Is it all worth it?

[iggyboy]

what do you mean you want to give up!

try telling me the strawberries you bought had any taste. infact,I would defy anyone to tell me any veg or fruit bought at shops tastes anything like the home grown produce we strive toward. DO NOT GIVE UP,haza. The community spirit you talk of on your plot is also as unique as the taste of fresh veg,what would you do without it? We all know its hard work,but I walked home through my village today with a bag full of strawberries from my polytunnel and the reaction I got from my wife and kids (because of the sweet taste), was more than enough to have made the back breaking digging and the labourious weeding all worthwhile.

sometimes you dont realise what you've got 'til its gone!

[Sheikh Yerboutti]

Sainsburys. 3 organic courgettes in wrapper £2. nuff said. Also you could just grow low labour stuff like fruit trees etc if you aint got too much spare time

[Snadger]

Unless you have all the kit and you are ruthlessly efficient, growing your own doesn't save you money. That's not why I do it, but I've lost count of the number of articles in the papers I've read recently about how more people are turning to GYO in the recession - it's rubbish.

As long as I don't factor in my time, given freely at weekends and nights (after all it is a labour of love) I reckon I can save money,eat seasonal,tasty, local, fresh produce for a goodly part of the year!

If I didn't have a full time job I could probably be nigh on self sufficient in fruit, veg, herbs,eggs, chicken & cut flowers from my two allotment plots..............

[binley100]

I get fresh air, exercise , somewhere to chill , and lots of great tasting FRESH fruit and veg, and lots of friends on this 'ere vine thingy . Yup It's worth it.

[Helgalush]

We've spent a fair bit of money on containers (some cheap, a couple more snazzy) and lots on seeds and compost, but we are starting to make our own compost and most of the seeds should keep til next year. I have arranged my veggies in their containers so that they look pretty as they grow - the whole garden looks more fertile and attractive. We have spent loads more on all of this than I could hope to save in the next few years but it looks pretty and is far more practical use than a purely ornamental garden. I think over time we will start to recoup costs and all the containers should last decades.

It gets me moving and more in touch with myself and nature. In fact its been so useful in helping to lift my depression.

Most importantly I feel the environmental benefits are huge - reducing food miles and our carbon footprint, but also in the methods used as we dont use chemicals and choose to use peat-free compost. Our food is fresher and therefore retains more taste and nutrients. I am vegetarian, almost vegan, and so growing veggies means that we save having to go to the supermarket so often and save quite a bit of money on organic veggies.

I had fresh peas tonight 30 minutes after they had been picked. They were sweet and fresh and crunchy - a completely different tast to frozen peas - which is apparently the next best thing.

Oh I and I havent even talked about the buzz I get......today my beans have red buds on them....so pretty....

[Snadger]

I get fresh air, exercise , somewhere to chill , and lots of great tasting FRESH fruit and veg, and lots of friends on this 'ere vine thingy . Yup It's worth it.

In this case 'Binley knows best'

[northepaul]

We went a bit mad at first and had some substantial initial outlay - a huge raised bed and the compost/topsoil to fill it (Our soil is acidic clay - you cant even put a fork in it in the summer!) I also bought quite a lot of seeds/small plants and trees etc to begin with. (Before & after the vine ) However the reason I did it was to be able to have organic produce and not pay through the nose for it, and to have things that are too expensive in the shops, that we like a lot of, or they're unavailable. I have to be quite selective as I dont have an allotment.
So I picked things like: garlic, shallots, red onions, good potatoes, damsons, rasberries, tomatoes, tomatillos, squashes, strawbs, broadbeans, cuecumbers, salad leaves, beetroot, salsify and the other one. All manner of herbs - tarragon, sage, lovage, mace etc
So I figured this year we pay out, and reap some benefit health-wise, next year should see more savings (one of my plans is not to buy plants but to grow everything from seed, and try to seed save etc) and so on until we are quids in.
The added benefit is learning to be a proficient gardener.

