[GrannieAnnie]

I seem to be best with tomatoes, chillies and runner beans.  I've never yet managed a decent cauliflower, or a really big cabbage, and my poor peas and broad beans hae been ravaged by the high winds we've had this past couple of weeks!  but 2 days ago, me and Pennydog ate the first of the sugar snap peas, and I'm going to sow some more if I've got any left. 

As usual with me, everything is late because the chickens take up a lot of my time, as does cooking for Brian!!! And holding on to bits of shed for him while he measures, nails, puts in screws etc etc!!

but we should have a reasonable harvest of something!  And yes I have too many lettuces, but the chooks help to eat them! 

[Gardeningguru]

A lot of disappointments happen when you grow anything, it's a learning curve, 30+yrs of growing I'm still learning, still loosing stuff can't grow a decent cauli for love nor money 
I've found one of the biggest causes are slug/snail damage easy solved get a few pellets out, I try not to use them in the garden but in the greenhouse & coldframe they are a must. Sowing too early is another sure way to struggle, and be careful with your watering not too much nor too little, if you take a pinch of soil and squeeze it if you see water then it's wet enough.

Excellent post by Richyrich, growing your own, and gardening in general is a never ending learning curve. Patience is another important attribute.  Patience not to plant too early, and the patience to keep trying despite setbacks. 

When it comes to snails/slugs  slug pellets in my opinion are a must, as honourable as others biologilcal control efforts are, pellets are the only true effective weapon in the never-ending battle against our slimey friends.  Just scatter less, kill more!

[Kristen]

I usually give her my produce with the announcement "I made that!""

I'll adopt that, thanks!

[Helen_uk]

I usually give her my produce with the announcement "I made that!""

I'll adopt that, thanks!

Me too!

I'm hoping I can put that on the gift tag when I get my 'Christmas baskets' ready for my mum and grandma!!

I tell you what I've also found myself doing, is buying people gifts they can grow! I bought my grandma lambs Lettuce seeds as she said she couldn't find any anywhere and I made a herb garden in a pot for a friend, she didn't seem too impressed, but I sold it to her as the present that keeps giving!

And thats what my allotment does for me, I find it so relaxing up there just pottering around, but time goes so fast!

[Kristen]

I wish people would bring me a plant, rather than a bottle of wine, when they come to a meal or whatever. What use is a single, mismatched, bottle of wine

Having said that the few people who have done have given me totally inappropriate things

Perhaps I should put a Wish List on my Blog ...

I take a tree to quite a lot of my not-very-keen-gardening friends when we visit - and a stake, rabbit guard, and a bag of tree compost etc.  They point out how well they are doing each time we visit, and its a nice memento - well, compared to a bottle of wine ...

[DD.]

What use is a single, mismatched, bottle of wine

The trick is to make it quickly not mis-matched.