When I retired, I didn’t think I had any hobbies or many outside of work interests. Being a workaholic had me working too many hours and then off-work hours, still being in the mental space of work with work-based reading or thinking about projects. But I’ve recently come to the awareness that I was an amateur gardener for years!
Of course, hubby would tell you my thumb was (still is?) black when it comes to gardening. But I am working on that! And I was never into edibles gardening or floral design; I enjoyed (and still do) horticulture.
Recently I’ve been recalling key gardening moments that made me realize this was a lifelong hobby, even if I wasn’t doing hobby things regularly:
- When we built our house the year after we were married, I enjoyed the process of figuring out the plantings with the landscape designer. And then, to save money, I took a week off and planted almost everything myself. Over 60 holes dug for bushes and trees, with some help from hubby and my mom. Unfortunately that also resulted in permanent nerve damage in my arms; young and foolish. But I loved that I had my hand on every plant in my yard, knew their names, and worked to keep them alive.
- Every year I enjoyed visiting the garden center in the spring to get annuals for my containers. My favorite garden center shifted over the years, but I always had one place as my go-to. I learned what worked where in my yard and what I liked the look of. A favorite was the angel wing begonia. This spring tradition morphed into going to the local Civic Garden Center’s annual spring sale. There I headed to the donated plants first thing. And every single year, I would buy more plants than I intended to!
- For many years I planted tomatoes in containers because I loved vine-ripened tomatoes. And for many years I would forget to water them (hubby took over), had squirrels steal the tomatoes before I could harvest, and had hubby saying, “Just buy them at the farmer’s market!”
- When we moved into our last home in Ohio, I knew enough to realize immediately that the previous owner had “planted to sell” – things were totally in the wrong place (the hostas in full-sun southern exposure got moved quickly!). And I had fun adding to my flower garden borders. Lavender became a favorite plant.
- I’ve transplanted my dad’s rose bush four times now; this is the yellow-pink rose bush my friends bought me when he passed away over 20 years ago. It’s still alive, but really does not like the Florida summer. The latest flood also saw the end of my mom’s live-forever sedum (that’s what she always called it). That also had seen multiple transplants, but just couldn’t handle being under salt water.
When I moved to Florida, I was not surprised that this amateur hobby began to grow. All of my gardening knowledge was based on a mid-west environment and now I’m sub-tropical. I joined my local garden club hoping to jump-start a learning curve. I quickly realized my local garden club was more a social club than a gardening club; still a wonderful way to get to know the ladies in the neighborhood, but not a lot of gardening know-how to be had! The larger Garden Club of St Petersburg however has many, many knowledgeable gardeners and has been a wonderful source of learning for me.
This week both of my garden clubs had fund-raising plant sales. Yes, even my local gardening club decided they would try this type of fund-raiser. The VP said, “We are a garden club, we should do something with plants.” And they had a successful, if small, sale.
My larger garden club had a much bigger sale, also successful. Over 5 hours, hundreds of plants were sold!
For me, the two events meant splitting my time between clubs and having five days of plant sale “hobby time”, from prep to selling to dealing with plants that did not sell. And I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Maybe not the sore body, end-of the day exhaustion. But the digging into the soil potting plants; the learning new things (“what is this and how do you care for it?” – Google to the rescue); and the camaraderie of the ladies at both clubs was such fun.
Gardening is a hobby I am very much enjoying in retirement. But I’m still definitely an amateur gardener and working on greening that thumb.
Is there something you’ve done for years that you can now devote more time to in retirement?
Copyright © 2023 retirementtransition.blog – All rights reserved.
retirementtransition 
When retirement was pending I was asked what I would do. I replied, “I know what I won’t do. I won’t be canning tomatoes at 10PM!” to which the fellow replied that I could if I wanted to knowing I could sleep in the next day. I do devote more time to homemaking and I’m coming to see that is my hobby of sorts. It’s done in a more mindful way without the time constraints. And it can be very creative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fascinating what some people finally decide is their hobby. I was talking with someone today and she told me her husband finds joy in maintaining his boat – it’s his hobby – the maintenance of it! Although canning at 10 PM still sounds extreme!
LikeLike
i’m afraid i have no green thumb at all :). But i do cook and that became my hobby when i retired – hence the food blog i have. Happy gardening to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried the cooking route in retirement but didn’t get much satisfaction with it. I admire both those who can whip things up quick or those who can create masterpieces of culinary delight!
LikeLike
Hi, Pat – I am sadly not much of a gardner but I admire all who are. Your potted tomato story sounds very familiar to my own! I am seriously committed to try again this year. There is absolutely nothing like the taste of tomatoes fresh off of the vine.
Like you, work consumed most of my waking moments. Now that I have been retired for 8 years, what is similar? Writing (which I did in different forms when working, without often realizing that I was ‘creatively writiing’), the love of meeting new people, and the love of travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Donna, And I once again succumbed to buying too many plants, including a tomato plant! Yes, here in FL you plant tomatoes in November. So now, I need to remember to water… and hope for no frost. Yes, we can frost… in those 4 weeks of real winter we get in January/February. And maybe, vine ripened tomatoes?
LikeLike
I’m so so about flowers but love growing food to eat. Do lots of canning and freezing and making in season. For the life of me, I seem to suck at remembering flowers’ names and have no idea what is what until it blooms.
Permanent nerve damage – what the heck happened? Usually as a young adult one heals up well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bernie, When I say I like gardening, most people assume it’s edibles. I admire people who grow veggies, and do the canning and freezing… and make their own pickles or tomato sauce. I want to be friends with them to get some of the bounty! I’m not sure why I never got into edibles, and Florida does not lend itself to that type of growing easily.
