Brooklyn1 wrote:
On Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:12:07 +0000 (UTC), Dan L
wrote:

Brooklyn1 Gravesend1 wrote:
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

And I also find that things tend to even out over time. If I have
a good year with one veg and a not so good year with another, it
doesn't really matter. If I'd decided to plant only a few of any
one vegetable or even only one or two varieties of vegetables, I
would have missed out because the conditions for whatever didn't
do well coul dhave had an impact on my only a few veg/varieties.

So essentially you are concurring, home vegetable gardening is a
hobby, you're mostly in it for the personal enjoyment of growing
stuff, and you get to eat some too. Sure home grown tomatoes taste
better than the typical store bought but mostly they all come in at
once within a relatively short period as do all crops, one can eat
only so much. Unless one goes into crops on a large enough scale to
supply several families there is no way that supermarket prices can
be beat... and even with a little truck farm crops can fail and
often do and for a number of reasons outside ones control, and then
there's the cost of supplies, tools, and powered equipment and
those get used up and fail too. Who do you think supports the
plant nurseries and gardening product aisles at the big box stores,
home gardeners is who. Believe it or not folks tend to home veggie
gardens for exactly the same reason folks tend to lawns, personal
satisfaction is all... even though one can't eat that grass neither
holds sway over the other, both are hobbies. No hobby is
profitable monetarilly, as soon as it is it's called a business. I
do gardening too, I'm motivated by enjoyment, not saving money...
no way can one save money from any kind of home gardening.

The term "Hobby" could be used for some. Is doing laundry a hobby
also by your definition? After all why buy a washing machine and
dryer when I can take my dirty clothes to the cleaners. How about
one of your other favorite subjects "Cooking" is that a hobby when
one can go the restaurants three times a week? I am sure there are
cost advantages of eating out all the time.

I often think of a hobby that only provides a pleasure incentive.
Gardening does pay ones self with goods that helps one survive
physically. Bird watching, Amateur Radio and Chess provides pleasure
only. like Chess and Gardening i Win and Lose at times. Does working
for yourself just a hobby. I built my own home, Me and two nephews
did everything except the concrete work and drywall. Is building
your own home a hobby? I am not being paid by anyone. So by your
definition of Hobby, does working for yourself count? Gardening and
food preservation in my book is being self reliant, not a hobby.

You don't make any sense, you are simply attempting to defend the
indefensible... home veggie gardening is a hobby like all others,
primarilly gives pleasure but saves not a mot on ones grocery bill.
I've had a veggie garden every year for more than 60 years and never
saved a penny on food... canning and freezing costs more than buying
at the stupidmarket.

Your experience does not make it universally so. Unless you cost my time I
am in front by many hundreds of dollars a year every year. I bottle and
freeze quite a lot and once again it costs me almost nothing (people give me
boxes of preserving jars, lids and seals) and my time. Why is this an
article of faith with you? At some time in your history you totalled up
what gardening was costing you and you had an Ah Hah moment and decided that
you couldn't justify it financially. That's fine but it doesn't apply to
everybody.

NO hobby saves money and a home veggie garden is
definitely a hobby, one of the more costly hobbies when time, effort,
and losses to nature are factored in.

Well yes if you cost your time. But consider the alternatives such as going
to the gym or pushing myself through some excercise routine. These take
time, cost money, usually require equipment and to me are less pleasant.
What do you want out of a hobby beyond engaging the mind and body and (if
you allow ) social contacts?


I've been involved in several
hobbies, I've raised tropical fish for many years, collected stamps,
and coins and I've collected fountain pens most of my life and still,
at least I can occasionally sell fountain pens at a profit, I've never
sold a tomato at a profit. I garden strictly for enjoyment... no one
saves money with home vegetable gardening, it's 100% an expense...
actually more than 100%, a lot more... anyone who believes they are
saving money is fantacising.

Well colour me hallucinating! Last summer I sold about $50 worth of
tomatoes at the local farmer's market and all it cost me was effort.

I recently spent over $300 on mole/vole
protection products, I'd have to sell a ton of tomatoes to maybe break
even. Just from reading here of people bitching about their watering
bills alone proves that gardening is not monetarilly profitable, never
mind all the other myriad cost aspects folks here constantly whine
about paying for.


I don't have any watering bills. I spend a little on petrol to pump water.
I buy very little in the way of inputs, a few chemicals that I can't do
without and sometimes some seed, my seed is through a grower's club and very
cheap, my equipment is mainly years old and long paid for. I use recycled
wire as fences and recycled gates as trellises that were gifts. I collect
horse manure off the pasture and other people give me chicken litter. And I
don't have voles!

You keep going on about this. It seems to be a religious crusade that
nobody could come out in front from growing things. OK you can't come out
in front, I get that. Can't you see that other people in this world have
other experiences and consequently see things differently?

David