Is Gardening a Hobby?

[Greenleaves]

VC, do you see it it as a "hobbit" hobby?

[Snoop Puss]

I think it started as a hobby, then became a lifestyle and soon to become an occupation. It has however always been an education

Yes!

Plus, in my case at least, an obsession.

[noviceveggrower]

I think, could get me in trouble, there are two types of gardeners. Those people who watch Alan T and Monty D who just potter about on a weekend in a garden centre and buy what is in fashion at the time because the person on TV says they need one in their garden. To them it is a hobby or keeping up with the neighbours.
Where as some people use gardening to help feed their families, as a stress relief, to be self sufficient or to get out and about with nature. I think to these people it isn't a hobby its kind of a way of life.

[veggiechicken]

Just a little one, GL

[Jay-ell]

Maybe if I specialised in something like Bonsai or carnivorous plants or developing new varieties of fruit?

Oh dear - VC's gonna breed a container raspberry that'll chew your arm off.

Do you spend as much time chatting in forums on cleaning and surfing the net for deals on Windowlean?
Do you read up on alternative methods where you dust by the cycles of the moon?
Do you spend alot of time and effort rigging up bamboo and string structures to clean the oven?

Gardening is something I want to do not have to do.

(what am I on about - this is VC, the answers to the three questions is probably yes)

[rary]

To me it is a hobby as I enjoy working in the garden and growing flowers and veg. I like the colours and perfumes of flowers, and enjoy eating the veg that I might grow, all these things I could purchase in the local shops and possibly get them cheaper, but I get pleasure growing my own, and if it gives pleasure there is no way I would consider it work, so if its a strain a frustration, time consuming and some times exhausting, and I still want to go on doing it, its a hobby

[Mr Bones]

Way of life for me .... but it's the least expensive hobby I've ever had We grow almost all our own veg and enjoy doing it. Not growing veg would mean a change of lifestyle.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yes Jungle Jane you do need food to exist there is no arguing with that.

But you do not have to grow it, there is something called a..................shop where they sell it.............

[Baldy]

Hobby for me - though in some respects an addiction - I can't say that I'm saving money on food - though i guess if austerity keeps on keeping on I know enough that I could do things properly and perhaps keep my family "in veg" - as it is I'm too lazy / time limited / experimental - so deffo an hobby

[Bigmallly]

For me it's a hobby as I don't dedicate enough time for it to be any more.

[Mitzi]

Some people would say that yoga (for example) is a way of life for them, but that's probably also classed as a hobby. You say that decorating isn't a hobby but I definitely think DIY can be classed as a hobby. So my answer is yes.

[bario1]

If you're not paying someone else to do it for you, either:

A. - it's a hobby
B. - you're tight

[veggiechicken]

The days are gone when I do anything that I don't enjoy - like ironing and decorating!

I either pay someone to do it or it doesn't get done.
12 years without ironing

[Jungle Jane]

Swimming used to be my hobby,every Friday night when my daughter went to brownies but that would be under sport in an online bookshop so I suppose hobbies are just anything people like doing. I don't like giving people money for things I can do myself,my parents pay a man to mow their lawn,I mow my lawn but it's not my hobby,it's a bit lazy if I paid someone to do a job I can do.

[Lumpy]

Well, sunburn, kernicked nails, bug bites, back pain, slug murder guilt, copious complaining (weather, verieties etc), bug identification fetish, sorrow (no carrots again), anguish (but I planted them seeds months ago and...), blind eye turning (to slug holes, munched leaves etc when on plate) blah blah blah.

Good Innit!