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Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Green with Envy

(Image from weheartit)

Top of my secret wish list this Spring is an allotment,
or at least a vegetable patch in my garden. I think there is nothing nicer than sitting down to a meal involving home grown fruit, vegetables or salads (my grandad grows the freshest tasting salad leaves and makes FRESH peppermint tea).

Is this likely to happen any time soon?
*shakes head*
I fail to look after a pot plant. I was bought a Gerbera last year. It died a rapid and painful death within a week.

I actually have seeds, in the garage, to grow in pots. Tasty things like pumpkin, rhubarb, strawberries...
dare I try and plant them? NO. I just can't take the heartbreak.

(note to self, ask Dad to plant them and claim all success for myself).

Every time a blogger mentions their gardening adventures, or an ex-neighbour brings round a stuffed veg box of home grown goodness I start to turn as green as the produce I've just laid eyes on. Maybe gardening skills will come with age...although memory deteriorates with age and this is my main downfall...
I'd have to set alarms to water the bloody plants.

Maybe this year though will be my year of joy...when I am proudly showing off home grown goodness later on the blog, just don't ask if it was grown by me or some un-suspecting friend/relative. Ignorance is bliss, ok?

How about you? Have you had any joy with growing vegetables?

I've just given myself the worst craving for (home grown) carrot cake.

xxx

37 comments:

Cherry Pullinger said...

My boyfriend and I were talking about this yesterday and we both said we'd love to grow our own Veg as we eat so much of it!

Bethy said...

mmm carrot cake :) And i am terrible with plants also - definitely think it is something that comes with age xx

Siobhan said...

This is on my wish list! It is one of the first things I want to do when I have money and a steady job etc! Get myself an allotment grow lots of veg, have chickens and then have my own farm :)

ellieand said...

Oh man, i'd love nothinig more than a little vegetable patch! Flowers i could give or take, but growing something i could actually use..aaah, just bliss! Although i too have a tendency to kill plants. They just don't like me x

Alex said...

It takes up a surprising amount of time if you do it properly! When I had an allotment with some of the girls from work we were constantly knackered!

Spuds and onions are REALLY easy to grow though, and they don't need much looking after at all. Can you pinch a section of flower bed at home and have a go?

ps - yay that the parcel arrived! Let me know what you think of them :)

Krysten @ After 'I Do' said...

I really want to try to grow tomatoes this year but I pretty much KILL plants so.... yeah.

the.blowers.daughter said...

rhubarb is thee easiest thing to grow, trust me. the leaves are massive.
herbs are good to start with though ... like rosemary, thyme, mint, etc. you can grow them indoors if your kitchen has a sunny window.
even potatoes ... you can't kill potatoes, you just need a massive bag of soil.
i'm taking a crack at sunflowers in a couple of weeks.

Maria said...

My grandma has always had a really big garden and always grew her own food and so has my mum so I am hoping these green fingered traits are passed on, Growing herbs on the windowsill is quite easy and useful too :)

Maria xxx

Steph @ The Simple Life said...

OMG I'm the same as you I want to grow my own food but I kill everything. We got house plants that were unkillable and they have still died! Good luck xxx

Emma said...

Try growing a geranium, I got given one when I was six years old and it didn't die till I was fifteen, and I literally did NOTHING to it, haha!

kate louise. said...

Plants just don't like me. :(

I try sooo hard too, and my mum has just bought me two lovely plants for my living room and already they're looking droopy.

I've been told I need to start singing to them(?!) :P x x

Julia said...

i'm going to attempt to grow strawberries this year.

yes, I did say ATTEMPT.

xx

Lucy said...

Haha, there's a reason why I have only cacti - even some of them are a bit ropey-looking! Alex is right though, my Dad has an allotment and he's there ALL THE TIME! x

Liya said...

i dont plant them, but my parents love em, we dont have a yard , cos its a flat so we put pots outside and we save going to the market which is just downstairs! as my parents plant curry leaves, pandan leaves and chillies and what not i hv no idea

and i think gardening spreads the love cos some of my neighbours are joining in haha ^^

ScienceGeek said...

Definately grow some rhubarb. We grow it in our garden and it grows so quickly and tastes yummy too!
xx

Chuck said...

