And here is another question for you. The answers may be used as a Last Word in a future issue of the magazine depending on how many we get.
How much time do you actually spend just sitting and looking at your vegetable plot?
1 Never, too busy
2 An hour a day watching the bees buzz from flower to flower
3 All the time, don't do any work. Sit watching the weeds grow and drinking tea
Sitting and admiring your plot
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter, Chief Spud
- Pa Snip
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I tend to stand rather than sit, whilst drinking a fresh cuppa made in the shed.
Take at least one walk around the plot, looking things over.
We sit if Mrs S joins me for lunch
Probably between 30 to 45 minutes, subject to how long I stop on plot each visit
Take at least one walk around the plot, looking things over.
We sit if Mrs S joins me for lunch
Probably between 30 to 45 minutes, subject to how long I stop on plot each visit
The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.
At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
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We go down the plot most days if it's only a flying visit to get the eggs weather permitting , we have a couple of old friends two plots up from ours and we are on friendly terms with most of the plot owners we can be seen regularly sat around our table outside the shed putting the plots to right so much so I've had to build a timber gazebo outside the shed with a sliding canvas side to keep the wind out we have five chairs and a bench I'm now thinking of building a two tier bench to fit more plotters in
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Walking round and sitting looking are a vital part of gardening, you need to observe to see what is working and what needs fixing.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
- retropants
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I usually have a wander round when I first arrive, to see what's been eaten by slugs, blown over by weather or dug up by foxes!
Not as much as I should. But my favourite time is when it's really quite on the lotty and I've spent a couple hours digging. I sit in the middle of it (literally on the ground!), drink my flask of soup, listen to the birds, sit back and feel really proud about what I've just achieved, thinking about what to plant where. Then I start digging again....
Pawty
Pawty
Like Pa Snip, I tend to put in a standing break with a coffee from the thermos in winter or cold water from a bottle in summer, occasionally accompanied by a seed bar when the going is tough. I find if Is it down, it's difficult to get going again! Like Retropants, though, mostly it's just a case of an initial walk round to see if all is well.
- peter
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On my plot I have a couple of designed loafing places, plus I sometimes place a bit of old carpet where I can see the area I've been working on. I take breaks to chat with my dog, look at the progress I've made and sometimes to look at the sky through my hazels or my quince, especially if the swallow or buzzards & kites are about.
As an office worker I value my weekends outside on my plots and love sky or wildlife watching.
If I've spent three hours busily working and take a break I can guarantee my wife will appear just as I've got comfortable.
As an office worker I value my weekends outside on my plots and love sky or wildlife watching.
If I've spent three hours busily working and take a break I can guarantee my wife will appear just as I've got comfortable.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
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I don’t have a plot as in allotment but I have part of back garden which I can see whilst doing washing up. Don’t have time to sit and look at it but am always looking at the various stages of the plants.
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I have a walk round my garden most mornings, I love the scents and birdsong early in the morning. During gardening sessions I have a sit down on one of the seats in the sun or out of it depending on the time of day and have a drink while butterfly watching. On my morning walk I also check for slug damage and make sure nothing has got stuck in nets. Hedgehogs and baby blackbirds seem to be most likely to do this.
So I suppose I spend up to an hour over a full day's gardening enjoying the plants and wildlife.
So I suppose I spend up to an hour over a full day's gardening enjoying the plants and wildlife.
- Primrose
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My plot is in the garden so unless it's raining I like a meander around every day to check on things and see what's changed from the previous day and how much everything has grown. Often it's the small things which catch my interest - the discovery of a new ants nest somewhere so I have to stand and watch their comings and goings, or the bees flitting from flower to flower, or the arrival of our now resident injured wood pigeon with the damaged leg who comes regularly to stare through the patio window three times a day asking to be fed.
When I had my allotment, I came to the conclusion that 'pottering' was an optical illusion, something that other people appeared to be doing on their plots but that seemed totally impossible to me. Now that I grow all my fruit and veg in my back garden, I have realized that I was wrong - i can finally both potter and, sometimes, simply wander up and down the garden looking at the veg and enjoy seeing how well things are growing (must go and touch wood now or whatever it takes not to jinx things)!
- Primrose
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I've long since come to the conclusion that "pottering" on a plot or In the garden is possibly one of the best things anybody can do to improve, restore or maintain their mental health. I can think of many times, as no doubt can the rest of you, when an hour of "pottering" at a difficult time in one's life has helped to temporarily restore one's sanity. There is something about being outdoors in the fresh air amid nature that is very hard to beat.