I was thinking this evening whilst walking home round the block that vege
gardening can be quite a social past time. I am not meaning allotment
gardening here, where you work alongside like minded people, but backyard
vege gardening. Last year I decided to put some gardens in to our current
place not having done it for a few years of renting.

Aside from the benefits of better eating etc it has provided good social
interaction. As an example, since I have been talking about vege gardening
at work other co workers who also have an interest also talk more about what
they grow. We now share from time to time excess crops or swap seeds.

If I have too much of one thing I can share a bit round the neighbours and
get the odd offer of stuff back from them. Not all my neighbours garden
however dropping round an excess lettuce or some tomatos gives us a chance
to have a yack. I can pop over the road and ask the old chap about certain
aspects of propogation or have a nose at the building being done by the guy
on the corner and offer some 'constructive advice'. We can also update
ourselves on the comings and going round the neighbourhood, the gossiping
that women do without the gossip.

Tonight I started yacking to a joker down the road I had only occasionly
talked to and noticed he had a rabbit. I offered him some lettuce going to
seed and he mentioned he has chickens. His chickens and rabbit will get the
odd bit off gone to seed vegetables whereas I get his chicken and rabbit
poop for the garden. I can get rid of excess food that would go to waste and
some manure in return which means I needent bother going hunting for it
again. Apart from that we also had a yack about all number of other things.

As well as a nice therapeutic past time (and a method for getting me out
from under the wifes feet) and some decent home grown grub vege gardening is
also proving a good way of building a community with my neighbours and
allows me to be a good excuse to be a nosy *******.

rob

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
"George.com" wrote in message
...
I was thinking this evening whilst walking home round the block that vege
gardening can be quite a social past time. I am not meaning allotment
gardening here, where you work alongside like minded people, but
backyard
vege gardening. Last year I decided to put some gardens in to our
current
place not having done it for a few years of renting.

Aside from the benefits of better eating etc it has provided good social
interaction. As an example, since I have been talking about vege
gardening
at work other co workers who also have an interest also talk more about
what
they grow. We now share from time to time excess crops or swap seeds.

If I have too much of one thing I can share a bit round the neighbours
and
get the odd offer of stuff back from them. Not all my neighbours garden
however dropping round an excess lettuce or some tomatos gives us a
chance
to have a yack. I can pop over the road and ask the old chap about
certain
aspects of propogation or have a nose at the building being done by the
guy
on the corner and offer some 'constructive advice'. We can also update
ourselves on the comings and going round the neighbourhood, the
gossiping
that women do without the gossip.

Tonight I started yacking to a joker down the road I had only occasionly
talked to and noticed he had a rabbit. I offered him some lettuce going
to
seed and he mentioned he has chickens. His chickens and rabbit will get
the
odd bit off gone to seed vegetables whereas I get his chicken and rabbit
poop for the garden. I can get rid of excess food that would go to waste
and
some manure in return which means I needent bother going hunting for it
again. Apart from that we also had a yack about all number of other
things.

As well as a nice therapeutic past time (and a method for getting me out
from under the wifes feet) and some decent home grown grub vege
gardening
is
also proving a good way of building a community with my neighbours and
allows me to be a good excuse to be a nosy *******.

rob



Couldn't agree more rob. We already do this with our neighbours, BUT, you
have to have good chatty friendly neighbours to do this.

who are equally interested in what the other neighbours are doing (not nosy
mind) and happy to share the info with you (not gossip mind) and welcome
'constructive advice' when it is given.

this stuff isn't new and I am not saying I have suddenly discovered a long
lost truth, just maybe that the neighbourly thing/sense of community has
been lost a little. Some folk still practise it, my parents kindof do and my
grandparents did, whereas my generation and those coming through below me
seem no to so much. This is a grosse generalisation of course but it seems
the notion of the boundary fence closing off interaction with neighbours is
quite seductive. Maybe I am different from the friendly easily mixing norm
however I have found vege gardening as a past time opens up avenues to meet
and share with neighbours. It has been a learning by doing type exercise.

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...
I was thinking this evening whilst walking home round the block that vege
gardening can be quite a social past time. I am not meaning allotment
gardening here, where you work alongside like minded people, but backyard
vege gardening. Last year I decided to put some gardens in to our current
place not having done it for a few years of renting.

Aside from the benefits of better eating etc it has provided good social
interaction. As an example, since I have been talking about vege gardening
at work other co workers who also have an interest also talk more about
what
they grow. We now share from time to time excess crops or swap seeds.

If I have too much of one thing I can share a bit round the neighbours and
get the odd offer of stuff back from them. Not all my neighbours garden
however dropping round an excess lettuce or some tomatos gives us a chance
to have a yack. I can pop over the road and ask the old chap about certain
aspects of propogation or have a nose at the building being done by the
guy
on the corner and offer some 'constructive advice'. We can also update
ourselves on the comings and going round the neighbourhood, the gossiping
that women do without the gossip.

Tonight I started yacking to a joker down the road I had only occasionly
talked to and noticed he had a rabbit. I offered him some lettuce going to
seed and he mentioned he has chickens. His chickens and rabbit will get
the
odd bit off gone to seed vegetables whereas I get his chicken and rabbit
poop for the garden. I can get rid of excess food that would go to waste
and
some manure in return which means I needent bother going hunting for it
again. Apart from that we also had a yack about all number of other
things.

As well as a nice therapeutic past time (and a method for getting me out
from under the wifes feet) and some decent home grown grub vege gardening
is
also proving a good way of building a community with my neighbours and
allows me to be a good excuse to be a nosy *******.

rob



Couldn't agree more rob. We already do this with our neighbours, BUT, you
have to have good chatty friendly neighbours to do this. We are very
fortunate that is the sort of neighbours we have.

As an example, when we go cruising a neighbour has the keys to the house.
Only yesterday, another neighbour got his wheelbarrow out and went and
cleared the weeds from the railway pedestrian underpass and put the rubbish
in another neighbour's rubbish/building skip, with permission of course.

But you have to have the right neighbours :-))

We have :-))

Mike


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