What do you love about growing yOur own veg?

[lovelygreenleaves]

Lots of things, but especially watching them grow from small to big!

[wildflower]

Well, mine don't grow very big...but I love seeing them do anything at all.
My favorite is when veges hide, and one day I'll find a surprise something ripe and ready to go that I didn't even know was there. Or sometimes when they just grow overnight!

[Bonniegirl]

That we can look at a plate of food and know that the meat and the veg has been reared and grown by us. And it taste all the better for knwoing that

[seasidegirl]

Best part for me is just walking out of the back door and collecting enough for a meal. Or even if yesterday just a serving it was half an hour between out there growing (PSB) and on the plate steamed.

[growingthings]

It's a flavour thing for me too, and also the fact that I know what has gone into / onto my food. Especially since the arrival of my children.

Something else that make me feel good about dragging the kids down to the allotment to grow our own is the fact that my 4 yo knows where her food comes from, her Nursery teacher was sooo impressed at her knowledge of life cycles, which she expressed was sadly so rare even though we live in what would be considered a (semi) rural location.

I think that it goes without saying that once you are eating your own, it's hard to go back to anything else, the shop bought stuff truly pales in comparison.

Lorna x

[theabsinthefairy]

I have to say one of my favourite things about growing my own, is being able to decide to have a salad lunch outside and picking the ingredients from the pots and beds around you then just sitting in the sun scoffing lettuce and cucumber and cherry tomato. Anyone who says lettuce is tasteless has never eaten it that way!

[JulieSherris]

Yep, I love the fact that I can take my bowl out & come back in with an assortment of goodies to wash & chop & put on the plate.

It's also lovely to send the granddaughter out to collect whatever I need as well.... and spy on her as she decides how much sage/parsley/mint she should pick & then watching her decide which carrots she should pull, or watch her inspecting the cukes & beetroots before making her choice - it's a VERY important job, doncha know!

Actually, having read that back, I just realised that I've done a grand job with Leah so far, considering that she's only 6 & knows all the herbs & veg already

[Odsox]

I agree with all the above regarding taste, cost, air yards and satisfaction.
But, to turn this thread upside down .... what DON'T you like about growing your own ???
My pet niggle is that theoretically you have a large choice of what to eat, but in reality it is the plants themselves that dictate what you can eat tonight. For instance we have been eating spring cabbage just about every meal for about three weeks and likely to be doing just that for another couple of weeks.
So (at least with me) it's not so much a case of "what veg shall we have tonight" more like "what needs eating first"
Not that I'm really complaining mind.

[grahamhobbs]

Odsox, yes growing your own means eating what needs eating now but so long as you grow a good variety of veg and a succession of them, then you can enjoy the change in seasons from month to month.
This weekend we had a choice of calabrese and a variety of lettuces (rocket, american cress and mizuna now gone to seed) from the polytunnels, from outside leeks, celeriac, parsnips, and last of the brussel sprouts and kale (now going to seed), and onions from store.
The next couple of months it will get a bit sparser, but I noticed on Sunday the first spear of asparagus poking its head through, the nettles are coming up nice and fresh, the peas are in flower, and then our artichoke produces its beautiful heads in May, so we are looking forward to the tastes of spring.
For us the only downside is that our allotment is not outside our back door.

[Annpan]

I was just saying to OH the other day how exciting it is when the seeds start popping through the soil and you see the first teeny leaves.... fills me with joy and expectation every time. Unfortunately all to often at least half of my seedlings seem to wilt and die in almost an equally emotional moment a few weeks later - late frosts, building work and too much rain take there toll - but I will get it all under control one day.... maybe next spring...

[crowsashes]

i love growing my own just because i can! this is the first time ive had a place with a garden! i WILL NOT return to a flat or a gardenless abode again.

the one thing i dont like about gardening is the little one loves fresh peas and cougettes so much if i dont watch him ill have no peas or courgettes to cook! i admit it is great but is also slighty annoying especially when you plan meals around your produce to find the little one has swiped them!

last year the tomatoes all got blight, this year if im lucky they should grow much better then im going to have a major problem as the little one loves tomatoes so much hell eat 6 in one sitting!

[Odsox]

the peas are in flower

Pleased to hear that Graham, are these the peas in the polytunnel you are growing for the first time ?
Mine are also flowering and just showing small pods, won't be long now.
Broad beans are just coming into flower now too, I'm rather pleased that I timed the sowing perfectly this year to coincide with the emerging bees.

Odsox, yes growing your own means eating what needs eating now but so long as you grow a good variety of veg and a succession of them, then you can enjoy the change in seasons from month to month.

Yeah I know, I just thought I would throw a spanner in the works.

[pelmetman]

Growing veg has been a part of our life for so long can't imagine not doing it. To pick something you have grown yourself and knowing there are no pesticides on it is so satisfying. We had our first picking of purple sprouting yesterday the flavour was so good. Have managed to become totally self sufficient in fruit which not only saves a fortune but again the flavour and freshness is second to none. Long live our fruit and veg garden

[crowsashes]

ive just realised my broad beans are huge and need planting!

and all that raw veg isnt great for a toddler! trust me its not pretty

[Millymollymandy]

Good things:

It saves money
It's fresh
I don't need to travel to buy it
I can eat veg that I can't buy in France

Bad things:

It's hard work
It takes over your life so much so you don't have any time to do anything else
It's so disappointing when you get something like blight or other diseases that just wipe out all those months of hard work.
You can't go on holiday when the weather is good anywhere in the northern hemisphere!