Hi from Teesside

[Mad Dad]

Hi everyone.

Just thought I'd introduce myself...

Been viewing for a few weeks now and this seems to be a very good and well run site.

Myself I am an urban downsizer in that I live in a large town on the edge of the heavily industrialised River Tees. I have an allotment of around 30m x 30m which I share with a friend. We have only been on site for 1 season so we are not yet fully productive but are slowly getting there. It is my intention to become fully self sufficient in vegetables over the next 2 years as I am still working full time and will be for the foreseeable future, although it is my dream to leave the 'Rat Race' and become Tom Good if I can...

That's all for now as I don't want to bore you silly...

[greenbean]

Hello Mad Dad,
I've only been chatting on this site for a couple of months, everyone is very helpful, I'm a new veggie gardener, i'm not aiming for being completely self sufficient just now, but good luck to you! I think I've seen you on downsizer?

[Wombat]

G'DAy Mad Dad,

Welcome to the site, I work full time too and it is surprising how much you can accomplish. Look forward to seeing how you get on.

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

Hi mad dad think I have 'met' you on another forum. Welcome to this one 8)

Would be fantastic to be fully self sufficient like MR Good, for now if you make a few more posts then you will at least have a pic of him next to your posts

[shiney]

Welcome Mad Dad

I think we'd all like to leave the rat race ~ well most of us here anyway!

Have you had a successful crop of anything yet? Let us know.

[couscous]

Welcome Mad Dad

I left the rat race 20 years ago. Or did I?
I find myself now getting stressed about growing veggies.
I sow the seeds and the weather is too cold. I sow again. I remember there isn't a space for the purple sprouting so have to frantically dig a patch. I'm out at all hours hunting the slugs and muttering profanities. The carrot crop failed have to sow some more. No carrots now until October. Not enough compost. And then, lo and behold, you get a crop and then there's all the frantic harvesting and preparing and blanching and freezing. And then there's all the wild life to contend with. I mean STRESS or what!!!

[wulf]

Yep... I know what you mean. I'm glad I'm only self-sufficient-ish and not really having to depend upon my gardening and other abilities!

Wulf

[cheddarpaul]

Welcome Mad Dad - I myself managed to escape Teesside some time ago, but still go back to see the family.

I am sure you will find everyone here very friendly and knowledgable. My only piece of advice is to not bite off more than you can chew... it is meant to be fun and not hard work afterall!

I hope you escape the slugs and all your seeds grow well....

[ina]

Hi Mad Dad

Maybe it's not a bad idea to share a garden with a friend - do you do half each, or are you working all of it together? In the first case you'd have the competition possibly urging you onwards; in the second, you can always blame somebody else for not seeing and killing that particular slug that just ate your nicest lettuce... I think if I had a friend sharing the gardening with me, I'd actually get a lot more done than I do now. It's too easy to find excuses not to go out just now: weather too bad, washing up needs doing, weather too bad, I need to read the paper, weather too b ad (you see, bad weather plays an enormous role here). Been raining all day again today. I don't mind getting wet, but the soil sticks to the boots too much, hoeing is impossible, if I pull weeds, half the bed comes up with them, etc.

Hope the weather is better down where you are. May your carrots grow better than mine!

Ina

[cheap&cheerful]

Nice thing about having a friend to share the garden or plot is you can take turns going up to do the watering.

Jill..