[JayG]

Having decided that many MP composts are a bit suspect regarding their nutrient content I decided to get one jump ahead by adding Growmore to my tomato planters in the GH. Couldn't decide whether to add it near the top or bottom for maximum benefit so added it in a single layer about half way up as I filled them up.

Result - plants which grew curled, pale, or limp (or all 3) and are still struggling to grow through it - I'm not sure the Incas actually will before it's too late.
I can only assume the layer of fertiliser has either burned the roots or provided so much food they had no reason to develop properly. I will probably never know but will inspect them carefully when the time comes.

I had the sense to mix the Growmore in properly to the bag I planted my Red Alerts in, and they've grown rampantly (same compost - Verve)

I should have had enough experience to have anticipated and therefore avoided this problem, but I didn't so am posting this just in case anyone else out there is contemplating doing something as careless. 

I'm not sure how much better my soul is feeling for this 'confession', but feel free to post about your own mistakes anyway! 

[Fairy Plotmother]

I'm beginning to wish I didn't go away for 2 weeks from 20/July and then come back feeling unwell and unable to go to fairyland. Goodness knows what's going on there.....my garden is bad enough.

[New shoot]

I'm not sure how much better my soul is feeling for this 'confession', but feel free to post about your own mistakes anyway! 

Where do you want to start? 

Which clever person thought planting 3 courgette plants was a clever idea, then accepting a 4th as a gift    OH may leave home if I bring back many more from the plot 

Probably the same genius who decided to try and be self sufficient in greens all season in the year of the slug - not been a great success so far 

Or maybe the one who carefully put a netting and cane protective fence around the sweetcorn and squash to keep the deer out and forgot to patrol the boundaries and now has escapee spaghetti squash taking over other crops.

Oh ............. that will be me then   

I'm beginning to wish I didn't go away for 2 weeks from 20/July and then come back feeling unwell and unable to go to fairyland. Goodness knows what's going on there.....my garden is bad enough.

Hope you feel better soon 

[MalcW]

My first full year, and I wish I hadn't had anything to do with anything that starts with 'brass' and ends with 'ica'. Other stuff has been (by and large) OK.

[Goosegirl]

JayG - I think you did burn the roots. When I plant something and add BFB or bonemeal to the hole, I sprinkle a bit in the soil at the bottom then scuffle it in, plant, then add some more on the surface. What a shame! We all of us do something that we wish we hadn't but that's what experience is all about. My confession is that I have two raised veg beds that are now surplus to requirements because I can't manage to garden like I used to do. I weeded them but then should have covered the soil with something. Now they are a forest of weeds. I knew better but..... DOH! 

[Snoop]

I can think of quite a few things I wish I had done, but none that I wish I hadn't, which is really quite amazing. Don't mean to sound smug, mind, as the list of things I wish I had done is pretty long...

[Sadgit]

I wish I hadn't planted my runner and French beans  that close to my new apple and pear trees.. I cannot even see them now 

I wish I wasn't lazy and had watered things more often, I say this every year.

I wish I hadn't put my chilli plants out the night we got hit by a late frost  

but overall a fairly good year this year

[Spr0ut]

I wish I hadn't accepted a whole load of different tomato seeds and had to grow at least two pots of each and now have tomatoes coming through that I don't really like the look or taste of but won't get rid of because - well its a waste isn't it! and then growing too many tubs of sweet peppers which, while really useful, are taking up space that should be my standing room in the greenhouse which is full of - yes - tomatoes!

- and the Courgette thing - of course you have to grow two in case something happens to one and you lose your whole year of courgettes so you grow a back-up, but then three look really successful so you plant all three because - well if you don't it's a waste isn't it!

- oh, and I wish I hadn't grown one type of pea (shelling) down one sode of the bed and another type of pea (sugar snap) down the other side of the bed, not thinking they would cross over each other so it was impossible to tell which were snaps and which were for podding.

- of course, next year will be different.

[Lardman]

I too wish I hadn't mixed growmore in with the Verve MP as I have lots of green growth but very few fruit. I most of all wish Id stayed away from water retaining crystals, I'm sure they're the reason for my watering ineptitude this season.

Im going back to basics next year. 

[JayG]

I don't think the idea is bad in principle Lardman - it worked fine when I mixed it in (I'm going to classify it as a senior moment because I really don't appear to have been thinking straight, or even at all, at the time!  )

BFB may have been a better choice than Growmore being more slow-release, especially as I still have some in the shed which I can no longer use in the garden due to foxes. 

[m1ckz]

grown so many weeds lol    never seen so much chickweed

[keeper]

I wish I had taken note of how high Mangetout grow before I planted them in 4 short rows across the bed.
We have had plenty of peas and more in the freezer but now as they are collapsed clump about 6ft x 4ft
 we are letting the remainder fill and are going to strip them out and freeze them as peas.
We are pleased with what we have got but it looks so untidy, as if that usually bothers me?
Next year it will be one long row on canes like the Runner beans!!!

[pigguns]

I did the bfb thing with Verve- it was so rubbish, you just had to do something.  The half growbags with toms in are doing ok. 

I wish I'd been more careful with the labels-they got washed off, mixed up and 3 peas, 5 types of beans, 3 types of cues, 4 types of toms and 7 types of squash- all no idea  but the surprises when I find out are fun.

[Growster...]

...Grown so many spuds!

They're all over the place, and I'm not sure they'll last as they're Charlotte...

[mjpalin]

Planted 4 courgette plants!