Topic: What do you feel really confident about giving advice on..or not???

[telboy]

Interesting post Jeannine,
After nearly 30 yrs. allotment holding, I have to admit that the last 5 years have produced changes. I cannot comment on climate change but things have -  changed!
For myself, I am experiencing deseases which have not been experienced before.
I have tried for all these years to buy veg. seeds for Flavour - not Yield, as a dear man Bill Sowerbutts once produced a list.
I'll keep trying.

[dtw]

I know a small amount about chillies, I am growing more varieties this year.
This is my first year of having an allotment, so I am trying lots of new stuff that
I didn't have space for this year.  I only have a front garden which I am not really
supposed to grow veg in (according to my deeds). Am I going to get arrested if I do?::)

[weedin project]

I'm fairly confident about grapes, but mostly on the basis that I've read lots of books about it.  My actual gardening experience and the value of the advice I can offer based on that is usually limited to my disasters and what might have caused them.

That said, ask me a direct question and I'll give you a direct answer.....  usually based on what my teachers told me to do when I asked them something they didn't know the answer to......  look it up in the library, Project!

[Jeannine]

Oh the headlines. Man convicted of growing illegal plants in front garden,oh the scandal, I wouldn't risk it, you may have it on your record for life!!!

[theothermarg]

jeannine i have noticed you are the only one to admit to knowing a lot about 1 kind of veg. i have racked my brain cell to keep you company but must admit the more i learn about growing the more i realize i need to learn
marg :D

[Jeannine]

Marg I wondered who would notice that eventually, it was one of the points about the question actully.

I have no problem stating what I know, I rarely claim I know a lot about something, but if I do , I am confident about it.

I was asking because I find it odd that people are happy to say what they don't know  and sincerely  wondered why.

Is it big headedness on my part, I think not, is is because I am more Canadian than English, possibly.  Time and time again in all aspects of my life I meet  folks who have no problem saying they are useless at something but have a big problem saying they are good at something. Why is that?

None of us would go to a surgeon who would not say he felt confident,or a teacher  etc, so why is it we have such a problem with it.Is it beacuse he is a professional, and if so what makes him that, a diploma or  many years of study in his field. I think the study part is much more inportant than the diploma.

I stuck my neck  a long way on this one because  there is tons of stuff I don't know about my squash, but the question was, what would you feel confident on advising someone about.

I have found this very interesting.

XX Jeannine

[BarbaraGood]

Washable nappies and child rearing  ;D

Not much to do with this place really tho, am a firm novice, only experienced in slinging salad leaves into the ground and eating them a few weeks later  ;D

[manicscousers]

jeannine, it's because, if we say we're experts on certain plants, we're tempting fate and....our crop of that particular plant will fail !!!  ;D ;D

[allaboutliverpool]

The more you know, the more you know you don't know!

Anyone who thinks they know it all does not get involved with A4A as they would have nothing to learn.

If you have an allotment and produce a wide variety of vegetables, then you are an expert as less than one in a hundred can claim that!

I claim to have 50 years exerience as a Jack of all trades in the garden and this year have 43 vegetables and 14 fruits and have never been an expert in any of them.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage

[Trixiebelle]

I don't feel confident (or qualified) enough  to give advice on ANYTHING to do with gardening!

I'd rather gather experience and knowledge through reading forums and making my own mistakes/successes.

I could confidently give advice about other issues though  :)

[David R]

i guess it is a British condition to not claim to be an expert as that would make them big-headed or arrogant, therefore inviting their own come-uppance as we do take pleasure in proving those types wrong ;D

It is interesting to note that when a doctor becomes an expert in his field he moves from being a "Dr" to "Mr" as a consultant. Dont know if this is quiet understatement made official or if this is one example of a genaral British trait but it is interesting.

[Jeannine]

I always thought he moved to being a Mr if he was a surgeon

[BarbaraGood]

You are right Jeannine, if a Dr is called Mr he is a surgeon. They don't have to do this, but they generally choose to do so.

[cleo]

Well when I wield the knife(pruning) it`s certainly a case of Dr then as it`s not an area of expertise :-[.  And the only graft I know about is that involved in digging out bindweed

[David R]

there you are then, i am not an expert at medical terminology!!  :-X;D ;D