me grow my own cucumber plants and I had my own little flower patch with montbretia (sp?) in it. Happy days! I've got a photo of him which I keep intending to put in my shed, must get it done!
My auntie was quite a gardener, but it seemed to bypass me Mam! And none of my 3 sisters are that interested either.

[borage]

My father, at a very early age I was given a small patch of the garden. Dad used to dig it over ready for me to scatter seeds with the help of my Mother. The seeds were usually mixed flowers and I would be facinated by the seeds poping up, increasing in size and flowering. I still get exited about seeds sprouting. As far back as I can remember we always had vegtables and fruit in the garden and I used to love eating the runner beans as we were picking them. I only have a small area to grow veg in but it brings back so many memories, and the veg grown in the garden tastes so much better than the veg bought in the green grocers or supermarket.

[trebellangeminired]

When I think back to when I started learning about flowers and shrubs and weeds and soil and grass and machinery and everything, I now realise just how very much I've learned really, and I'm truly amazed.

The reason I took myself off to horticultural college in the first place, at the tender age of late wotsits, was that I developed an interest, that became a hobby, that became a passion, that became a 'I want to do this ALL the time', because I'm very greedy! And I am SO pleased that I did, because now, I never stop learning....and I love it.

I personally 'stumbled' upon it. My Dad's Dad grew tomatoes in his greenhouse, and I had the fondest of fond memories every Sunday going in there with him to 'shake' the tommy plants of their pollen, even though my memory says that it 'chucked it down raining' every Sunday, and that gorgeous tomato-plant aroma lived so affectionately in my nostrils, that I had to go do it for myself after. His enthusiasm and passion inspired me, and a couple of decades later, I began to relive that, which has thankfully, taken me, leaps and bounds to where I am now.

Every day I swear I learn something new from somebody, and if I don't, I like to think that I teach something new to someone else.

Who, or what inspired you to start gardening, and actually, just as importantly, who keeps you inspired in what you're doing now?

John Seymour way back in the day but recently the death of my beloved mare, aged 30 in September 2006. I had had her from a yearling so it left a huge gap in my heart and life. I so missed her and being outdoors but my health is not good enough to take on another. So I decided to "help" in the garden Helping became planning, sowing, potting on, light weeding etc., while OH does digging, heavy weeding, construction, lawns, hedges, etc. What keeps me going? The pleasure of raising something to maturity then eating it! Every day something changes. I continue to live within the rhythm of the natural world. When I have been in hospital or confined to quarters, it's given me a goal, a reason to push my boundaries but not to break them and end up back at square one. The knowledge that I benefit twice; once from the gentle exercise, sunshine and fresh air and then from the top quality (hopefully!) food. Or three times if you count the mental juggling act we all perform with limited space and unlimited ambition! Four times if you count the battle of wits with pests and diseases! In less than two years, I have become less of a stranger occasionally venturing into a foreign land with scissors and bowl to more of a useful pair of hands.

[di]

I was brought up in the sticks where nearly evryone grew their own,inc my parents & grandparents,but I think my real inspiration was my Auntie Peggy(not real aunt but those were the days where your elders were either Mr/Mrs or Aunt/uncle),anyway she was constantly busy growing/cooking/preserving/making wine~you name it..!She used to have her garden open & I'd help serving teas & taking money~when she ran out of room she borrowed some of ours!(we lived next door)Me & my sis would often help out with weeding etc & I think she & her brother planted the seed for me!Not just the gardening but all else that goes hand in hand.To this day I don't know where she found the time to fit it all in~I lie~she'd be up at the crack of dawn & whatever time I went round she'd be busy,so maybe it's the energy I lack! My only bone of contention with her would be the Sunday morning I woke with a hangover to the voice of Derek Jameson in her garden doing a radio show!!

[sewer rat]

I suppose my dad started my interest not only in gardening but in the natural world. For a long time I was only into pretty flowers and shrubs and wotnot, so don't know for sure where my veg addiction came from. I missed having a garden for 13 years when I was in London, so when we moved to Inverness I started growing veg in the plot that came with the flat and then when we moved to our current abode, the addiction really kicked in, and as you know last year, my addiction became my job !