I love claiming all success for myself! x

Natasha said...

The best advice I can give when it comes to growing plants is just to set yourself a reminder for watering them, so once a week at the weekend is a good time, I think. Make sure they have plenty of sunlight, and you should be good to go. Though my bamboo did start to die last year...which was horrible. I plan not to let my new bamboo go the same way! xxx

Marzipan said...

I would love an allotment. I grew carrots and potatoes in the garden when I was younger and it was really exciting! The ground was stony so they were all ugly and misshapen but I was proud. We had allotments at school too.

My growing things since hasn't been successful - I'm rubbish at houseplants. I used to have to send them back to my parents for rehabilitation every so often. One didn't even make it to my uni room because it got decapitated by an enormous physics textbook on the way :(

scottrecovered said...

I so admire those who can grow their own veggies! Unfortunately I can't :( We should try though!

Scott

Rachel (RooPaprika) said...

I used to have an allotment, a half plot sized one and I loved it. To be honest you can wing a lot of things - just put stuff in the ground and see if it grows - trial and error is the best teacher.

I'm starting to put things in the new garden now. It's hard going starting from scratch again but I know it will be worth it.

Please may I? said...

I grew lots last year. Tomatoes, courgettes, sweetcorn, leeks and broccoli. I'm hoping to grow lots this too. My inlaws have put me down for an allotment so you never know! Might take years o get one mind!

X x

Harriet said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who kills plants. I don't mean to - I try and look after them... it just doesn't work! I even killed my cactus... they're supposed to be able to survive pretty much anything!

I lvoe the idea of home grown veggies, my boyfriend's parents have an allotment, and grow all sorts of things and I love it. They even have chickens for home grown (sort of!) eggs!

Missy said...

I have a black thumb.

Ms. Chyme said...

You can try though... its nice to plant vegetables in the backyard. I also plan to do that when winter is gone.

Wida said...

Hmm, I am planning to get a green house or something and grow my own vegetables! I really want to! I used to be really good when I was little but not so much any more!

Wida
Missing Amsie Blog

Indie.Tea said...

I do like gardening, actually...I just need a spot to do it! I grow herbs only right now, and a few potted flowers. My parents have lots of things though - taro, cilantro, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc....

Style Eyes said...

I leave the gardening to my husband but he does grow some amazing veg but it takes a lot of time to water them. Usually the most successful is the beans and mange tout peas.

Daisy said...

Make sure you do it, I really want to make sure I do too.. ! i got a book about how to make your own home remedies.. so id like to grow stuff to make some of those!

Sophie - Country girl said...

me and my hubby love growing veg, its great watching it grow.
http://cgdn.blogspot.com/

Mouthwash said...

I so wish that I could have my own garden!! But i have no plot, or pot or any place for dirt!

Amber
Ambersmouthwash

Alice said...

I would love to grow my own veg, I had an attempt last year but didn’t get much grown in the end as it was too late when I planted them! xx

Mat said...

i attempted to grow my own last year but it didn't go so well. i did carrots but they never grew even though i did everything that was suggested. bo.

ah no way, well i am pretty obsessed with stationary!

dinoprincesschar said...

i don't have much luck with anything that requires watering. i am just about managing to keep my cactus alive, but nothing else survives. :S

Carrie said...

I'd love to grow my own veggies too - when I move to my new flat this summer I'm definitely getting a window box, just to start off slowly!

Claire said...

i'm helping a friend with his allotment this year and i havent a clue what i'm doing!! it's great excerise though i went yesterday and can you believe a got a wee bit sunburnt!!x

El Pinko said...

you can totally grow your own peppermint, ask your grandad for a bit. Mint grows like MAD and not even cats eating it will kill it off :D

Kezzie said...

Alas, I come from a long line of great gardeners, but without help, I am not very good! I like weeding, but I lack confidence in the actual planting part! I grew Swiss chard last year which was nice if you keep picking it bit by bit so it doesn't go to seed (and I love the taste!) plus the cucumbers my mum planted for me! My boyfriend planted a rocket garden last year, which was very successful- he had all sorts of lovely leaves! That might be worth a try!

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