Perusing these boards and ingesting the vast amount of expertise and wisdom; I now have a confession to make ..........
...... I chit my potatoes only if I buy them in time and remember to do it; they still grow OK for me.
....... never had any probs with carrots, just make a drill, throw them in and they grow, I hesitate to mention carrot fly, but how do you recognise it?
...... I prune things when I feel I should not when the books say so.
..... always forget to prick out seedlings or do a rushed job without due care and attention but tend to get what I intended.
Just a few of my foibles and bad habits, always makes me feel guilty when people praise my garden or ask my advice (I normally have to go and do some research).
Has anyone else got shortcomings they wish to share?
Short-comings? Ha, not me, I'm perfect! Won first price last year at the lottie complex for mixed gardens. When I heard all the ravings, especially about the flower garden, how it was layed out and the color scheme etc. I just nodded and said thank you. What do you think? I was not about to tell anyone I just plop things in where there's room. So.......... if I can get first price for just fooling around without any planning or knowledge......... I must be perfect. Whoahahaha. -ina
My biggest shortcoming is I have no patience, hence the "leggy seedlings" thread chastisement.. but what I lose in patience I redeem in luck - most of what I grow does fine, unless it gets scoffed by slugs, which is what normally happens when I plant stuff out. Lets hope not this year - don't want me babies eaten....
Also I forget to label stuff and end up finding out what it is when it flowers/fruits, but that's exciting to me.
I am much the same as you Mystic, impatient so leggy seedlings or a zillion crammed into a 3 inch pot! :-/ Forget to label, start with good intentions, then either run out of labels, or get fed up with doing it! :-[ I don't sterilise (or even wash) my pots or trays, just chuck out the compost, give them a good tap on my bench, fill 'em up and use again :o Have no design skills whatsoever, just like to grow things so I grow them, and bung them in wherever there is a gap (often having to trim back the lawn to fit it) so you have to peer over tall things to see little wonders, or clamber through shrubs to smell the perfume of others :(. Have been known to nurture and love weeds as I am not sure what they are, until someone points it out to me (but then isn't a weed just a plant in the wrong position? If that is true, most of my garden must be weeds! ;)) I use the dreaded slug pellets....I know I shouldn't, but I use them super sparingly, I just get heartbroken if my delphiniums all get munched away to nufink! :'( Cor, I have a lot don't I!? Don't think I like this thread very much. Um, prune whenever I like, forget to deadhead, don't edge the lawn as often as I probably should, don't mind sharing my soft fruits with the birds, let the bugs do whatever it is they wanna do.....and I could go on...but, I think, and others agree, I have a wonderful garden, buzzing with life and colour! And I manage to grow enough fruit to fill a dozen or more jam jars with jam and fill out tummies with lots of strawbs and cream, so, a happy lass is me! ;D
Hi you all, You have no idea how relieved I am to read this thread. I have scanned these Boards for a long while feeling something of an amateur, as you all seem so knowledgable and always seem to know the right thing to do. :)
I am a bit of a monkey with the pruning shears, ::) ::) I confess I dug up some of the redcurrants about a month ago and have left them in the frost, roots exposed, - honest, meant to dig them in somewhere else straightaway, but something else came up and I didn't get round to it. Moved my leeks so often this year, and the beauties still kept growing. :-[
Kept some lovely little daisies growing in the plot because they looked nice only to find out it was a weed and would probably spread everywhere. I am amazed that despite my brussel sprouts being infested with white fly all season, they did us proud this Christmas, especially when I look at what was in the shops. We did so well last year with produce, despite I think my haphazard methods, that I keep thinking that this year when I am better organised it will be fantastic, but whats the betting Mother Nature has the last laugh.
But at least you have all given me hope that I don't have to be too perfect and that I am human and will continue to make mistakes, but at least I am having a wonderful time. ;D busy_lizzie
Yo Robin
I aint got a clue what I iz doing, but whatever it iz, it works well.. must have good voodoo or something... Do you see carrots spring up fom te earth? well I dnt actually see them break up through the earth.but swear when I look away for a moment a few more pop up dead quick like.... Oh yeah got 4 strwberry pots 1/2 price from B & Q... fiver each they wuz, and can hold 6 plants each... and I aint gotta clue about strawbs but will just get it on
with e strawberries... sing to them I will.... hey lil strawberries you look nice will ya grow sum more for me baby cuz I want your fruits to be so sweet and tasty..cuz yooze are the lovliest stawbs I ever did see.... not a bad song that ;)
babble alert in A minor
Oz
btw fort my puter would get sold today.... cheeky git offered me 60 bucks.. mahn I will give it away to one of the kidz up the road, rather than sell it for that....
Oz
xxxxxx
Anyone who saw my garden would instantly see that what I advise is a case of do as I say not as I do.
The beauty of gardening is that as long as one does the basics correctly ie remember to water in the greenhouse ;D it is a most forgiving as well as rewarding thing to do.
Stephan.