Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Chatting on the Plot => Topic started by: theothermarg on June 05, 2018, 19:32
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Just wondering why in this day and age of instant knowledge via smartphones, tablets etc. I see newbies making so many basic mistakes like the other day I came across a lady planting sweetcorn in a neat straight line, wanting her to do well I explained about the grid and why only to see she had replanted them in 12 in a neat 1' square ! There was a shop label there with full instructions saying a grid and 46cm apart.
The one next to me has a row of either squash or Courgettes few inches apart, why pay a small fortune at the garden centre and not even find out how to plant them?
marg
I know I sound like a grumpy old woman and I am old but not grumpy just very puzzled
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because there is always somebody who thinks they no better ::) Mrs Bouquet
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When I took on my plot I spent three late nights till 3am reading up on as much as I could about allotments and how to prepare an abandoned plot. I then pestered the old boys & girls on the site for any hints and tips for months.
We all make mistakes of course, but why people don't spend a little time on researching their new hobby is beyond me at times.
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We all want them to succeed and do well but afraid to frighten them off with a long list of do's and don'ts
sounding like a proper know it all. After all I'v learned there is always something more to learn.
I usually settle for suggesting they look around and see what the best looking plots are doing.
Saying that my neighbours are probably looking at my spaced out Squash/Courgettes and thinking what a waste of space :D :unsure:
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Just wondering why in this day and age of instant knowledge via smartphones, tablets etc. I see newbies making so many basic mistakes like the other day I came across a lady planting sweetcorn in a neat straight line, wanting her to do well I explained about the grid and why only to see she had replanted them in 12 in a neat 1' square ! There was a shop label there with full instructions saying a grid and 46cm apart.
The one next to me has a row of either squash or Courgettes few inches apart, why pay a small fortune at the garden centre and not even find out how to plant them?
marg
I know I sound like a grumpy old woman and I am old but not grumpy just very puzzled
For the ame reason that so manay people don't read what is says on the seed packet :lol: :lol:
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I often see people round here freely spending money on bought plants, but investing very little time (if any) on how to grow them. That always grieves me, if only because they will probably decide that gardening is too difficult and a waste of time and money. :wacko:
On the plus side, at the time of posting this there are 286 'guests' viewing these forum boards, most of them looking up topics to help them become more successful growers (no doubt many others viewing articles in the main part of the website too, but I don't know the actual figures for that.)
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At least that show some level of interest (and literacy) :D
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Must admit seed packets are often a little vague on such things.
For sweetcorn, they mostly just slightly mention to grow in blocks. Not that obvious what a block to a newbie would actually mean or more importantly why.
Direct them here so we can help them :)
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Maybe some of them just think they can get a tray of plants etc and bung them in their front garden to impress their neighbours and that's not gardening in my book. In my view there's no better forum for anyone new to the game than this, because if they try to do all the right things, follow the packet instructions and succeed, they may well think it'll work next year. Er, um, :wacko:
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Because they are novices, and things that more experienced gardeners take for granted are all new to them. There is also more knowledge required than they can learn at once so have to learn things one bit at a time. I often wonder why the novices at the bridge club never seem to get better, despite having turned up at the club for the last 20 years, and do irrational things with playing cards, irrational even by novice standards (such as partner leads a small card, singleton king comes down in dummy, then novice in third seat holding the ace, instead of winning the trick with the ace, plays low!). With novices I periodically give bridge workshops, they seem to take it in at the time, but come the following week it is clear that almost everything I taught them has leaked out of their mind.
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al most of that didn't leak out of my head cuz it didn't go in lol. You would never get me anywhere near a pack of cards but some of my friends are Bridge addicts.
I've often longed for more self confidance but begining to think that some that are might always think
they are right so never learn
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I think the creation of "instant gardens" doesn't help either as they look great to start with but it's the keeping it looking nice that needs knowledge. Whatever you're interested in that involves learning the basics and going on from there you've got to be keen to work at it in the first place and not to expect to run before you can walk. I do (or try to do) the Guardian cryptic crosswords and boy - there is so much to learn and am still leaning after all these years. Like so many things to do with gardening, following instructions on seed packets, reading basic books and posts on here are just guidelines. You have to work with what you have such as type of soil, climate, how much of land gets the sun and how much time is available for maintenance etc. I applaud the newbies who are prepared to work hard and give it a go.
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Quirky weather doesn't help either. Here in the SE we started the year with dull dull dull cold dull dull dull cool soggy, and then flipped into bone dry warm sunny bone dry warm sunny bone dry warm sunny oops my crops have shriveled up and died. I don't think in my location there has actually been any normal weather yet this year, it has been one extreme or the other. I think on my site quite a few gave up after the dreadful summer of 2012, which helped me go from waiting list to plot holder at the time. The site has never been full since.
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Everyone does things to suit their time, pocket etc. And I know people who grow things contrary to popular wisdom often get great results! I'm sure many of the 'old boys ' never read so much as a seed packet. I think we could offer friendly advice if sought, but otherwise let people be to enjoy their growing time their own way.
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In defence of the 'newbie' (being one!), there's a lot of difference between 'conventional wisdom' and 'best practice' and often very conflicting opinions out there. Double dig/No dig anyone?
There's also a lot of advice out there that is basically folklore or a sales pitch that has been so successful that it becomes 'conventional wisdom'. The gardening industry is a multi-billion pound cash cow that happily sells us 'good for pollinators' plants that have been drenched in insecticide. Why would anyone trust anything they said?
I'm a novice but I think any advice involving chemical insecticides/fungicides is bad (not wrong), that most plant spacings are nonsense as they leave too much room for weeds/erosion/evaporation and the projected image of a perfect lawn is just the opposite.
Also, some of us are just contrary! Thankfully my garden will still grow
On the other hand, I wouldn't plant corn in a single row :D
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I have enjoyed and learned from these comments and am conscious that "old timers" don't know everything. I have had my plot for 17years and have yet to get everything right
I think perhaps the key thing is to help if advise is sought otherwise hold your tougue after all has anybody tried growing sweetcorn 3" apart, it might work! Several years ago i insisted that beetroot couldn't be transplanted yet I do that to my thinnings and get decent beetroot out of them and i remember someone insisting that their goosberries must have been stripped by humans because no bird would touch them, now you dare not net them as magpies love them (one had to be untangeled from mine as the it fancied it could get through my slightly larger mesh that year
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I'm a newbie and I'm taking note.
I will listen to experienced plotters and read/follow the instructions on the seed packets. :D