Some folks just don't understand.

[Alison]

grow exhibition/giant veg and take the veg and hand it out for free at work and to your neighbours

this gets people interested in growing their own stuff the following year

Exhibition veg is the biggest turn off for growing your own to me that you could possibly expect to find - bears no relationship to what you put on your plate and eat and is all about size and appearance rather than taste etc so I'll pass on that.

Most people I know are either interested (and often do a bit themselves) or have no interest what so ever an no amount of unwanted encouragement would change that (and I'm certainly not growing stuff especially for them on the off chance). Thankfully very few people pass negative comments on my hobby but maybe I'm just lucky that I know a lot of people who are too polite to criticise

[Greenleaves]

I like " Me Lud" (Big Mally) don't really care what people think, the important thing is I enjoy it. I know lots of people who are sceptical to merits of GYO but thats their loss not mine.

I think Jeanied is right in her summation of its resurgence and long may it continue

[dim]

Exhibition veg is the biggest turn off for growing your own to me that you could possibly expect to find - bears no relationship to what you put on your plate and eat and is all about size and appearance rather than taste etc so I'll pass on that.

Most people I know are either interested (and often do a bit themselves) or have no interest what so ever an no amount of unwanted encouragement would change that (and I'm certainly not growing stuff especially for them on the off chance). Thankfully very few people pass negative comments on my hobby but maybe I'm just lucky that I know a lot of people who are too polite to criticise

suppose that true .... however, I grow for the fun of growing .... i.e I dont mind buying veg from time to time from the supermarket (if I have to) and I'm not dependant on feeding my family from my garden .... but saying that, my vegetable garden is huge and we have most of what can be grown in the UK .... I grow organically and enjoy growing giant vegetables .... grow using high brix methods, and they taste great

same as for my garden plants .... I enjoy growing large plants for the leaves/foilage(exotic/tropical).... I have things such as Tetrapanex Rex .... Musa Basjoo .... Heuchera Magnum in a hanging basket, Paulownia tomentosa etc etc

as for herbs, that is something I am working on and need to plant more

[Nicos]

I have never eaten exhibition veg, but I bet yr sox it's at least on a par- if not better than the bog standard shop bought stuff!

[greenishfing]

As a general rule I find there are 3 kinds of reactions to my veg growing.
1:The can't, don't, won't cook brigade who live on ready meals and takeaways have zero interest.

2:The people who enjoy cooking and eating fresh food, even if they don't yet grow it themselves, and are always on the cadge.

3:The group who really can't believe that homegrown can be better than M&S until they see them side by side and taste them. They then start to grow their own to some degree.

[arpoet]

They is nothing finer than your own grown, freshly cut or picked veg, cooked within minutes and served hot. Had buttered Greyhound cabbage plus runner beans and my own tatties today. all cooked in a pressure cooker with the water used to make gravy.

[Green Gerkin]

I'm early 30s and like nothing better than pottering around the garden. The OH is not really interested when I'm jumping up and down shouting "look a tomato!!" And it's the size of a pin head! He soon eats it all though!
I was sat in the office today telling everyone about my pickled gerkins and beetroot, some people are really interested and I'm getting them into growing by giving them plants, but I'm sure others must be thinking how sad.
But I don't care its what I enjoy. 😀


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[Green Gerkin]

3:The group who really can't believe that homegrown can be better than M&S until they see them side by side and taste them. They then start to grow their own to some degree.

Defiantly agree GF, got some friends to taste shop bought carrots at the same time as my carrots and they were amazed at the difference in taste. Now they all want to grow some 😃



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[Nicos]

Absolutely no comparison eh???...just sometimes wierd shape and the little nibbled holes from time to time

[ButternutSquash]

My half brother, and my half sister both have allotments, with one in Finland. It seems to be popular on my late mum's side of the family. I know some colleagues grow veg. We get free stuff left in the kitchen area. Some of my neighbours grow veg. Sadly new builds have small gardens, which does not help. Some friends have two thirds of an acre, the neighbours consider them to be peasants cos they grow so much. They probably have two allotments worth under cultivation. Seeing their garden led me down the slippery slope.

I've never wanted to look into my family's genealogy. Knowing what I do about the relatives that are alive I'd probably find that I'm the result of a long line of horse thieves and bank robbers.

You should be so lucky. Most of mine worked in mill, in pit, or on land. Eee lad, there's trouble at industrial heritage museum.

[Nicos]

...and so- where are you BS??? Yorkshire???...clearly not far from my original neck of t'woods!

Please do put your rough location in your profile!!!

[Dorothy rouse]

Well I'm from a line of Agricultural labourers on my father's side!...no wonder I'm into gardening!!


oooops!...sorry folks- didn't mean to send you to sleep!

You haven't sent me to sleep!

We are Ag Labs, Weavers and Chemical Labs. Think my g g grandfather, appears in 'The Mill' on a Sunday evening! He had at least 13 children! And was taken to Court at least twice, for maintenance of 2 'bastard children' , but later married both mothers!

You awake still?

[ButternutSquash]

...and so- where are you BS??? Yorkshire???...clearly not far from my original neck of t'woods!

Please do put your rough location in your profile!!!

Living in East Hampshire, born and raised in Leicester by Yorkshire parents. So I got the full monty python Yorkshire man sketch regularly.

[Noosner]

Where are you from, Nicos?

[noviceveggrower]

Hi,
I am the only member of my family who has an allotment. My sister who lives by London and works there says she has no time for a big garden and having a dog that trashes everything. But also she says she has no patience to grow things either from seed or stuff from a garden centre. I happen to agree with that.
Both sets of my grandparents had allotments that was mainly to keep the family going especially pickling and preserving stuff for winter.
When I worked before I took time off to look after my little boy everyone at work thought I was a nutter having an allotment. They couldn't understand about the enjoyment I get out of it and the benefits I get out of it.
My little boy loves going down to the allotment. When I was potting stuff on I would fill a pot with compost, he would take the seedling out of its old pot and pass it to me. When I had finished he would put it on a tray to go to its new place. It might not of gone on the right tray but hey he was doing his best.
The main problem with little boys speech is that unless he is looking at you and you focus on what he is telling you some people can't understand what he is saying. So some of the plot holders just say hi and move on very quickly which kind of hurts. But saying that there is a lady who comes across with her dog. Her dog has a throw toy and he puts it down and waits for my little boy to go and stand by the gate. Once the lady comes up to my boy she tells the dog to sit. Little boy picks the toy up and throws it for the dog and he can now throw it some distance for him. So every time the lady walks past the dog will look for little boy.