what got you into gardening?

[Seahorse]

I grew up on the family farm. We had a huge veg patch and loads of fruit trees and fruit bushes. As a kid I never actually realised there was any other way to live. I don't have anything like that space in my suburban townhouse now but the desire (need?) to grow has never left me

[horticultural_hobbit]

Wanted to do an experiment, by way of distraction and to find a light at the end of a murky tunnel. Was getting towards the end of my ITT(initial teacher training) and it wasn't a nice time. I didn't have a job, the training had been challenging and I wasn't expected to stay standing during. I got everything wrong, annoyed pops by lining up lots and lots of plastic pots against his fence.

Am still going.

[Dotty Sarah]

I was a late bloomer, couldn't even keep house plants alive before! Then about 6 years ago Keepitgreen gave me one of her spare tomato plants, I went shopping for a bigger pot and came home with a ton of seeds, compost etc. Since then I've been hooked, getting bigger and more adventerous every year

[green fingered]

I used to watch my nan garden and loved the smell of the mint down the bottom, I would always weed our garden until we moved to a house with just concrete in the back garden. I would walk to school and see the elderly on their allotments first thing and that afternoon and I would turn green with envy that they could spend all their days outside while I was stuck in a classroom. I would spend my holidays in Coventry down by the stream with net in hand collecting tadpoles before putting them back and watching kingfishers. I never saw a vegetable garden until I met my husbands gran and was amazed by it, but didn't have time to do my own because of work and study. Tried the odd tomato plant etc but failed miserably. Then I became jobless so started growing my own in 2007 and found out I was expecting. I became a full time mum and have never looked back. Memories combined brought it all together I guess and loving the outdoors even when you suffer from extreme hayfever won't stop that urge. The thing I would like sometimes is an allotment near me to pop down to and have a chat with locals and learn what they can achieve with similar weather, space etc. I hope to get chickens soon and make a wildlife pond when youngest is a little older so I can give them so many fond memories I treasure.

[TulipJ]

I always wanted to learn but never had a garden really. I've just moved into a house with a large garden and I'm now faced with learning how to prune etc. it's a good job there is this fab forum to help advise me on these matters

[Olorin2001]

Had to work on dad's allotment to get pocket money, that was in the days before plastic pots.
And been growing stuff ever since, now have 30 plus rods of allotment.
PS
What's a TV?
You mean like from the Rocky Horror Show?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Grandad, dad & uncle all had lotties on the same patch and I used to potter from one to the other.

Then never had any interest until over 20 years ago someone told me it was not possible to get a good crop of spuds from a bin.

As I only had paving slabs, no ground what so ever I set out to prove him wrong. Now in the summer it's difficult to see the paving slabs for the containers of veg etc.

Potty

[Sheneval]

The evil drink at the Gardener's Rest

[Two_Sheds]

people who dont watch much or any tv usually start gardening ... they also become more frugal and find uses for most items they see.

Yeah, that sounds like me. I've always been frugal though, it's nowt to do with the gardening or the lack of TV.

I find most TV utterly banal and boring, it can't hold my attention. I prefer to be "doing" or creating something: in fact I'm not much of a consumer at all.

[chris]

Cooking - wanting to use the best & most fresh ingredients I could get hold of. Having children ramped up my desire to grow more though - I'd like them to be able eat decent, pesticide/insecticide free produce .

No one in my family gardens or grows veg.

[Tripmeup]

Growing up right next door to my Grandfather's farm......where we grew all sorts...

[Creemteez]

My Nan showed me how to take Geranium cuttings, and how to root mint and busy lizzies in a glass of water. Dad had an allotment and I was the only one of the four kids who used to go with him EVERY time. I'd follow him along the row when he dug the ground over, pulling out the weed roots ("Just the thick, white, juicy ones, Lorraine....") I had my own little patch where I grew radishes and spring onions and remember how spidery the little shed was. Happy, happy times. Still grow a lot of the varieties of veg that he grew then - in his honour.

[stella]

The wonderful scents, mint, thyme, geranium, lemon balm, blackcurrants and on and on. I loved walking through the garden and touching them all and the memories of the garden and family who loved it. So I just continued it.

[hamesy]

When I was little my dad let me have a small patch of ground behind his shed. Then we moved and the garden wasn't really big enough and lost interest. Last year when I moved into my flat, I got myself an allotment and the rest if history.

[Veggielot]

Was looking for something to do to give me a change from my sedatory day job. Not a great fan of going to a gym and remembered going to my granddad's alotment when on holiday and thinking it somehow special. So went to an open day and put my name down, probably one of my best decision.