Why I do not garden

[Oaktree]

Raised beds? I cut the top and bottm thirds off some plastic 55g barrels. Filled about two thirds full of dirt and plopped potatoes in'em Grew rather well. Got lots of those little baby potatoes too.

Not a bad idea, if I ever get to the point where I want to do raised beds I might try that.

 

[CalG]

we have a small garden to enjoy some fresh vegies. We don't till, just dig a hole in the lawn and plant a tomato, we might have 6 plants.
Same with cucumbers but along a fence. For a few months we have all the tomatoes and cukes we want. Only a few hours to plant. No need to weed.

The real stars of the garden are the 3 peach trees, 3 cherry trees.
We freeze enough for a few pies, wife makes peach butter (like apple butter). This year we picked close to 1500 peaches, most were given away to local food pantries and to friends and family.

Paddy

We pulled 250 pounds of peaches off three trees. Froze lots. dried lots ate lot, gave away lots.

 

[marhar]

Small acres folks buy their own tractor to tend to their properties but always at a loss, weekend woodworkers spend thousands on good equipment to make wooden bowls & rustic benches to sell only to reinvest the money into new tools or wood, quilt blankets that takes a few weeks to make gets sold for little. They’re called hobbies. The benefit is the enjoyment in whatever they do.

Well said. I am a beekeeper (hobbyist). For the amount I spent on boxes and bees I could have purchased all the honey I have ever extracted. It is not all about the honey; it is about the experience of seeing the fruits of my labor and watching the neighbor's kids ask questions in wonderment. One could say the same of deer hunting: the cost of the rifle, shells, stand, and time invested would buy a lot of beef.

 

[Jstpssng]

One could say the same of deer hunting: the cost of the rifle, shells, stand, and time invested would buy a lot of beef.

"I ducked down and crawled about twenty feet, and when I peeked up there it was... the biggest T-Bone in the meat case. It started to bolt so I quickly..."

Somehow it just isn't the same.