General Chat

Fred's mate has always had huge problems with confidence and would not even talk to people at one time.Over the years and by being Fred's right hand man (in more ways than one considering Fred's predicament) he has gained a fair bit.

He, with no previous experience, took over the garden and has become very proficient at growing. Unfortunately, he has never had any experience of harvesting what he grows. I think this was because the garden was where your dad went to get out of the way and none of us were ever welcomed into the vegetable garden.

While Fred's mate has been gardening, I have always thought it a shame we saw so little of the produce but, for far too long, I have not felt strong enough to broach the subject with him because he has always believed that you are supposed to look like you know what you are doing or you look silly and that everybody else knows everything.

I don't go down the garden much, trained from childhood to keep away from the vegetable garden, but I did go down there at Easter and realized that there was a whole crop of sprouts still standing on the stalks.

Having thought it all through, when he next came here, I mentioned what an excellent crop it was but shouldn't it have come indoors to be eaten.

Yesterday, he picked everything off, sprouts,green, the lot and today I have sorted through two carrier bags full of it. I reckon there might be four or five meals there.

I think or hope that he understands that you cannot have knowledge you have not been exposed to now and that I don't know any more than he does but I do like to try different approaches. We are going to try harvesting everything hard this year so I don'y end up with a days work with the sprouts again.

*Memo to self* - don't go too near Sharron's house for a couple of days! :-D :-D :-D

I am hoping it will become even more lethal around here next year.

I really want Fred's mate to get to know more and more about the garden and to grow more and more in confidence. I suppose he has been my project for a long time.

Have you thought about getting a coup;le of books on veg and flowers and just leave them around the garden table/chairs.

I have a house full of bloody gardening books. Fred was addicted to gardening and had quite an extensive library but he would not tell you anything. The man next door was more forthcoming but he has died now.

Harvesting is something your dad needs to tell you, or somebody of similar experience. It is like jam making, you need to see setting point.

Do you think that,now I don't have poor Fred to bully and torment, I am starting on his mate?

Well sprouts up the allotment have just come to an end....stalks are out,,,,,,now its spud time..just a few earlies already in and next week the next earlies.,,, variety of cabbage plants are will be next to go in now the limed and manured patch has done its work. cooking /all use onions have been in ground since last Nov.and are up and taking shape.still a few sets to plant.

Beetroot.spring onions seed can be put in ground now as can raddish or gown in a container, some carrots seeds are now sown in boxes.as can lettuce keep in sheltred spot and frost free.



Tomatoe seeds should be plannted in pots by now but a few seeds will take no time to sprout up.

little and often sowings keep a good supply going for ages.

also end of the month will sow -----sprot seeds all over again ready to plant out late july.... :-D :-D

I'm sure you're not bullying him.
Just stretching him - like you did Fred!! :-D :-D :-D

He is brilliant at growing and has the spuds under control all the way, likewise the raspberries.

I was allowed to pick runners,the only thing I was allowed on the garden for, so I tend to pick harder than he does and we still can't keep up with them but he is learning, bit by bit, how to get what he grows so well from garden to kitchen.

He grows marrows very well too.

Eating what he grows will boost his confidence! :-D

....some of us just eat, not grow :-(

He has been slaving away down the garden and we have been buying vegetables.

Well, it's not foraging time yet! :-D

You don't half get fed up with blackberries.