Other Than Gardening, What Activities Take Up Your Free Time?

by Fern on September 20, 2009

As I was planning the next few months of “off” season posts, I began to wonder what kind of activities other balcony gardeners enjoy when they’re not out amongst their container garden? I bet a lot of us enjoy cooking, it seems that it goes hand in hand with gardening. But what else do you enjoy doing? Select up to three options:

What Do Balcony Gardeners Do in the "Off" Season?

  • I finally have time to tackle my "to be read" stack of books (34%, 13 Votes)
  • I obsess on what I want to do in my garden next year (29%, 11 Votes)
  • Cooler weather means knitting/crocheting (24%, 9 Votes)
  • I enjoy extra time for cooking (24%, 9 Votes)
  • I focus my attention on indoor gardening (24%, 9 Votes)
  • I'm into some other craft/activity not listed here (please share it in the comments!) (18%, 7 Votes)
  • I hone my photography skills (16%, 6 Votes)
  • I like to organize all the photos I took into scrapbooks (11%, 4 Votes)
  • My favorite sports take place in fall/winter (8%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 38

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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Kat September 20, 2009 at 7:51 am

I knit in the off season. I’m almost as passionate about that as I am about gardening. But I have never been able to have their seasons overlap. Once it gets cooler and the garden is put to rest, it’s hard to pull me away from my knitting projects. But once it warms up, the balls of yarn will languish in a basket until the “off” season comes around again.

2 Genevieve September 20, 2009 at 8:57 am

It’s only letting me choose one option, Fern! I like reading, cleaning and organizing, and honing my business systems. Plus writing snail mail letters to friends and family and preparing for holidays.

3 Naomi Mellendorf September 20, 2009 at 9:37 am

Yes, it’s only letting us choose 1 option. So, my favorites include–crocheting baby blankets, scrapbooking many, many photographs, and voracious reading (which I actually do year ’round).

4 Stephanie September 20, 2009 at 11:50 am

I love to plan quilts — once the kids are older and I have more time, I’ll make some of them, too!

5 Fern September 20, 2009 at 2:40 pm

Oops. I fixed it so you can choose three things now. Sorry!

6 invisiblebees September 20, 2009 at 3:50 pm

I tend to bake more in the winter, not just cook. The heat from the stove is always more welcome in December than in July. I tend to make collages (though I’m not a scrapbooker) and pour through seven books at a time. Like Genevieve, I take quite a bit of time to reflect and plan, also. Not just business stuff or garden stuff, but all sorts of “life” stuff.

Great question – I look forward to seeing how Life on the Balcony’s content changes/adapts with the seasonal changes.

7 Prue September 20, 2009 at 5:54 pm

To be honest our winter is so mild there isn’t really an off season. :) But when I am not gardening I am cooking and writing my thesis. Alas both of those seem to take up all my spare time. Ooooh and I sew when I get the chance, but only when I am back in Adelaide because I don’t own my own sewing machine! I do obsess about Spring plantings over winter, and tomatoes!

8 Abigail September 20, 2009 at 7:05 pm

I’m into music. I write songs, compose classical music, and record what I can. (I’m a music teacher, as a career.)

9 Carolyn September 20, 2009 at 7:36 pm

There’s always gardening in Southern California and lots of walking.

10 Jayme September 20, 2009 at 8:39 pm

planning an annual Halloween party and getting ready for the holidays. This is also when I catch up on my movies.

Great quiz Fern!

11 Bob September 21, 2009 at 5:11 am

knitting for sure; i dug out the yarn stash this past weekend to get ready. http://www.ravelry.com is a fabulous site for the knitting community.

i also hope to learn to bake this winter. ive always loved stovetop cooking and grilling, but never really learned to bake.

oh, and my partner is starting up his own business (chocolatier), so i hope to learn how to make chocolate from him (and design some fun packaging).

12 Fern September 21, 2009 at 11:42 am

Prue–I’m with you. The only plants that die in Southern California are the true annuals. But I do way less work in my garden over the winter. Other than watering, my plants don’t require much attention over the winter.

13 sdat September 21, 2009 at 4:51 pm

I live in S. Cal too, so keep up with the gardening year round. But, I agree, winter is much less time consuming. Don’t have to water as often, fewer container pests, etc. My non-gardening activities are all summer intensive too – triathlon, swimming (ocean/open water in summer, pool/masters year round), biking & local bike rides, sailing, tennis. Fall/winter I like Apartment Therapy & the home cures.

14 Helen September 22, 2009 at 11:01 am

I live on S. Vancouver Island and here the lawns green up in the winter, our rainy season. But gardening is pretty well over. Winter for me is the time for baking, cooking, dinner parties with lots of candles on the table to ward off the early darkness. I spend much more time on creating new sculptures for our sculpture line and doing mosaics for fun.

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