Organization vs. Hobbies

9 years ago

How do you reconcile the space you have with the things you need or activities you enjoy?

I have two pastimes: knitting and gardening. Both of these activities have necessary supplies which need homes. The knitting is not really an issue. I have one Rubbermaid bin and a small rolling cart (looks like a piece of carry-on luggage with casters) that contain all my knitting supplies and keeps things tidy. The conundrum lies in storing my gardening supplies. We live in a condo with lawn service so there is no need of a mower or other large equipment. I do need things such as shovels, rake, loppers, hand tools, perlite, seaweed fertilizer, and the like. Spare pots are minimal most of the year and are kept neatly stacked and obfuscated outside but my tools and amendments need to be kept indoors. I tossed my tomato cages for the space in a fit of pique a couple years back and have regretted it repeatedly since. Giving up my gardening altogether would negatively impact more than just my free-time. Much of what I grow are edibles, mostly herbs, that I cook with daily. The trade-off is about a four-foot square area of my living room that looks like a potting shed.

I am not really looking for advice on how to organize my gardening supplies, although ideas of how others store similar supplies in a small home are welcome. My question is more about how others decide when a hobby is too much, how much of a hobby to pursue, and what kind of trade-offs are made.

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Comments (5)

concretenprimroses
9 years ago
I think you need a small wardrobe for your gardening supplies and the tomato cages could sit upside down on top and be decorated for christmas as trees.
That said, I have too many hobbies and too much stuff. I am not buying anymore fabric until I use up some of what I have and then going to try to keep it to one medium sized bureau. I used to decoupage, but I don't think I will anymore since I discovered mosaics. So I really should get rid of some of the decoupage stuff. But I haven't.
For mosaic, I am going to use up some of my dishes and tiles before I buy more unless I need a very particular thing for a project that I am working on.
Glass garden art. Again, I have to use what I have and not buy more.
Unfortunately, for me, the thrill of the hunt and buying and finding bargains is part of the fun, then I endup with more than I can use in a reasonable amount of time. I got rid of all my yarn except the really nice stuff. Hopefully a beginner or child who is starting to knit or crochet is enjoying it - there was a lot.
I guess I'm trying to say that limiting the amount of space works for me. No more gardening books than fit in a certain book case is another example.
Kathy
sherwoodva
9 years ago
Hi, Mercy

I think it is a question of priorities, and gardening is a high priority for you. Do you have a walk in closet where you can store the tools? If not, use spring rods to confine the shovel, loppers, etc. to a small section of a closet. Maybe you can find something to put the perlite in - like a milk crate with coasters. It can go into the bottom of the closet. Place the bags in a garbage bag first if there are any odors. I think the fertilizer is the biggest challenge because it can smell. That is why I suggest the garbage bag. Another option is to buy a very small amount of fertilizer at a time or share with someone else. (I assume you are not referring to liquid fertilizer, which would be easy to store.)

Definitely do not give up the gardening! Take a fresh look at your condo and figure out where you can free up some space.
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talley_sue_nyc
9 years ago
A disclaimer: all "you's" are general.

Do you truly spend your time on it? Then the tools you use for that hobby deserve their space.

If you are a hopeful gardener, rather than an actual gardener, then you may need to make an effort to be honest with yourself about what you're truly going to do.

I'm a sewer. A few years ago, I had to really look at the fabric stash and say, "right now, you are *not* a sewer. And that's OK. You might start sewing in the future. But you aren't right now, and you could use that space for something much more valuable."

It felt good, getting rid of that fabric stash. I have never regretted it.

I have also gotten a new fabric stash--but I've also started sewing again. (Especially now that I can't bake w/ regular flour anymore and am not wiling to experiment w/ the other kinds.)

I do, however, now need to look at my fabric stash and say, "which of these fabrics are 'hopeful' fabrics, and which are ones I will use?"

It's hard, because I all of that stash is currently "hopeful," but three times in the last less-than-a-year, I've dipped into it and capitalized on something that was there. So it's hard to say, "I'll never use this" when for all I know, I will.

But, I'm also at the point where I'm ready to say, "this fabric = this garment--let's go!"

I did keep the equipment--sewing machine, tools. Because I was pretty sure I'd sew Halloween costumes, plus mending. And I didn't want to have to replace them.
I decided I had space that they could take up, and that other things could be sacrificed for them.

Hobbies aren't all bad, even if they are stuff intensive. It's just that they need to be *real*--like, really you plant tomatoes, which is probably why you regret getting rid of those cages.

For your specific situation, if you feel that your gardening stuff is crowding you, and become a problem. then it's time to look with open eyes at how you spend your time.

If you make time for gardening, then you should make space for it as well.

Do you have stuff you -don't- use? What do you have, in terms of stuff, that you *don't* make time for? It goes. And then everything else shuffles around.

Also--I live in an apt., so I feel your pain in terms of not necessarily having a garage or backyard shed for the traditional stuff that goes there.
My advice to you is: Reject stereotypes. Store the gardening tools in the buffet, if that's what works for you.

There's also the importance of compact tools, and multi-purpose tools. And when space is tight, sometimes you have to spend money in order to have space--which may mean buying tomato cages every year. (Or spending more to get collapsible ones that store in less space.)

But basically, when you truly spend your time on a hobby, *it* is the thing you keep, and other stuff is what you toss.
talley_sue_nyc
9 years ago
OH--another thought:

As with my fabric stash, I find that I need to review my hobby stuff now and then. It's easy to get things you don't truly need.

I mentioned baking. Baking used to be a huge hobby for me. I was always picking up new pans, etc. (I worked at a food magazine, and baking pans could end up on the giveaway shelf.)

Recently I had to empty a bunch of cabinets to make room for construction (once the work is done, the cabinets are back in play--so it was thought to be only temporary).
And I looked at several of my baking pans and thought, "You can leave." Ditto some of the other baking tools, etc.

So just because you do garden (or scrapbook or whatever else a person reading this thread might do), doesn't mean that every gardening-related tool is what you need to keep.
Even when space *isn't* tight--but especially when it is--it's important to second-guess yourself about whether you really need that tool or supply.

Of course, sometimes the tool is the thing that makes stuff possible--if you don't have any starter pots, you may never bother starting stuff from seed. Or, if you don't have tomato cages, you may give up on growing tomatoes. (that sentence almost made me cry! I love tomatoes)

So there's a balance between holding onto something for the possibilities, and tossing it because you're being a realist. You have to make your own way there--but it involves being honest with yourself.
And maybe being disciplined enough so that you actually *do* one of those things in order to justify the space the equipment is taking up.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
9 years ago
'' ... how others decide when a hobby is too much, how much of a hobby to pursue, and what kind of trade-offs are made. ...''

Ours was decided by health. Too complicated for here but we cut back from planning a small orchard to a raised bed with a few annuals because of rare rheumatological problems.

Organization vs. Hobbies

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concretenprimroses

sherwoodva

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Organization vs. Hobbies

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concretenprimroses

sherwoodva

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