Why do you garden?

I am an addict to gardening. I have such a passion for it all. I have worked at a very well known garden center in my area for ten years and have garden for 20 plus years. I NEVER grow tired of it. what a learning experience it can be. I find gardening to also be a therapy for me. with 3 teenagers ( all boys) at one time I found that gardening was the best therapy that I could of got. I feel lost without a shovel, wheelbarrow, seed or plant in my hands .to smell the dirt is a sweet, heavenly aroma. I know I am close to nature and the man above when I garden because there is such a peace that can overcome. everthing feels so in tune. gardening is my life and always will be.

I want to garden to a.) feed my family food that I know where it came from and how it was grown and b.) for the fun and relaxation of it. This year will be my first attempt at organic gardening, and I'm really excited!

Yep, gardening is great therapy. My husband never
once complained about how many plants I bought or
how much I paid for landscaping. He said it was cheaper
than a psychiatrist.

For our 25th wedding anniversary, I got a truckload of
mushroom compost delivered and he brought it into the
yard wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow - took him almost
3 days, but he did it. I'm not talking a pick-up here either.
It was a truck used to haul gravel and stone. Best present
ever.

Mahnot - DH has never argued with me either about how many plants I bring home or what I spend. To others he jokes about "buying dirt", but he'll be the first in line with a new bag or plant! He's now looking for a composter since I mentioned we need one - he just nodded and said "I'm on it"!!
Sharon

I enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air and sun. Having a garden gives me a good excuse to be out there...otherwise I'd just be wandering/hanging out in my yard and people would wonder what I'm up to!;)

I do get excited about all the sprouts coming out of the ground, brightly colored flowers and eating a few things from my garden but it all comes down to fun and relaxation for me!

There was not an option that said to get hot and sweaty, completely dirty, and break your back, so I just chose for fun and relaxation.

Jason

I grow only flowers for my own enjoyment. I grew up on a farm in the country so I love to get my hands into garden soil and grow things. I can't wait each spring for the crocus to poke through the leaves in the garden. I have several small flower beds around my back yard and my deck is filled with containers of colorful annuals. Even though I live in a small city I am lucky to have a view from my deck of a wooded area and the Hudson River. I am on vacation all season long with the view and surrounded by my flowers.

I live in central Ca. and over the last two year really have developed a passion for succulents & cacti. They are so forgivong & in most cases less is more..........

This message was edited Apr 1, 2007 3:07 AM

It's a great way to appreciate many of God's creations. Many times I'll go out at sunrise & sit on my covered swing with my dogs, Rat terrier & a chihuhua mix with a good cup of coffee, admire the hummingbirds returning for another season, Think about the next succulent I want to add to the collection & just reflect on the beauty of the day.

I garden to get "fresh" wholesome veggies. I don't like tomatoes that tast like cardboard.
And who hasen't bit into a hard peach or necturine only to find it rotten in the middle. and now with the lettuce scare. I guess I'm saying I voted other.

Jason, I too was looking for am option how hard and back breaking gardening can be. I have been gardening for 60 years and if any one thinks house work is hard, they are wrong, gardening is lots of difficult physical work at least in my kind of soil that has to be amended with mulch and compost just to get rid of clay and stones, lots of rocks many times I could hardly lift. Everything I ever did has been without help or a suitable machine of any kind in order to plant trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, but oh what wonderful fun and mind blowing challenging relaxation, I am still at it as always but getting old and loosing strengths makes it just a little bit harder.

I hate it, back breaking work, frustrating problems, the money involved and the time. Then spring comes, and everything starts to bloom and you know it was worth it. And of course nothing can compare to fresh veggies.

Jason

What I really wanted was the option that read:

For fun and relaxation *and* to raise fresh vegetables for my family.

Yea, it should have been a poll to let you choose multiples.

It is a part of whom I am. I recognize it, respect it, and nurture it, after all... are'nt we all a piece of infinitesimally small stardust we call earth?

I garden because I cannot bake, do not have the patience for quilting and I have 5 cats, which eliminates the ability to have rolls of yarn in my lap. I figure that by the time I am 60, I have to be able to say I can either, quilt, crotchet, bake or garden well...I am choosing gardening:)