[DD.]

There have been a few posts recently where members have been given bad advice by the "old boy on the plot".

Here's a couple I quickly found, there have been more, I'm sure:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=60715.msg705993

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=52152.msg707534#msg707534

I'm not singling the posters out here, as we are all new at some time, but pointing the finger at the old stagers who should know better.

Any other shining examples?

[PAULW]

I think some of the old boys are set in their ways they garden like their grandparents did it was good enough for them its good enough for me attitude and they scoff at people with new ideas ,

[DD.]

I don't think pinching out male flowers from a courgette is a new concept - just a totally wrong one!

[crh75]

I think the example of the courgettes must have been a missunderstanding (or someone having a laugh).
In other cases where they say you'll never grow this or that down here, I reckon they have tried and given up.  But with new varieties and new techniques, learned in places like this that they never had access to, you can now grow a much wider range of veg on almost any soil type.

[Dave Mack]

DD do you reckon this were the saying comes from " lost the plot " you know giving bad advice and all 

[sclarke624]

Yeah not an old boy on the plot but my darling mother in law telling me I must take all the flowers of the tomatoe plants or I won't get any toms.  Her hand was reaching for the flowers to pull them off, boy did I shout.  She also started pulling the flowers off my cucumbers saying the same.  That was my first year of growing, I knew what I was doing I always read and research and ask on here.  She wasn't jealous, well not much, but thinks she knows best about everything, wants to be top dog.  She kills everything in her patch of garden, gets a plant and instead of digging it in plonks it on top and mounds compost around it, seriously.  I could write a book.

[Livinhope]

Sheila, I think m.i.l. needs to be handcuffed before entering the garden

Until reading various posts on here I had always been led to believe that all male (not sexist really) flowers on cucumbers and marrows should be removed or I would get the skinny fruit with the large bulbous ends.  This explains why my marrows etc., have not done very well in the past.  I'm still finding it hard to leave them on, but I am resisting,   hence the huge amount of courgettes about to arrive, I presume.

[Trillium]

People who have time to waste picking off veg flowers should be sent on weeding duty. Over and over and over. 

[Livinhope]

At the time I didn't know any better and thought I was doing the right thing.  I'm always willing to learn.

[sclarke624]

The cucumbers were outdoor varieties, think for soley indoor or greenhouse varieties you do pick of male flowers or cucks will be bitter.  But don't take my word for it look it up.

[Livinhope]

I've grown outdoor cue's for the first time this year and they are super, and I'm now leaving the flowers alone.  Previously indoor cue's did not do well and eventually I gave up.

[WirralWally]

Here's another cracker:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=59591.msg695889#msg695889

I can just imagine a farmer with a few hundred acres of potatoes removing all the flower heads. 

[Beetroot queen]

my dad told me you cant take those potatoes up, they only start forming the spud once the flowers all appear.

He fell over backwards when we took up 35lb out of the raised bed, his reply was, you been growing those funny spuds aint you 

[Yabba]

Here's another cracker:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=59591.msg695889#msg695889

I can just imagine a farmer with a few hundred acres of potatoes removing all the flower heads. 

I am sure we had this conversation last year about flowering potatoes.
As stated not all potatoes flower.
Flowers are normally an indication that potatoes are forming and they will be formed quicker on earlies.
With maincrops you have to wait until the haulms die before you harvest them if you want the largest possible harvest.
A top technique used by exhibition growers is to remove the flowers so that all the energy is put towards the potatoes.
This year has been such a backward year that harvest times and lengths could be affected.
We just started to plant our potatoes last week.

Pretty sure he knows his spuds

¥

[madcat]

There's exhibition growers - and normal people - and farmers!      The lengths exhibition growers go to to get the perfect onion/potato/carrot/whatever just makes your mind boggle.  Farmers have to make minimum input make max (supermarket or frozen chip) output - a completely different ball game.

The son of my next door plot neighbour had to virtually confiscate the jeyes fluid to stop everything being watered in with jeyes fluid solution.