Gardening – Is It A Hobby?

Considering the hard work involved , I can still honestly state there is nothing quite as “relaxing” as spending the day working in my garden. Well okay, if not exactly “relaxing”, it certainly is rewarding and just gives you an overall feeling of well-being. An added benefit is if you aren't physically fit before you start your first gardening project, chances are you in the near future will be simply thru the process of maintaining it. But is serious gardening actually a hobby? I don’t think so. The old farmhouse we intended to remodel sat on over an acre of land which sported any numeral of weeds and a few overgrown shrubs. Most of which, had been planted in a haphazard manner. For the first several years we just kept the weeds mowed while we focused most of our efforts on the interior of the dwelling . In time however, there was nothing left to do but turn our attention to the grounds surrounding the condo . Oh my personal , where to begin ? By the time that particular summer was over, we'd created what we called the courtyard right outside the kitchen. It was a tiny , private area with a waterfall and herb garden, along with a comfortable seating area partly shaded by our 50 year ancient oak bush . In addition, we had put up a 60’ fence, planted flowering shrubs and hedges, seeded a unused back lawn and planted flowers galore. In addition to the herb garden at this time , we'd an entry garden, a shade garden, a sunny flower garden and the following year we created a raised vegetable garden. I’m not exactly sure when reality hit amidst all this flowering and fruit/vegetable producing plant existence , but hit it did. This gardening stuff was a lot of work! Not only did we have to dig and add nutrients to our rock hard clay soil, we had to plant, then keep the plants watered and weeded. Deadheading in the near future became a half a days work on a regular basis throughout the summer. Once planted, my personal hubby who'd a job and a thousand other things to do around the property left me to tend the gardens on my own. I in the near future discovered that weeding stole me at minimum 3 days a week. Then somebody turned me on to Round-Up and I gave thanks to the Gods that be. Even so, you have to be very cautious with herbicides especially around vegetables and ground water. In surveys, when folks are asked what kind of hobbies they enjoy, 8 out of 10 will include gardening. After my experience, I can’t actually relate to gardening as being a hobby, but I can sure relate to it as being a full-time commitment!