To think people can make more of an effort with their gardens

[Lovelybitofsquirrel3]

Due to circumstances changing I moved from the family home (owned, not by me, by family) to a council estate a few years ago.
Generally people don’t bother to plant anything/haven’t bothered with their gardens. There are hardly any bees, butterflies or insects that visit and I’m finding it depressing. A lot of people haven’t bothered with their gardens.
I planted potatoes last year which were never pollinated, and one or two bees visited, I don’t know where from and they died quickly.
I’m not looking for excuses as to why people don’t plant but surely it’s simple to buy a few packets of seeds and turn over some turf.

Cuttings for their own garden and the tools to plant them?

Maybe they’re just prioritising the planet 🤷‍♀️

There are some people who don't bother, my previous neighbour a retired guy in good health spent his days watching tv all day. Like come on you have the time to go do some weeding better than watching tv all day!

The other neighbours, the wife was always telling her husband how she doesn't care about the garden.

My sister, she gets her kids involved in the garden, our parents have always been gardening and we were helping out when we were kids too. So now I'm too spend time in my garden
I like my garden looking nice though, in love seeing my giant allium swaying in the wind, the small trees I planted turning beautiful colours through the season. Whilst it take 1-2hrs once a week to maintain it do find it enjoy it. Back to nature, getting your hands inot the earth. You see it in news now again how gardening is really good for your mental health.

If your time poor or cant afford it then fair enough but if you aren't well....?

Yes, quite. I might go and start a thread moaning that more people don't do a weekly ballet class because I like it, it has a lot of benefits and I think everyone should do it.

(In case anyone misses the sarcasm I don't think everyone should do ballet at all. I wish I could afford a weekly class though!)

No, it is whole veg. They steal onions, cabbages, carrots, etc. And tools from sheds... as in lawnmowers etc. Not little hand tools.
Anyway, being poor or whatever is no excuse to be nicking this stuff from other people.

Oh wow that’s really helpful. Are you saying it’s important to get all of the potato's out, I can’t then use that space a year, but the following I can grow potato’s there again?

Sorry my comment was meant to be sarcasm. Because apparently we should just be asking for cuttings.

I guess people stealing veg are either desperate, or just low life.

Starts a thread being deliberately goady and saying they "don't want excuses", get annoyed when people call them out...

But seriously. There are far more actually useful things to do than sit on MN and bemoan how other people act. Many given already:

• buy packets of seeds and post them through your neighbours doors. If even just one person uses them it's a start
• Find a patch of land and see if you can make it a community garden where people can come and help as and when they have a bit of time
• set up a "swap shop" of tools and equipment. Have a stash of pots for people to take. Local FB freebies and even asking around garden centres might help
• don't go around looking down your nose at those who don't garden and telling them you don't want "excuse" instead try listening to their "excuses" and find a way to instead help them combat those

You could make more of an effort is not a great way to motivate people, it doesn't sound very encouraging, more like a criticism.

I love my garden and I have lots of plants but I haven't been able to tend to them as much as I used to due to pregnancy. Some of my more tender plants may not have made it through the recent cold snap, I'll have to wait and see. I wasn't well enough to wrap them all with horticultural fleece or put the pots indoors like I would usually do. Gardening can be too physically demanding for some people and others just don't have an interest. I try to make my garden a little haven for wildlife and not worry about other people's gardens because I don't know their circumstances.

Leave it at least three years before you put potatoes in the same place. You can put other things there though, just not potatoes or tomatoes.

In fact you definitely should put something else in there next planting because the soil will be nice and turned with all those tubers and digging and the weeds will be a lot weaker. (Weeds never really go, as such, imo.)

I'm from a fairly affluent area of London. I dont live there anymore, but each time I visit DM there, I notice a decline. Lovely big houses whose front gardens look neglected, and just an overall look of decay to the area. Money and time must be tight for a lot of households these days.

I also think trends change - big flowery gardens were very much a thing in the 80’s and 90’s, we had a big garden growing up but you couldn’t move more than 4 feet with stubbing your toe on a plant pot. Whereas nowadays I think plain and simple minimalism is in style, decking, little square table sets, fake grass etc, have a look at marketing pictures on websites that sell garden furniture - the gardens are all very plain.

Same with houses. Nobody has nick nacks and ornaments now.

Yep. Although the recent trend for grey everything made me shudder so it’s not all bad. Although some of the ornaments my mum had were so creepy. And plates displayed on the walls - what was that all about?!

What about the birds on the wall or a giant wooden knife and fork!!

And cherubs. So many cherubs with their chins in their hands!

We've lived in our house for nearly 27 years now. One of the first thing I did was plant out our garden. I loved my garden in our previous house and I brought a lot of plants and trees with us as our buyers couldn't have given a shit.

Of course I didn't take into account how much they would grow so have had to have tree surgeons cut them back numerous times!! But somehow by the luck of the draw, there is always something of interest in our garden, something flowering, something with berries. I'd be impressed with myself only it wasn't planned that way!!

However DH and I are a lot older now and not as fit to work in the garden. It still looks fine but it needs work done and due to supporting all three adult children, we don't have the money to get someone in to do what it needs!

We do have lots of bird feeders and plenty of species of birds using them!

Sorry you're being snobby. Why should people on council estates not be able to eat?

If they are working all the hours on minimum wage ( ie no time to garden) then they will be able to afford food. If they are are on benefits topping up less work or no work then there's time. Speaking as someone who's child was receiving free school meals for years and working full time. And had a nice garden.

Its priorities. Gaming and watching crap on TikTok is easier than being outside.

They SHOULD be able to eat. But the increased demand for food banks shows people CAN'T eat

You're post reeks of entitlement

I don't remember a giant wooden knife and fork.

Had you been at the old style night nurse?

But yes to plates and birds. And fans.

Sorry who’s been snobby?

Who do you think it is living in poverty? Middle class people in £2 million 5bed townhouses?

If they are working all the hours on minimum wage ( ie no time to garden) then they will be able to afford food. If they are are on benefits topping up less work or no work then there's time. Speaking as someone who's child was receiving free school meals for years and working full time. And had a nice garden.

Then I’m amazed you think k working people can afford food. Most people living in poverty are in work.

Its priorities. Gaming and watching crap on TikTok is easier than being outside.

So what. Two perfectly acceptable past times.

We are going back to people being mortally affronted that others aren’t exactly the same as them. I wish these people would wear a label so I can avoid them

Weekly ballet benefits you. Possibly the NHS if you stay injury free.

Having a nice garden improves the neighbourhood for everyone making it more visually appealing. Improves the wildlife locally than impacts nationally , helps with bigger things like flooding and CO2 and it helps the individual.

Exercise benefits everyone and frankly more people need to do exercise, and we’d all benefit, as it’s a public health issue.

But not everyone has the time or means or will. If only we all did. Much like with gardening, but we don’t

My garden was majorly given over to my rabbits and guinea pigs so that they could roam free all day with a fence down the middle of the garden. So we had our side too. All of them passed away last year at ages far beyond most, they certainly had the benefit. Now I'm not interested in going into our back garden.

It's all very easy to recommend exercise but if you have arthritis or a bad back etc, it's limiting!!!

I used to be able to weed, plant, prune, tend my garden for hours. Now I end up in pain for days afterwards!