A Philosophical Approach To Gardening - Why We Do It?

[Don Vincenzo]

Hi to everybody and Happy new year....spring won't be long!!!
My question to everybody: Why we love growing vegetables etc? is it because our ancestor had to do it to survive and we genetically can't help doing it. Is it because of money saving or having fresh produce which we cannot buy or because really we belong to mother earth...Why you do it? in my case really I do not know, both my Grandfathers were farmers and I live and allocate all my spare time either dreaming of plants and farming or doing it, so much that I wouldn't venture to go away during the growing season. Am I alone or there are others doing it?. But the question is Why we cannot help doing gardening. I feel that this is going to be an interesting off topic new thread...so please lets talk about a philosophical approach to gardening.
My best regards to everybody
Don Vincenzo

[nick the grief]

Thats a very good questin DV.

My dad was a keen Gardener just like I wasn't ..... then I left home & got a house & a nagging wife ... OW that hurt - Sorry Lovely wife So I had this garden to tame. Then for one reason or another I decided to grow some spray chrysanths for cutting as it was cheaper & better tha the one I used to buy, ran out of room at home & got a lottie. then needed to fill the damn thing and Bobs your uncle & Fannys a rude word Since then I have become a real bore on the subject (ask my Kids) But basicaly I enjoy growing stuff and as my wife pointed out, only one vegetable on the plate on Christmas day didn't come off the allotment. .

They do taste better, but I guess Asda's would if you could cook them within 10 minutes of picking (time to walk home), I'm sure it is cheaper (last year we didn't buy spuds from September till March I think it was - so that paid for the rent) and more importantly I think, you get to eat seasonal food again. I don't really want Brussels in July :Rolleyes: but come october onwards yess pleeeesssee

Added to this, I love propagating plants be it seed or cuttings, so the thrill That I get from seeing the pots of seed that I have just sown actually break surface is a near to child birth as you can get (but not som messy )

So there you have it, thats why I do it.

[pigletwillie]

I have an almost illogical need to have a a garden, perhaps it assuages the "hunter gatherer in me or perhaps even the base need to be successful at something and the sense of achievement when something is harvested. Coming home with a trug full of fruit and veg certainly blows my frock up in a way probably second only to the sense of being loved and wanted.

Does this make sense or am I rambling like a cross dressing idiot?

[Alice]

Hello Don, and every best wish for 2007.
Good question there - but I think there is no one answer.
Yes, part of the reason is we can save some money, even when money is not an issue, and we can get organically grown stuff - although we can buy it in the shops.
I think maybe the truth is it satisfies a need in us to live in rhythm with the seasons and to remain in contact with what is real ie food has to be produced, and is not just some magically appearing thing in a supermarket.
Also for people who have sedentary jobs indoors, sometimes doing work which is largely meaningless to them, there is the pleasure of being outside doing physical work full of meaning to them.
It will be interesting to see what others think. Thanks for asking the question Don.

[nick the grief]

Piglet, your on the champagne & Rioja again aren't you

[Hans Mum]

i've decided to grow as much fruit & veg as possible as the quality and more importantly the FLAVOUR of the supermarkets produce leaves a lot to be desired and the farmers market in leeds is only the 1st & 3rd sunday of each month so 2nd & 4th weeks no veg or fruit, also thought it'd do me some good as i sit at a desk all day long...drive to work, etc., also the kids have really got interested in growing some veggies and that can only be a good thing cant it?? and its quite sociable but i didnt know that until i got a lottie and found this site

[yoanbob]

i think people start with the idea of having fresh cheap veg but once you start its very theraputic and the thrill you get from picking your own is addictive.
having outdoor space is very important to both of us, we live and work in a city but i grew up in the country and outside was where all the kids grew up, we never played indoors even in torential rain we would be out in our wellies with bin bags over our coats puddle splashing and making boats out of the things we could find.
being close to the land cant be beat!

[madderbat]

The Philosophy of allotmenteering?

I was raised by a woman who carried wartime memories of being forced to work in the garden and hated it. I was taught that gardening was a) difficult and b) unpleasant. I married someone - first mr MB - who would not let me do anything (except what I was told) in his garden. Hence it's taken me 50 years to get close to nature.

It was really after New Orleans went down that I realised how dependent we all are on 'next day' deliveries to the supermarket, and seeing that society crumble in three days was a real eye opener.

Couple that with many holidays in Crete, where the people live close to the land and everyone grows food in their front garden (excpet the English incomers); where food tastes so good, is so fresh, and cheap; I decided to apply for an allotment last Autumn and was very lucky to get one near to home immediately (caught the crest of the wave I suppose).

I love eating fresh produce and the thrill of bringing home a basket of 'free food' must appeal to my hunter/gather instinct. I also enjoy 'beating the system' (or as my old paps used to say' beat the buggers at their own game') and laugh when I see Butternut squash on sale in the supermarket at £1.99 each, blackerries at £1.50 a punnet on the market and the price of spinach!!! (We are still eating perpetual spinach from the lottie)

Besides, the satisfaction of working the land and watching things grow is a form of magic and soothes the soul.

[JennieAtkinson]

I agree with Yoanbob, that we start with the idea of having fresh (I wouldn't say cheap veg) but once you start it is very theraputic and addictive. For me, not having to go to Somerfields to buy either rotting veg or healthy veg so pumped up with nutrients is a major element. Shop bought veg here takes so long to get here it really is not worth eating it. I have been surprised too, how supportive my husband is as he very much enjoys eating the fresh veg and also my grown up sons, who are both good cooks and appreciate the freshness of veg when they are home. I don't have the possibility of growing the range of veg that many of you do south, but am still very happy with what I am able to grow.