[susieq100]

The rent I pay for the allotment would buy me two months' membership at a gym. And the exercise I get is productive and outdoors! My biggest outlays each year are peat free compost and seeds - I make my own as well but that is to enrich the soil, not for starting seeds in. I am now saving seeds from successful crops. I saved up birthday and Christmas money to buy myself a greenhouse (instead of buying clothes!) - I know which I get most pleasure from. My harvest of runner beans alone last year more than paid the rent of the allotment if I had had to buy them.

I made jars of chutney, piccallili, jam etc with my surplus produce which I gave away as Christmas presents - all were well received. The taste of home grown fruit and veg is sublime and it's just so satisfying. I have made friends at the allotment site and we have a great laugh. I like feeling more and more knowledgeable and competent. I love wandering around the plot, garden and g'house and noting progress. Don't give up ... it's not just about the money!

[weekendwellies]

compare the cost of the pack of seeds to the cost of the equivalent amount of produce in the shops.
compare the rent to the cost of gym membership.
compare being outdoors in all weathers to being indoors.
compare the taste of freshly picked produce to shop bought.
compare the company of other plot holders to the company of tv.

There is no comparison really.

[hamsterqueen]

in summer I pick up to 2 lbs of cherry tomatoes day, salad leaves and lettuces and green beans. I must save a fortune on those alone and I buy tomato plants .

watching them grow, walking along veg garden every morning with cup of tea just seeing what has happened overnight. The exercise, the fresh air , the taste of the veg, the smell of the veg- shop bought tomatoes just don;t smell tomatoey - the whole sense of achievement..you can;t put a price on any of that

[haza1981]

try telling me the strawberries you bought had any taste. infact,I would defy anyone to tell me any veg or fruit bought at shops tastes anything like the home grown produce we strive toward. DO NOT GIVE UP,haza. The community spirit you talk of on your plot is also as unique as the taste of fresh veg,what would you do without it? We all know its hard work,but I walked home through my village today with a bag full of strawberries from my polytunnel and the reaction I got from my wife and kids (because of the sweet taste), was more than enough to have made the back breaking digging and the labourious weeding all worthwhile.

Don't worry i'm not gonna give up, i'm kinda just supprised it's become such a hobby. I'm a computer engineer by trade and generally spend a lot of my time on the pc. It's good to be getting out and a world away from how I used to spend my time. Plus I love the tan i'm getting for free. The people on the plot are great and I already feel the sense of achievment from watching my stuff grow.

[Edilith]

Don't worry i'm not gonna give up, i'm kinda just supprised it's become such a hobby. I'm a computer engineer by trade and generally spend a lot of my time on the pc.

For me it boils down to the lifestyle you mentioned and the above. I'm a geek in general but I've hardly touched my PC this summer and it feels great

Also as I live in the sticks there aren't that many shops around, which means that some fruits and veggies I can't actually get a hold of unless I plant it which is an amazing feeling. Looking forward to tasting my PSB and pak choi (if I don't manage to kill them off beforehand ).

[BUFFS]

i just love the taste of FRESH food,i grow melons in the greenhouse each year,only get 12/14 from the 3 plants,but the taste..WOW.. you would never buy one again,the shop ones are insipid,and rhubarb,leeks,tatties,french &runner beans,the list goes on,and once you have all the bits and pieces needed then you will find it quite cheap,i never spend more than £25/30 a year,and fill a big chest freezer with the initial surpluses,and we are still using them now,frozen as soon as taken out of the ground..magic..

[binley100]

In this case 'Binley knows best'

Coming from a Guru I'm honoured

[greengas]

Having ate my own spuds and pak choi for tea tonight I know it is all worth it you can not beat the taste. Also as an alcoholic dependent person just over two years ago to the man I am now out in the fresh air meeting decent people from all walks of life I know it is worth it. The sense of acheivment I get from watching a seed I have planted grow in to tasty food for mine and others to enjoy beats a shot of smirnoff hands down