Why do you garden?

unless they are zucchini :)

For food and pleasure, couldn't select two options!
CC

I voted "other" ... I garden for my sanity! I can't imagine not having something green and growing! In a few years my husband plans on retiring and buying a larger boat for us to travel the waterways for awhile ... he KNOWS I will have at least one live plant on board!

I voted other. I like to garden as a way to express creativity, enjoy the outdoors, create habitat for birds, butterflies and insects (O.K., even the racoons who trash the pond and the squirrels who target the most prized seedlings to dig up.) There is also nothing like eating a tomato or strawberry straight from the garden or picking nasturtiums for tonight's salad, and let us not forget the thrill of a steaming compost pile...

Amen, grampapa! I used to grow veggies just to see what I could get to grow! I don't think I ate any of it!!! I stopped b/c I noticed the woodchuck around here were getting plentiful and obese, and my veggies were disappearing- ;0) They don't like my flowers as much!!
It seems I have to try and grow EVERYTHING at least once- just to see if I can grow it! (I can grow weeds and rocks very well!!!)

I like to garden for the creativity, too.

And to make a habitat for the butterflies and birds.

Other: I garden for my health, for fun, for food, for my mental well-being and last, but certainly NOT least, I garden for the friends I have met here!!!

I guess I had to explain my vote, I garden for health, fun and profit and I could not mark all:)

I chose Other because I garden for my serenity and for spiritual awareness that we are all part of this beautiful earth.

Had to be "other" Mental and physical health, food and fun--I guess three out of four ain't bad!

I voted fun because the garden is one of the few places in life where I can go and just have fun without all the busy activity of the "world out THERE".! The garden is where its fun to get dirty, fun to be creative, fun to watch the hard work pay off. My wife thinks I'm working my tail off but secretly, I'm having FUN! Amongst the trees, the flowers, the plants and all the bugs that are there to have fun with me, I am a fungi. Oh, wait a minute; thats fun guy. Fun, fun , gotta plant, gotta run. LOL

nifty413 wrote on April 23, 2007:

I voted "for fun" of course!! That's my answer for why I hang out at DG too! It's fun!

Gardening is a challenge for me. Most gardeners have this reply ready for a lot of garden questions-"Wait 'til next year." Thats it for me. Every year is a challenge. Weather-wise, seed-wise and plant-wise. What will make it; what wont. Its great fun not knowing! Gardening also satisfies my inner-self and I find working in a garden is a spiritual experience.

What, you mean there are people who don't ?? What's wrong with them? LOL, I voted "for fun", and yep, it's excellent for mental health.

I garden for the enjoyment, pleasure, contentment and pride the results bring. So mentally rewarding.

Gardening is ultimately a folly whose
goal is to provide delight.

- Deborah Needleman

All of the above.

Because I get enjoyment out of digging in the dirt. It's fun. :)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised how many of us think gardening is fun. It is! It helps my sanity and keeps me "grounded".

Well-put, roybird! ☺

I garden because it is my obsession... which, thankfully, is a great deal of fun.

I garden for all the beautiful creatures that want to call my place home. I garden to try and do my part in putting back what was removed long long ago, to try and restore the ecosystem in my own space.

I think in some form we all do what terryr does, thank god there are gardens to work in, for ALL the reasons, fun, health, ecosystem etc... to all who garden!!!!!!!God bless!!!!!! Good health and garden on

I was tempted to vote "for fun" at first, but then I thought...gardening isn't really fun. It's work, and commitment, and somewhat costly, and demanding, and unpredictable at times. So I had to ask the hard question. Why DO I garden???

I guess it's because I love the beauty and the colors, and the awesome Majesty of God's plan for His earth. And because I love to take pictures. And I get to visit with my little 5 year old buddy who lives next door and knows where the chives are. She loves to nibble the chives. And because, after a full day at work, I find the routine of 'watering' brings me home to what is peace and serenity.

I have already posted but when you mentioned the little 5 year old, I have to share the same story about a little 4 year old who used to live next door to me. When I told him we were moving he started crying and got real upset. I didn't quite know what to say to comfort him so I asked him if he knew why he was so upset and his answer was, "You are the only person on the street who lets me drive my cars through your flower beds!"

Now that's cute!

I garden because I love flowers, like to be outdoors and I want to create a beautiful environment to enjoy with my grandchildren, family and friends.

It keeps me sane and "grounded". So is it for my health or for fun? Both, I guess.

At the risk of sounding incredibly shallow, I have to admit I do it mainly for the sake of appearances. I've renovated my house to look as good as possible, and I don't wear any clothes that aren't pretty, so it would make no sense at all not to have a pretty garden. I guess this just boils down to mental health, though. I feel good when I'm surrounded by beautiful things.

I am with JamesCo, my soul is happiest in the garden.

What Podster said... Not so much mental, but almost spiritual. I feel so good when I am weeding, whacking back, planting, or just walking and looking, smelling, touching. The work can wear me out, but unlike any other work, it just feels so good.


This message was edited Jan 11, 2008 12:43 AM

I voted for other because i have to take care of my national collection of crocosmia that take a lot of caring for......... but, i garden for fun too as well as profit.

I garden sometimes for fun and sometimes because the garden came by the house, but at all times its good for my mental health.

I voted "other". It's for my health, mental and physical and for food. I give away cuttings and "overstock" of veggies. I thoroughly enjoy playing in the dirt!

This message was edited Jan 11, 2008 5:52 AM

I voted other because its an addiction and I have no choice! If it's daylight and its not raining too much, you will always find me in a garden, mine or someone elses! I'm fully sick man!

I voted "FUN" .. but .. to be truthful .. our winters are so LOOOOOOooooooooooooooooong here in this part of Canada .. to see the flowers budding and blooming and the Hummingbirds doin their thing .. and the vegetable garden seeds and plantings starting to produce .. well .. we pretty much suck in all we can ..
I noticed this morning that my African Violets are blooming once again .. so .. I look at them on their perches .. and then cast my eyes outside to a sea of white snow .. watching the deer feeding along with the Blue Jays .. and automatically start counting down towards the spring .. sure seems far away today !!

~M~

I voted for fun! Is there any other reason!? :D

I also voted for fun. I'm out there as often as possible, I wish I could have more time.... : )

Love to create my own color schemes & ideas for a pretty garden, + I need to know what is native to central florida, since i just moved here from Chicago 5 months ago, Thank you!!!