I think my parents (if they were still alive) would be very surprised at how much I enjoy the veg growing. They had to do it when we were children and couldn't wait to get the veg plot dug over for flowers and a lawn! How times change.

[Snadger]

I think I've got my Uncle and my Dad to thank for my love of the land! My Uncle & Gran had a smallholding in the middle of nowhere and used to keep geese,ducks,hens,banties & beehives.He used to rent a bit of land for beast as well.
My dad was the gardener, although he was a bit like me and found a cheap way to do everything!
I had to do my gardening at my Uncles though as my dad was very independant and wouldn't let me help in his! In fact at the age of twelve I was looking after a site that was approximately 1/2 acre of vegetables. Once I became aware of the fair sex though the gardening went out the window until I got married and had my own home and garden when I re-kindled the interest. I eventually got a lottie and was surprised to find there were other people who had similar interests to myself

Although my early life helped nurture my love of the land I honestly don't know whether things would have been different if I had a city upbringing?

None of my three offspring or OH are interested (In fact none of them have ever been to my allotment!) so I don't think heredity plays a part, and my brother and sister have only a slight interest in gardening.

[Palustris]

I know what got me started (as I have said once before, Travel sickness!), but why seeing flower beds full of the most wonderful plants as a 10 year old should start a life long interest in growing things I have no idea. Unlike many I started out growing flowers, went on to veg because I was asked to by my wife and now I have gone back to flowers and she grows the veg (far better than I ever did too.)
Perhaps it is a throw back to hunter gatherer societies, perhaps it is control freakery?
Did you know that owning a lawn was a statement of wealth? "I can affford not to use all my land for food growing because I have money to buy it"

[pigletwillie]

revisiting my previous post to this thread, I work strange continental shifts in a quarry and love nothing better after a 12 night shift to go straight to the lottie from work and spend a couple of hours of "freedom" away from the trivia of home, the stress of fault finding problems with quarry plant, my mortgage, next doors dog etc and watching things that I have grown blossom under a little love and affection. A great mind emptier

Call me an (not so) old romantic but successfull gardening is like Love, show plenty of love and attention and plants (and women) thrive, neglect them and they wither and fall away.

[nick the grief]

.....show plenty of love and attention and plants (and women) thrive, neglect them and they wither and fall away.

I neglect mrs G for my lottie but she hasn't withered off yet ..... Owww that hurt as well .... And I wouldn't want her too of course

[madderbat]

Mr MB loves it when I pat him on the head for bringing home the spinach!

[Mrs Dobby]

Good question DV!

I dont think that there is any one reason why we took the plunge to do it, but many factors that combined together have made us realise that for us at least the time is now right for us to take a bit of responsibility for what we eat and how it is produced!

We both have families that used to GYO when we were kids, so I think its something that has always been in our blood, but with having to sort out our home (a repossession which was in a bit of a mess when we bought it 4 years ago) I think we've never actually found the time, energy or will to have a go before now! I feel that now we've finally reached a point where we can start to do something other than just spending time and money on our house, and with all the current focus on sustainable living and the harm that is being done to the environment by some of the intensive farming methods / out of season crops being flown in / food miles et al, then GYOing just seemed to be a good way to do our bit, even if its only a small bit!

Mr D was the one that really wanted to start GYO'ing our food a few months ago! He's always fancied doing it, possibly part of his hunter / gatherer instincts (as Man of the House I think he feels its his job to put something on the plate!), but after he voiced his wishes about GYOing I also saw it as something that we could both enjoy doing together, having a laugh whilst doing something productive that would also give us something tangible to enjoy together once our crops were ready to consume!

I can remember helping my Dad and my Nan on their veg plots as a child, so the idea of GYOing didnt worry me at all, infact I feel as one who takes note of the seasons and the land around me it is also an excellent way to better connect with the land and what is happening with it locally!

Once we took the plunge and got our plot I found the working on it to be very relaxing mentally and also darned good exercise, plus when we were given a few fresh vegies from other plot holders to try, the FLAVOUR was extraordinary! As someone who thoroughly enjoys not only her food but also cooking, the chance of some ultra fresh, organic and very tasty fruit and veg was also something that could not be missed!

Supermarket carrots taste like carrots, just about, but GYO'ed ones scream CARROT FLAVOUR at you, almost like the Tango ads! We've found it the same with all the fruit and veg that we've been given or grown, there's just sooo much more flavour in them!

On top of the exercise / health / fun and flavour / environmental / ethical / connecting with the land reasons there's also the money reasons, I know many say that it isnt really that much cheaper to GYO than to buy it in the supermarkets, but after factoring in all the costs I recon if we get even a fifth of the crops we sow come to fuition that we will have saved the same amount again as we've spent in getting the plot up and running! Soft fruits alone should pay for the plot, and with salad and toms, root veg and onions, tatties and brassicas all planned for the coming year I have a feeling we should be quids in!

Lets also not forget the sense of acchievement you get when you see things that you've planted growing, plus the extra special feeling of eating something that you've grown!

And lastly, something that has given me further enthusiasm is belonging here to a likeminded community of other GYO'ers!

The past few months since we've had our plot have been both rewarding and enjoyable, and with the promise of crops to consume in the coming year I have a feeling that GYOing is something we are going to be doing for a very long time indeed!