BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Container Gardening Charity work and Gardening?

Hello Everyone -

Do you do any Charity work? And if you do, does it have anything to do with gardening in general?

I would love to hear from you and say thanks.

Cheers for now,

Hello all,

Well now I must say that I am surprised that no-one does any charity work - or is it that you just don't feel like posting. The latter I suspect ... no I am sure! No matter, me too, I often read but don't always post either.

Anyway, there are all sorts of things we can do for charity and gardening and I thought, that this being the end-of-the-year-season of gifts and giving of ourselves, there are many things we can do with gardening themes and with containers.

One is:
How about starting a container of one or two staple vegetables and along with it give a gift voucher of your time to ensure that whomever gets it or-them knows what to do and how to care for it-them.

I have prepared 10 containers to give away this Christmas time into which I have planted and nurtured three leafies and carrots - spinach, lettuce and radish. They are all growing well and tomorrow I-we am off to deliver to a couple of retirement villages, a children's home, two churches whose parishioners feed indigent people daily with soup, a couple of elderly loners and a school or two. I have one left.

As far as my time is concerned all turned the voucher down in that they said "No thanks ... I-We will look after them!" Thinking about it in retrospect - I am pleased that they turned this part down as I would never have managed to follow up and would really have felt poorly. I should have thought a bit more about this anyway.

This was the first time I have done something like this - and must say I learnt a real lesson here - for one, I found it a little difficult to give my vegetable container-gifts away. It seems that simple things are too simple and people don't 'think' simplicity anymore. Of course I-Pads and Kindles and all and all rule, but surely so does eating veges. Dunno. Anyway.

Thanks to my friend Kevin, we will be delivering the pre-Christmas containers this week, I am feeling good and I am smiling anyway. I must also say that I have enjoyed this project for the most part, and pass the idea on to you to refine for yourselves, perhaps you will bring a smile somehow to someone even if they think you are the funny factor! Maybe too I prepared too many containers, just do 5 or so if you are thinking of using the idea.

What other ideas can you think of for some voluntary or charity work with gardening containers. Let us know, please, say ta.

P S It really did not cost much either - cost more time than money!

P P S Chose not to add herbs to my gift containers - for while they have all sorts of food values and trace elements etc, they enhance food. My vegetable containers were designed to feed as it were. Just thought I would point out a bit of my thinking and choices made. Ta.

Cheers now

Hello All and all,

2013 and I say welcome to everything new - including all the new chances we have to do new things and try new methods and start again and renew and all and all.

When is charity work 'charity' work and when is it just 'helping' someone.

Well I am not sure; maybe we help friends but do charity work for strangers and on a casual basis. Maybe we only do charity stuff now and then. Maybe when we volunteer anywhere to 'work' like for church (etc.) or associations like Rotary is charity work.

Anyway, I am off to help a lady down the road to do a light January pruning of her rose bushes (she has 6); but I smile at my use of the word 'help' as it means 'do'. Reminds me of my homework and my Mom!

So, I am passing these thoughts on to you, as maybe you will use the idea to do some pruning or similar gardening tasks for someone you don't really know.

BTW I am not such a goodie-two shoes as I sound here, it is just that this post speaks of charitable acts so I am posting accordingly. I am certain there is a lot more I could do.

Have you thought of anything you could tell us about - would love to hear from you if so...

Cheers now

Hello to you all!

How about clearing out your 'potting shed' or garage or storage cupboards or garages or attics or dungeons ...

maybe you have lots of still useful but unused-by-you pots and bits and pieces that you have collected by default over time.

You could pot them up with a seedling or so, or you could just reycle the empties by handing them in to the local garden centre or thrift store. A spade that is still useful for someone else, or an unwanted gift - who knows what you will find or think about along the way. Maybe you have gnome or two that would see the sunlight or be happily placed elsewhere but not in your balcony or in your space!

Charity starts at home, yes, but what may be clutter to you will be useful to someone else and the act of charity may be to give it-them away.

Perhaps, in connection with my question to you above, a side or part of the definition of charity is to declutter.

What do you think.

Cheers now