I personally love having a garden. I lived in an apartment for a few years and I really missed being able to eat outside or sit on the grass. I also love watching and hearing a gentle stream flowing into a pond.
I lived in an apartment that had a yard for a few years. I hated sweeping up fallen tree leaves, mowing the lawn and weeding. I prefer my new apartment where I just have my plants in containers. If I want to see water or grass, there's a park behind the building.
I love it and hate it in equal measure. I love it because I can go out there and potter about and enjoy the sun when it comes out. We have had some very successful BBQ events out there in the past two years. I hate it because the cats in the neighbourhood keep using my garden as a toilet and the people who live in the flats above us throw their rubbish into it.
Currently have a garden and I am awful at looking after it. I guess the bad weather doesn't help, but I want to make it into an entire patio area so that it's easier to maintain
There is no way around it; gardens are a lot of work. The more variety of plants you add, the more the work becomes. I myself love gardening and everything about it. When initially planting my vegetables for the season, my mom comes over and we make a day out of it (she has always had gardens and taught me all I know). In terms of upkeep, I enjoy the time outside and love watching my plants yield food for my family. During the winter months, my husband and I buy organic fruits and vegetables which are expensive. You're not really paying for the produce itself; you're paying for certifications, labour and handling costs (keep in mind when buying organic, that is not all going to the farmer). If you do not mind putting the work in, or you enjoy the outdoors. I highly suggest giving a few easy growing vegetables a chance, save money and increase your nutrition. Start with a tomato plant or two, see if you think you can put in the time to maintain them. Throw together a herb pot; fill a large pot with soil and plant multiple herbs (give each herb enough space). Have fun with it, experiment!
I love gardening. I've spent years working in the agriculture field in a few different positions. I used the knowledge gained from work to begin my own garden. I moved into an apartment where I am blessed to have an area for a vegetable garden. Luckily, when I moved in, the garden was already full of trees, bushes, and perennials. We also have bulb plants like tulips and crocus. I have become disabled over the past few years, and the maintenance is getting harder. My boyfriend does all of the hard labor and weeding, and I do the details, and pick the vegetables. I do all of the cooking, so I figure this is a fair deal. I use a table to set up my seedlings and arrange container gardens. I most enjoy being outside in the sun with my hands in the dirt, it is one of my favorite pass times. I also trade veggies with my neighbors, which benefits our community. For me, it is worth the hard work of gardening, even though I don't have to do the really heavy work. The hardest part for me is dealing with unrolling the hose, watering, and rolling it back up again. Another tough job is pulling up all the dead plants at the end of the season and cleaning up for winter.
