Kitchen Garden Forum

I was brought up on the edge of Manchester (Davyhulme, Urmston) with a reasonable flower and soft fruit garden but little veg, The main reason was my father was a teacher and we spent all school holidays in the North Wales countryside (Dyserth) at what had been grandfathers bungalow with 1/3 acre of flowers and orchard but again little veg. Not really practical with the time slots. When father retired there he made a significant veg and soft fruit area. When I started work in Birmingham four of us rented a house and I grew a bit of stuff. I remember a runner bean calamity. I worked for Dunlop and made a framework out of tyre reinforcing wire – it rusted away by the time the beans were 3’ high! When I got married I moved to Wrexham and grew quite a lot. Sold that place on the basis of the strings of onions in the garage – viewer said if it grows onions like that I’m buying it. It was very sandy soil fed by manure from the in-laws farm in Shropshire. Many of the wife’s relations are farmers and they all grow veg, sometimes in gardens sometimes in the heads of the fields. Moved from Wrexham to High Bentham in North Yorkshire and grew quite a lot of soft fruit and veg on a largish corner plot so kept many passers by entertained. There were quite a few veg growers about who always thought I did things too early. Still working in High Bentham I converted a barn just over the border in Lancashire on the edge of the Forest of Bowland just over 20 years ago. I bought it with 1-1/2 acres of roughish ground at 600’ but I’ve tamed it into large veg, soft fruit and orchard areas as well as flowers, trees and shrubs. We tried hens, ducks and guinea fowl and although we liked the eggs we didn’t like the rats and the economics were not too good. As we live in a sort of hamlet of 5 houses (3 barn conversions, 1 new build and the original farmhouse) about ½ mile from village of less than 20 houses we are now definitely country but surprisingly few veg growers. I gave my notice in last week although I probably can’t really afford to retire but 60 is too old for IT and anyway the monkeys have taken over the zoo. I might sell my surplus at the end of the drive instead of giving it away or perhaps do a bit of gardening for other folk. I’ll have time for all my projects but no money for materials so it is a bit of a conundrum.

A lovely life history Geoff.

And may i just congratulate you on your retirment, but you do realize thats the end of any spare time you used to have.

Theres always plenty of little gardening jobs out there to give you a little money for materials, or maybe you could grow plants and veg for selling, maybe at carboots or from your gate.

But most of all make sure you enjoy it.

When I was but a lad,during WW2, everyong grew their own veg, and many had chickens. I can remember my old granny killing one each Christmas, but that is another story! Having lived in my village all my life, except my 12 years in the RN, I have seen things change dramatically over the years. To start with, the motor car! Because the older houses were built without garages, and streets were narrow, the gardens have been made as parking places.
In my time it was the men in the familly that dug and planted the veg, but the women that looked after it. Now more women are working and do not have the time to do so.
Alan, as far as I can remember, here in my part of Wales, it was only the staple things like potatoes, cabbage etc that was grown, and yes I remember my diet was mainly limited to a few veg.
There were several alotments in the village, but now only one, at which I had 10 perch. However even that alotment is only about one third occupied now.
Having said that, my Daughter who lives in Mid Somer Norton, (one of the few not murdered!) has a large garden, and loves it, and has a lot of veg in it.
My son, who lives in Oakworth, West Yorkshire, is in the process of buying one fifth of an acre,(between 5) and cannot wait to start planting.
I knew there was something I liked about you OH. Very nearly one of the chosen few!

Geoff, enjoyed reading about your family history. I wish you a long and happy retirement. At least you'll now have more time to keep us entertained on this site.

Good for you, Geoffrey. Have a lovely retirement, you'll wonder how you ever found the time to go to work!
My husband and I both took early retirement at just over 50 and, although it meant a considerably lower pension, we have never regretted it. My husband took on a second "career" as a full time dry stone waller (how do you fancy that then, Geoffrey? Plenty of walls around you!) and has now retired from that after nearly 25 years, too, whilst I busied myself with garden, allotment, family and wildlife. Certainly never had a dull day and idle moment.

My Grandparents used to have a farm/smallholding when my Dad was a lad - couple of hundred chickens all organic/free range and dad used to have to kill the odd one for the pot now and then.

When I was little we lived in Croydon, my Dad grew our own veg in the back garden and the allotment nearby - we had chickens in the garage for eggs and meat. We then moved to the Midlands and still grew our own veg and kept chickens, ducks and rabbits for eggs (not the rabbits) and meat.

My Grandad by now twice divorced and living nr Okehampton still grew his own veg (and until a few years back kept chickens & goats) until his sad death last year.

I've lived in Birmingham for many years now, mostly in shared accommodation student style or rented properties that couldn't do anything to. Now my soon to be husband and I are starting to grow our own veg and plan to get a couple of chooks in the next year or so. Everybody bar one couple on our street have lawn and flower/shrubbed front gardens and the same out the back with bean canes at the ready! One chap has his whole back garden planted with veg except a magnificent magnolia tree.

I love being in the country but I'm not convinced I want to live in it though - I love our little oasis of a garden but I also love walking round the corner and choosing between fish and chips, pizza or a curry....

PS the one couple on our street have not one inch of green space anywhere - they have decking, gravel, concrete driveway and lots of noisy BBQ's but I do think that's the way the majority of younger people are these days - no effort involved.