Growing vegetables is hard work - there is no denying that. Digging, sowing, weeding, watering, thinning, checking for diseases, more weeding, more watering and so on and so forth. So maybe it is no surprise that sometimes people ask me why I bother. After all you can buy fresh fruit and veg in the shops and at very reasonable prices.
True ... but this is why I grow my own veg ...
These are the first of our new potatoes from the polytunnel that I dug up today and within less than half an hour they were cooked and on our dinner plates. No shop anywhere can give you that sort of freshness!
I can also grow things that are much harder to buy. Today, whilst shopping for Ben's birthday presents I may just have diverted to the garden centre and picked up these: 2 pepper plants (one black and one orange/green) and a bit of a mystery plant. It is labelled as a Poire-Melon (Pear melon) and a quick search online reveals it is Solanum muricatum or pepino dulce ("sweet cucumber" in English). Does anyone know anything more about it?
So that my friends is 2 reasons why I garden. It also is a great way to keep fit, get fresh air in your lungs and keep yourself connected to Mother Nature. Are you a gardener? If so do tell why you garden.
I love growing my own vegies! We have not done this in a while due to my health but I want to get a little patch going in the garden again! My biggest success to date is growing tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteAngela x
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it is hard work and you are a total pro at it!! brava!
ReplyDeleteWe love growing our own vegetables. Like you say there is no way of getting it any fresher
ReplyDeleteYou are my gardener inspiration Rosie! You can just tell that I'm a bit of a lazy noob when it comes to my own garden but such admiration for your drive and passion!
ReplyDeleteWe have been picking rocket from the garden here this week for salads and it's a great feeling to pop out, grab what you need and eat it straight away. Some of the air miles being used to bring us things like blueberries in the UK at the moment is shocking and does make one think about eating more locally and seasonally.
Thanks for joining in again - missed you last week!
Now pass me a spud....
I love the thought of having freshly picked vegetables from the garden on our dinner plates. I look at yours with envy. One thing I might see if I can grow is Flower Sprouts (combo kale/brussel sprouts) as they were so hard to buy but incredibly delicious.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing better tasting than freshly picked fruit and vegetables from the garden. Even my daughter says that!
ReplyDeleteI do love eating vegetables straight from the garden, but admit that I am quite lazy about planting and looking after them... I need to be more organised :) #HDYGG
ReplyDeleteI'm not a great gardener but i do enjoy growing fruit. This year is looking promising, despite the weather! I'm looking forward to our own apples, strawberries, raspberries, brambles, rhubarb and red currants. Theres's nothing quite like picking fruit in your own garden is there.
ReplyDeleteTotally understand why you do Rosie. I really miss our vegetable patch that we had in Italy, it was a lot of hard work but absolutely worth it. Well done to you :-)
ReplyDeleteI love growing veg as I like all the heirloom varieties and the range of quirky varieties. I'm a pumpkin grower and the different ones I grow from seed are so much more interesting than the ones in the shops come October.
ReplyDeletehope you enjoy the fruits of your labour, i often wonder where sayings like this come from and this must be a gardening term
ReplyDeletePipino? I cooked that with salted dried fish. Saute garlic, add the fish, add the pipino and then water from washing your rice. Yum! #hdygg
ReplyDeleteThat mystery plant looks interesting will be good to see how that does - have heard of cucamelons (they're of mexican descent I think - look like watermelons the size of grapes but taste like cucumber) but not of pear melon but maybe it's a similar concept?
ReplyDeleteAnd so worth it when you get a good crop isn't it - those new potatoes look fab - enjoy! #hdygg
I love gardening but I've given up on growing veg after my first 2 years were rubbish! Now I grow flowers!
ReplyDeleteGrowing your own veggies has to be one of the most satisfying and rewarding past times. And whoa, black peppers!! never heard of those before!
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