I guess for a lot of people, gardening is passion and when you are passionate about a subject you will absorb knowledge without realising it. Growing stuff from seed is fun, growing stuff from seed you have randomly collected is even more fun and you find out a lot about how plants grow and develop that way. Gardening is a life long work in progress and you will never know everything.......I'm still learning and the more I know, the less it seems I understand. It can never be boring.
Growing up with a mad keen gardener, my Dad on a small holding with a very large walled garden helped. Although he was also a Haulage Contractor every spare minute was in the garden which fed not only us also an extended family. He got up with the dawn went to bed with the sunset and as the only son I had my nose in everything.
If you cannot eat it or sell it do not grow it was his motto “err” apart from his beloved Chrysanthemums his long row of Madonna Lily's and his Carnations, all of which won him prizes at the local shows so the lad who took a Sturmy Archer hub gear apart at twelve, was told that will never go back together, it did back on the bike and worked for years was also into livestock and gardening. It rubbed off as I watched a thousand years of husbandry put to good use pre- and during the war a godsend during food rationing.
Secondary School the Army and years without a garden then back to it and guess what, made all the mistakes trying to short cut, be modern, there must be an easier way syndrome, well there isn't.
Several houses and gardens later and 27 I wish, multiply that by a lot and here I am, Dad was right, if you do a job do it properly or not at all.
Adding to the knowledge of new gardeners is a nice feeling, they do not have to listen or do it my way, (they should write a song about that), and only post what I know about. My computer is surrounded by gardening books ancient and modern, gardening programmes a must and my real love of bringing back to life and health the plants my Daughters kill.
Hi, Frank .....(deviating from the topic slightly) my first gardening book (apart from school books) was The Complete Gardener by W E Shewell-Cooper.....ring any bells?
Hello David, He was the Editor of the BBC Northern Gardening Programme and wrote many books one of them being The No Dig Garden. All a long time ago when BBC Gardeners wore jacket and tie with polished shoes??
Gardening books as with Encyclopaedia's are really dip in to what you wish to look up, of all my many books I do not think I ever read one cover to cover apart from the RHS Encyclopaedia of plants and flowers, that one is falling to bits especially the section on old plant names.
The other RHS book is the how to but so old that all the cures for disease and weeds have been banned by H&S, still my Dad mixed all his own and I never forgot so H&S up yours.
I'm just a passionate amateur. I've learned lots from reading magazines and watching GW but have to say mainly from just having a go! I've learned what grows well in my garden (shady, London clay) largely through trial and error, but I would probably be posting a lot of questions if I moved to a sun-baked seaside garden or somewhere more prone to frost. I can grow flowers and shrubs fairly well, have grown a lot from seed, but have very little luck with veg - haven't advanced much beyond "beginners' " tomatoes and salad! As others have said, you never stop learning and this forum has certainly taught me a lot
keen amateur. Learnt from my Grandmother at the age of 5
been at it 50 years, growing bedding plants and toms to sell by 14.
I've got more gardening books than the local library.
Arguing with biology teacher at grammar school over cucumber plants at 16. He said there were male and female flowers on different plants, and they had to pollinate to form cucumbers. I knew that you could get all female F1 cucumber plants, or plants with male and female, and if you pollinate the cucumbers taste bitter.
(Actually, when I was a teacher (for a bit more than 27years), I didn't mind if a pupil corrected me on something, provided he could supply supporting evidence. Learning how to find out stuff is more important than learning stuff. Unfortunately the examiners never see it that way.)
I was given (well, lent, I suppose) a patch of garden at the age of 12 in which I failed to grow all sorts of stuff. Had one of my own for a few years in a nice house; now have a yard but have a sort of allotment, run a garden in a homeless blokes' hostel (for which they actually pay me!!) and help in a couple more. Academic background in Biology, which is how I know all the sciency stuff but there's a hell of a lot I don't know, mainly about ornamentals. Love compost!
Fidgetbones, "Teachers just hate that" Not to sure about that.
At Art I was rubbish could not draw a stick man, engineering drawing never less than 85. Eggy Plummer my maths and technical drawing teacher would bring things in to strip and draw in three dimensions, he brought in a Dynamo. stripped cleaned measured and drawn I took it home tested it fitted new brushes from Dads store and took it back working. Thanks he said .I knew you could not resist fixing it I will put it back on my car now. I did not feel used, just useful.
Like many others here, purely amateur despite my 'handle' BtG. I've always been interested in gardening from being a very young boy, and "helping" my dad in the garden (who was a passionate runner bean grower.) I have always researched deeply into anything which interests me and find the internet is a fantastic resource although I probably learnt most things from books which were often given to me as gifts (eg the RHS Encyclopaedia of gardening.) Geoff Hamilton I found absolutely inspirational and he is very much responsible for my gardening 'style'; Every discarded item I see brings the thought "how can I re-use that in the garden?"
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I'm a baby gardener at only 51! All the male members of my family have been gardeners, I fill it's in me just waiting to come out! I have and still are listening to my Dad who is 87 years young only the other day on the phone he was passing on his tips on growing spuds. I have listened and learned from uncles and grandfathers.
I read every gardening magazine going and lots of books. Even books I'm not into because you can always fine something in there. I watch all the gardening programmes and listen every week to GQT.
But the biggest lesson of all, is get out there and do it. I like learning from my mistakes and take pride in myself when it goes right.
