Now that is a question that in the past, was supposed to se.t computers crazy. No. I have no desire to drive you to the loony bin. Friends. May I leave this with you. Purely out of say, research interest. Why do YOU, go to endless lengths to grow whatever. Please lets open this up. Charlie Brown buys a greenhouse. He is interested in growing certain plants. OK. Tomatoes are flavour of the day. So Charlie buys some seed. Forks out on compost. Buys extra pots etc. Sow seeds. Please note. One sows seeds. One PLANTS plants. Time and tide passes, costs go up. Special feed etc. Timewise, pinching out etc. Then selecting the best trusses. fianally picking, late ripening. May I ask. OK. you might have 20 lbs of toms. Compare tis with your financial outlay. No there is no escape. Even the corner shop. Mr. Patel can sell you a pound of toms for 95p. Please join in. Remember. No offence intended.
1) I enjoy it 2) I get to choose the varieties 3) I have fresh tomatoes picked as required. 4) I add value to the crop by making tomato sauce, tomato chutney, dried tomatoes etc saving more than the cost of the tomatoes. 5) I "buy" goodwill by sharing the crop with neighbours and work colleagues. 6) I remain covid safe. 7) It keeps me off the streets. 8) It gets me out the house even in bad weather. Also I don't just grow tomatoes in the greenhouse, I grow peppers, melons and cucumbers over the summer plus a range of flowering plants and bulbs that require protection at some point of the year. Currently I have dahlias drying off, freesias and daffodils sprouting in pots, a number of bulbous plants that will take the cold but not the wet of the winter, a variety of cuttings that are not strong enough to stay outside this year, broad beans are just waiting to be hardened off before planting and soon the first seeds will be sown, some "experimental" some and some just to get a start and keep pests off. I don't buy pots fresh every year, a lot of compost is reused for different jobs, a variety of plastic bags, trays etc are reused until they fall apart. So you have to look at the overall picture not just the savings or otherwise on one crop. My greenhouses are full of life all year round and are part of the whole garden ecosystem.
Simple question, simple answer, I enjoy growing things. Why do people spend 100s or 1000s of pounds on angling equipment to spend hours sitting by the water only to throw some thing back if they catch it?
@NigelJ I like your 7) I'm now imagining you as some thug, walking the streets with his gang of mates and getting into trouble. I have often asked myself the "WHY?" question. But like @pete says, I just like growing things. It seems to become an addiction. I also like to pretend that if we had a zombie apocalypse or similar that I'd be able to cordon off my plot and be self sufficient ...or if there was a repeat of ww2 id be able to "dig for victory". ....anyway, back from fantasy land. I just love growing things. EDIT: a very big factor for me that I totally overlooked, but can be applied to all things I grow, not just veggies, but the concentration on the task, the commitment, the focus whilst doing the task, it all helps with my mental health. It stops my head filling with other horrid stress related thoughts and drifting off into a spiral of depression. Whenever I'm having an "off" day, I try so hard to get myself outside doing something and it makes me feel better every time.
Not wishing to bost, but I think my home grown fruit and veg tastes so much better than shop bought! Surely cost does not come into it when one considers all the benefits as described in the above posts. After all, what is the cost of a packet of seeds, the making of your own compost, using and recycling pots, the swapping and sharing of produce with friends and family...and so on. Growing your own is not a chore, a drudge, an "endless task", in my opinion. Tell me Mike, do you grow anything from seed? If so, tell us about it too.
All the above and the enormous satisfaction of making what was very little in the way of soil into a green and pleasant land and having a wonderful environment for all the birds, bees, butterflies, insects etc. and the rabbits! Come to think of it - I think we all deserve to be on the Queen's Honours List.
I've always like growing plants from seeds. I think that i got it from my dad, he always grew potatoes and cabbage. I like to get out into the garden and forget about things for a while, it helped me get over depression when i divorced my first husband, that's when i started to grow roses.
You can't compare homegrown fruit and veg with cheap shop products. You have to at least compare against organic veg, which is probably twice the price. Also shop varieties are bred for good shelf life and cosmetics not taste. If I didn't garden I would have to get gym membership to keep fit. No idea how much that costs and I would not want to spend hours there anyway.
The reason that I grow edibles is not easy to explain. The easy answer, and one I usually give is to say that most are either difficult to find in the shops, or expensive if they are. A more complicated one is that Mrs. Sandy enjoys cooking. Most of her recipes are well over 100 years old, traditional if you want to call them that, and certain ingredients have gone out of fashion. Growing our own is one way of making sure we can get the fruits and berries that are required. As others have said, home grown things do seem to taste better! Thats a bonus!
I'd say Charlie would have most of the expenses you mention only once. He will have his GH which he can make good use of for 20 years or so. Pots . compost ( he may be tempted to start making his own ?), special feed etc. These should last him for a while I'd guess. Packet of seeds ? Between £ 2 to £3 and they should be sufficient for a couple of seasons. He can also choose varieties which aren't generally available in the shops. The flavour of home grown can rarely be beaten by most commercial growers. His time ? I'd guess he wouldn't be spending out on a GH if he begrudged spending time in there or in his garden in general. Add to that the sheer pleasure of growing your own - whether it be toms, beans, peppers, etc. Personally, I'd advise Charlie Brown to go ahead ...........I suspect you would too
