what's in your garden!

[purpleaubergine]

Hiya, I'm doing a design project on gardens and wanted a few opinions on some general things that I couldn't specific threads on in this forum - it shouldn't take long and will help me so much (thanks in advance!)

1 How long have you been gardening for and what sort of things do you like to grow, how did you start gardening and why.

2 Do you think there's been an increase in growing edibles recently (for you, your friends etc)

3 Why do you think this is and what do you think puts people off?

As a quick introduction, I'm a 22 year old product design student in my final year - I'm not a mum but I've found so much useful information from this site over the years I thought I'd give this a shot! I know a lot of people would like to grow their own food, but at the same time I know that a lot of these people don't get round to it. For my major project, I hope to find a way to encourage people or help people overcome whatever barriers might put them off...any insights would be hugely appreciated!

1 On and off all my life, my Mum is a keen gardener, so started early! Didn't really get into it until we had our own house with a big garden though. I like flowers/trees, but really enjoy growing my own fruit and veg.

2 Yes, I am going to try and grow a lot more fruit and veg this year.

3 Partly due to people wanting to know more about how their food is produced, and what goes into it, and partly because almost everyone I know is having to be more careful with money due to the credit crunch - although it seems to be almost as expensive to grow your own (but more fun and it tastes better!)

I think not really knowing what to do, or how to get started puts people off, I'm lucky as I have my Mum to ask, and I use my library a lot to get out gardening books.

It would help if more was done in schools to get children started growing their own food, having experienced help to start with (this is great on allotments as there is always lots of people willing to offer help and advice (sometimes unsolicited...!)

HTH

Thanks magpie! I think it definitely helps if you were around green fingered people while growing up.

I agree that people are more concerned about where their food is from etc, but the cost thing has come up a few times and I think you're right, at first it seems like you might save money on food but I guess by the time you realise it's probably cost you more you're already hooked!

True, I'm definitely hooked!

I've decided to concentrate on growing the more expensive fruit and veg this year.

Have already got strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants etc from last year, and will grow more leeks and cauliflowers instead of carrots and onions this year!

Also, Mum and I swap plants/share seeds and seedlings so that saves us a bit of money

My Grandmother was a very keen gardener, as are my parents, I've always been involved in gardening and over the last few years have become hooked!
I have a patio garden for herbs, general shrubs, flowers and climbers in pots, I also have a separate vegetable plot and an area for fruit. I also love growing roses ..inherited this from my granny! I'd love to keep my own bees, maybe this summer!

I have noticed a lot more people growing fruit and veg over the last 5 years or so. I think that due to the recession there is the need/desire to save money, but also more people are tending to stay at home instead of having weekends away/ holidays, so have chosen to invest in their gardens.
I also feel that a lot of people want to know where their food has come from, the organic food movement has really taken off contributing to the desire to grow your own, plus Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his programmes have a lot to do with this too.

I think the lack of knowledge puts people off, not knowing where to start. I agree that schools need to do more to encourage children to get into the garden, it's shocking the amount of children who think vegetables/milk come directly from the supermarket!

Magpie, that's a good idea, I can't imagine growing the more expensive things costs a lot more when you do it yourself (correct me if I'm wrong) so you'd end up saving more! Makes me want to try and grow some rocket because I find it expensive and when I do get it I struggle to eat it all before it starts going mushy...fresh and when I want it would be amazing!

Thanks Melina, sounds like you have a fantastic garden! Some great insights too - more time spent at home is something that hadn't crossed my mind, and the fact that it's a relatively low cost form of recreation.

I'd been thinking more about ways to make gardening easier/less effort for people when actually it could be something they enjoy spending time and effort doing once they get into it, great!

Hi and good luck op

1. Seriously started about 5 years ago. Move to a house with a big garden that was somewhat overgrown but well stocked. Stuck indoors with a young toddler, I devoured gardening books whilst gazing out at the garden and started planning. Got very hooked on growing edibles and flowers from seed, they took over the place for 2 years. Cut back now as beds well stocked, and looking to make veg patch and allotment more manageable and therefore enjoyable.
2. Yes, esp amongst those who didn't experience it growing up! Amongst my friends, the ones with green fingered parents could not be less interested, whereas those like me find it fascinating as we had had no previous exposure
3. Time, effort, lack of knowledge and confidence. There is still a lot of confusing terminology which can be very offputting.

Hi Taffeta, thanks! Very interesting that among your friends it's the ones who didn't experience it at a younger age that are most interested now - you must be an adventurous bunch - do you think the fact that you have a good bunch of friends so you can all share tips, encourage each other etc? Would you find it more difficult if no one you knew grew anything!? I guess this forum is a good place to pick up tips and ask questions though if you're completely new to it!

Purpleaubergine rocket is really easy to grow, I was given some seeds last year and sowed them straight into the ground, and they flourished! Had loads of rocket on tap, my only advice is to sow successionally, a short row each week, this will give you fresh rocket for a longer period of time. HTH

On the cost front - I have just ordered some leek seeds at £2.50 for about 450 seeds, and as leeks are around £2 per pack of 3 or 4, I should save quite a bit this year as I use leeks instead of onions when cooking because none of my kids will eat onions!

Hey magpie, I was hoping to grow it indoors on a windowsill, would this work? I only have a little yard that doesn't get much sun and since I never go out there, I'm worried I will never remember to go water it if it's outside!

Wow about the leeks - do you plant them a few at a time, or how do you get them to last all summer, can you just harvest them as you need them? I saw a site where someone had planted rows of leeks in bits of cut up drain pipe (not sure why this would help) but he seemed to have more than would be possible to eat in a season!

Hi PA and everyone else.
At home I tend to grow flowers, herbs and salads in pots.OH and I love growing our own veg. We have a plot at the local allotment.I have started chitting potatoes,earlies, 2nd earlies and main crop. I have also got onion bulbs, as I am not that good at starting them off from seed :D
Other things that we will be growing are pumpkins (for the kids) and quite a variety of veg. Someone gave me a tip, grow veg that is expensive to buy, such as artichokes rather than carrots as they take up a lot of space but can be bought reasonably cheap in shops. Saying that, I have bought some purple carrot seeds.

Hi Aubergine, the leeks (I think ) you grow in pots from seeds, then poke holes in their final growing spot with a broom handle, drop them in the hole and fill hole up with water (I think this makes the white bit stay white?) also as they grow they fill the hole up widthways.

Last year I got a pot full of leek seedlings and planted them out as above in around july I think, and I still have some standing in the garden now, which I'm digging up as I need them, am going to try to grow from seed this year!

I'm pretty sure you would be able to grow rocket on a windowsill, or even in a seed tray out in the yard, you will need to keep them watered though, so put them somewhere you'll remember them

purpleaubergine - ( its TaffetaCat btw in a new guise ) - the reason for sowing in cut up bits of drainpipe is that they are then very easy to transplant - you dig a shallow trench in the ground and then can just slide out your row of leek seedlings.

Sarah Raven champions it as a method for lots of veg ( those that don't need long root runs anyway ).

Ah Leotard, hadn't thought of that method for leeks, my Mum does peas like that in gutter-pipe sometimes!

I thought it was someone growing them for competitions so they were fat and straight !

Hey elbowgrease! Wow, as a non-gardener I'm amazed how early you've started preparing for the growing season! It sound's like you have a lot of experience, do you have any tips that you would give to someone with no experience and only a small garden - perhaps tricks to getting started, key equipment to buy etc? Many thanks!

Leeks sound good, especially for someone with not much space, their "footprint" is quite small, how deep would a container need to be for them to do well? Thanks again magpie and taffeta, your help is much appreciated!