2009 - Was it worth it?

[Seamus]

there is absolutly no fruit or veg in the supermarket that will taste as good as the produce that you grow yourself, not to mention the stress relief when you spend a day in the garden after a crappy week at work, and a pack of seeds that cost me a couple of euro could end up saving up to and above a hundred euro, methinks that journalist needs to do more research, hehe

[jogette]

This was my first complete year of planning and planting and on the whole I am very pleased.
Last month was the first time I had to buy vegetables (my carrot crop was very poor and I have run out of potatoes) but I am still picking parsnips, celeriac, beets, chard, leeks and have a store of onions and butternut squash in the shed.
I can't even imagine how much I've saved. We are a family who eat percentages - 25% protein (meat etc) 25% carbohydrate (potatoes) and 50% veggies at each meal.
I can't wait for next spring to start planting, experiment with new crops and to try (again) especially with carrots and leeks - mine seem vertically challenged

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

I always think it's worth growing your own. I only have my garden to grow in but who needs grass

[RedThorn]

FF - with chickens, you'll NEVER have that worry about grass again!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

RT - I would love some chickens but I read the chook threads and hear about mites and all of the other things that can go wrong and think I'm also away from home every month for approx 3-4 days and have no one to look after any chooks. So I'll remain on the side lines admiring how other Grapes can cope with chooks. Although I admit to be seriously green with envy with Snadger - he wants a turkey for next year There was a programme on BBC Scotland about a young family who kept turkeys for their Christmas dinner (part of Landward) - really interesting. So as I can't have chooks I'll just keep on digging up the grass

[RedThorn]

Aww hugs FF. As Aunty Mo's signature states, they worm their way into your heart and nest there! Won't say they're without problems, but the joy has paid me back many times over!

[northmaid]

I'm with FF - would love some chickens but my lotty committee don't allow any form of poultry or livestock on site (for heaven's sake we can't even have sheds!).
As to the main thread; I'm definitely out of pocket money-wise as its my first year so the cost of fruit trees/bushes, seeds and particularly the greenhouse outweighs what I've saved in supermarkets, but I don't care. It's my hobby/my gym/my social club and worth every penny. You can't put a price on the satisfaction you get grom growing your own and if I hadn't started I wouldn't have come across all the lovely people on the Vine.

[SlugLobber]

It's worth it for the exercise and mental benefit alone, for me. That and the LOVELY carrots and spuds I've been eating. I'm still not buying any veg except onions, but am thinking of using the leeks as a substitute. I'm trying REALLY hard to be a seasonal veg eater (although I'm using the word season in the broadest sense of the word, given I've got spuds yet to be pulled up from the mound of manure used to protect em from the cold!

[gojiberry]

I doubt that I grow in the black as I am always spending and improving the both the garden and allotment. What I spend I canafford and have no qualma about what I spend. It is my hobby and enjoyment and I probably don't spend as much as some other hobbies like angling and golf. And I have the added benefit of nice fresh veg and fruit.

Ian

[louisesgarden]

I`am not sure it is a cheaper option than if you bought the crappy stuff from the supermarket, one of the supermarkets was doing a huge bag of carrots for 29p ! but it is worth the effort of growing your own, to have none veggie growers for lunch then disappear to my garden to get the veg for lunch is priceless x

[coreopsis]

Of course it's worth it-my first ever home grown spuds were the bestest I've eaten in my life and there's nothing better than handful of fresh herbs grown a few steps away from the kitchen.Excersize and fresh air-to add "furtling"excitement-priceless

[winstonwobble]

I'v loved every second it's been my first year of growing veggies so havent been well organised nothing stored up as everything was ready together but hopefully i will have learned from that and will have a great 2010 as i hope everyone on here will GOOD LUCK folk on the vine

[susieq100]

Hear, hear. My first full year of the allotment and I loved it. My runner bean harvest alone paid the rent (and that's £50 p.a.). I made a load of jams and pickles with produce I had grown and gave them as Xmas gifts this year and the pleasure that gave me and the recipients was well worth it. (Mind you that was before they tasted them!). I can't wait to start again this year, despite half of my autumn planted garlic bed flooding. It is my hobby, my regular exercise and I don't really care if I don't break even.