Yeah, permanent nerve damage. It was pretty bad at the time. It only flares when I over-use my hands… so I need to be careful on how much I do. Luckily, hubby helps with trimming things (clipper cutting can definitely flare it).
LikeLike
I have always loved gardening. I started food gardening back in 1995 and it has grown steadily since. I am grateful now to do the work during the daytime instead of until midnight (and then go to work at 0630). There is no grass on our property. It’s all food and perennials with a sprinkling of annuals as I must have my red geraniums.
I started reading at age 4 and am rather rabid about it. I now read 80+ books/year. I’m currently on #56.
I took up quilting in 1992 and spend a great deal of time in my sewing space.
Sprinkle in some daily exercise and a week or 2 of travel a few times a year and that’s my retirement. Loving every minute of it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elle, what a wonderfully full retirement. I have a dear friend who quilts and I adore seeing her creations. I have quilts everywhere in my home…. most are my husband’s grandmother’s handmade ones, but we also have a couple made with old T-shirts that I love for the sentimental value. I love quilts and am often looking at them at craft shows or antique shops… but no more are allowed in the house.
I too am an avid reader. Plus I do a couple fo daily crosswords. Both are part of being a word lover.
But I’ve never gotten into food gardening. No idea why not! Nor floral design… which is a big deal in my garden club. I just like plants. Perennials mostly… and here in Florida, geraniums can be perennials if we have a “mild winter”!
LikeLike
I remember when my aunt moved to FL from OH and she went full in on gardening. I also remember her saying the same things as you, that there is a very different vibe to gardening in FL. You may not have planned to get involved in the gardening community, but as I often say: when the student is ready the teacher will come. And isn’t that wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ally, I’ve heard that statement before and have always found it helpful. I also think one needs to be open to who the teacher might be… for me it’s a few different women in the garden club. Anyway, this is the club I referenced in a previous post about toxic environments. You can see my dilemma – my gardening teachers are amongst the toxicity… and most encouraged me not to quit, because they saw I wanted to learn. So I’m learning…including learning how to change my reaction to the toxic individuals. The teacher will come!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Pat, gardening in Florida can be a challenge, especially if you have salt intrusion. I used to enjoy planting annuals and watching them grow, but I was never good at maintaining a lush, tropical garden. I rented a raised bed at a nearby farm and planted a vegetable garden for a couple of seasons. It was rewarding, but we lost interest after a while. I also used to love to sew, and craft, but lately I’ve let that go as well. Photography has been a mainstay, and something that I have enjoyed more thoroughly since retirement. Lately, I devote a lot of time toward staying fit and healthy. Funny, how our focus changes from one decade to the next.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Suzanne, I love that insight of focus changing. Right now I devote time to staying fit, gardening, and playing with crafts. It will be interesting to see how that evolves over time. And to feel OK with that evolution. (And my yard would never be called a lush, tropical garden… too much of my craft whimsy in it!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started doing macramé in the late 70’s and I continued it through most of the 80’s, then I stopped. I probably stopped because doing macramé absorbed me, but then work and other life events were absorbing me.
When, in September 2021, I decided to retire at the end of that year, I had an immediate urge to macramé. I told my husband that I needed to find macramé cord. We went shopping for some immediately.
I am loving my return to macramé. I now use 100% recycled cotton rope because my older hands can no longer work with the roughness of jute. I am also developing my own style. I still stay very much with mostly functional items, such as plant holders. When they sell, as with your plants, Pat, I get great satisfaction knowing that something I created (in the case of your plants, nurtured) is being enjoyed by someone else.
P.S. I am learning a lot from your book on retirement transition. The exercises are great. The discoveries are life-changing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John, It’s wonderful to hear the joy in your “voice” as you write about your return to macrame. How lovely to be able to create something that you sell. My hobby creations, I tend to give most away as I don’t feel they are good enough to sell! And our plant sales… we priced things so low, I don’t even think we made enough to cover the dirt for potting! It’s all donated plants and sometimes I think it’d be easier to just give the money. That said, I still do love getting my hands in the dirt and potting things. And buying pretty pots.
I am thrilled you are learning about yourself using the tools in my book! I know I learned a lot about myself with the exercises and tools, and still use many of them today. Obviously things evolved through my years of being retired and in fact I’ve refined things a number of times – my vision statement, my weekly habits. There’s a group of local women who just found my book and want to start their journey through it…. it will be fun to chat with them along the way. At first I coached the book, but didn’t find that much joy in it. I do however like to hear that it’s useful…. and to see how people’s visions come out. Each is different, and each is inspiring. Yes, I saw your’s in your recent blog – Loved it!
LikeLike
Now that I’ve seen in Florida the trucks filled with green tomatoes so that they can be gassed up north, I have no interest in buying store tomatoes. Enjoyed BLTs all summer with tomatoes grown in our deck pots. Key was bigger pots and calcium antiacid tablets to avoid end rot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So I just bought a tomato plant to try for a fall/winter crop. Which apparently is a thing here. Now to just remember to water it and hope for no frost! Because I do miss those midwest late summer tomatoes.
LikeLike
I will never be a gardener. I just don’t get joy from it – only from looking at all the work others have done! I also seem to kill indoor plants – when I buy one, my husband says “we’re renting it” because he knows it won’t last more than a few months (sad but true). I think you definitely have the gardening gene and it’s lovely that you have more time to indulge in it. I envy people who love being immersed in gardening – it’s such a rewarding pastime.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Leanne, I’m not sure about the gardening gene as I’m still quite likely to kill things! But I do find it joyful – I truly like getting my hands dirty in the soil. And yes, the satisfaction when I don’t kill something is huge. So I’ll keep learning.
LikeLike
Best blog ever!
LikeLiked by 1 person