I think this forum is brilliant! No question is to daft, because what works for one is a question, why?... for another.
Posts
Growing up with a mad keen gardener, my Dad on a small holding with a very large walled garden helped. Although he was also a Haulage Contractor every spare minute was in the garden which fed not only us also an extended family. He got up with the dawn went to bed with the sunset and as the only son I had my nose in everything.
If you cannot eat it or sell it do not grow it was his motto “err” apart from his beloved Chrysanthemums his long row of Madonna Lily's and his Carnations, all of which won him prizes at the local shows so the lad who took a Sturmy Archer hub gear apart at twelve, was told that will never go back together, it did back on the bike and worked for years was also into livestock and gardening. It rubbed off as I watched a thousand years of husbandry put to good use pre- and during the war a godsend during food rationing.
Secondary School the Army and years without a garden then back to it and guess what, made all the mistakes trying to short cut, be modern, there must be an easier way syndrome, well there isn't.
Several houses and gardens later and 27 I wish, multiply that by a lot and here I am, Dad was right, if you do a job do it properly or not at all.
Adding to the knowledge of new gardeners is a nice feeling, they do not have to listen or do it my way, (they should write a song about that), and only post what I know about. My computer is surrounded by gardening books ancient and modern, gardening programmes a must and my real love of bringing back to life and health the plants my Daughters kill.
Frank.
Hi, Frank .....(deviating from the topic slightly) my first gardening book (apart from school books) was The Complete Gardener by W E Shewell-Cooper.....ring any bells?
PS. Just spotted it for sale by Amazon for 1p.
Hello David, He was the Editor of the BBC Northern Gardening Programme and wrote many books one of them being The No Dig Garden. All a long time ago when BBC Gardeners wore jacket and tie with polished shoes??
Gardening books as with Encyclopaedia's are really dip in to what you wish to look up, of all my many books I do not think I ever read one cover to cover apart from the RHS Encyclopaedia of plants and flowers, that one is falling to bits especially the section on old plant names.
The other RHS book is the how to but so old that all the cures for disease and weeds have been banned by H&S, still my Dad mixed all his own and I never forgot so H&S up yours.
Frank.
I'm just a passionate amateur. I've learned lots from reading magazines and watching GW but have to say mainly from just having a go! I've learned what grows well in my garden (shady, London clay) largely through trial and error, but I would probably be posting a lot of questions if I moved to a sun-baked seaside garden or somewhere more prone to frost. I can grow flowers and shrubs fairly well, have grown a lot from seed, but have very little luck with veg - haven't advanced much beyond "beginners' " tomatoes and salad! As others have said, you never stop learning and this forum has certainly taught me a lot
keen amateur. Learnt from my Grandmother at the age of 5
been at it 50 years, growing bedding plants and toms to sell by 14.
I've got more gardening books than the local library.
Arguing with biology teacher at grammar school over cucumber plants at 16. He said there were male and female flowers on different plants, and they had to pollinate to form cucumbers. I knew that you could get all female F1 cucumber plants, or plants with male and female, and if you pollinate the cucumbers taste bitter.
Teachers just hate that.
(Actually, when I was a teacher (for a bit more than 27years), I didn't mind if a pupil corrected me on something, provided he could supply supporting evidence. Learning how to find out stuff is more important than learning stuff. Unfortunately the examiners never see it that way.)
I was given (well, lent, I suppose) a patch of garden at the age of 12 in which I failed to grow all sorts of stuff. Had one of my own for a few years in a nice house; now have a yard but have a sort of allotment, run a garden in a homeless blokes' hostel (for which they actually pay me!!) and help in a couple more. Academic background in Biology, which is how I know all the sciency stuff but there's a hell of a lot I don't know, mainly about ornamentals. Love compost!
Fidgetbones, "Teachers just hate that" Not to sure about that.
At Art I was rubbish could not draw a stick man, engineering drawing never less than 85. Eggy Plummer my maths and technical drawing teacher would bring things in to strip and draw in three dimensions, he brought in a Dynamo. stripped cleaned measured and drawn I took it home tested it fitted new brushes from Dads store and took it back working. Thanks he said .I knew you could not resist fixing it I will put it back on my car now. I did not feel used, just useful.
Frank.
Like many others here, purely amateur despite my 'handle' BtG. I've always been interested in gardening from being a very young boy, and "helping" my dad in the garden (who was a passionate runner bean grower.) I have always researched deeply into anything which interests me and find the internet is a fantastic resource although I probably learnt most things from books which were often given to me as gifts (eg the RHS Encyclopaedia of gardening.) Geoff Hamilton I found absolutely inspirational and he is very much responsible for my gardening 'style'; Every discarded item I see brings the thought "how can I re-use that in the garden?"
I'm a baby gardener at only 51! All the male members of my family have been gardeners, I fill it's in me just waiting to come out! I have and still are listening to my Dad who is 87 years young only the other day on the phone he was passing on his tips on growing spuds. I have listened and learned from uncles and grandfathers.
I read every gardening magazine going and lots of books. Even books I'm not into because you can always fine something in there. I watch all the gardening programmes and listen every week to GQT.
But the biggest lesson of all, is get out there and do it. I like learning from my mistakes and take pride in myself when it goes right.
I think this forum is brilliant! No question is to daft, because what works for one is a question, why?... for another.