To lemon & Parkin, you both seem like really keen growers. Do you do it for the feeling of satisfaction you get from growing and eating your own veggies ? To me it seems like a lot of work goes into it ( and probably money ) when I can just go to the farmers market down the road and get produce for cents.
I started because someone gave me some tomato seeds, & changing jobs meant I had spare time. I thought "this can't be too hard, all you do is put some seeds in some mud & it'll grow". Basically, that is true!
Firstly, a lot of stuff tastes so much better. Partly because you grew it yourself, but also because it isn't force grown to grow very quickly (too quickly to develop).
I don't think I save any real money as a result, because you buy compost, pots, a greenhouse etc. But I have to say it isn't really hard work. Yes you turn the graden & might have a few days of heavy digging a year, plus a few days of weeding too, but a lot of other stuff isn't hard work.
It is actually very relaxing & therapuetic after a hard days work to get home & potter about, watering, looking if stuff needs repotting into bigger pots and suchlike. I found that it is a very de-stressing past-time, which is great. The enjoyment from such pottering is wonderful, & the main reason I carried on. It's got bigger each year, as I keep trying to grow something different.
It's also lovely to share what you've grown with someone. My dad fell out with me last year when I didn't grow any cucumbers (he thinks they're lovely, but can't stand shop bought ones). Some friends have been genuinely shocked at how flavour-some home grown can be.
