Things I've never been able to do.........in the Garden!!!!

[veggiechicken]

Its confession time...............

I've never been able to :-

1. Grow leeks to pencil thickness before planting out

2. Get my compost bin HOT

3. Grow onions from seed

4. Grow aubergines

Anyone else for the Confessional?

[Mikey]

I've never been able to grow decent brussell sprouts without them bursting on me, or cauliflowers without them running to seed.

Lifes full of trials and tribulations.

[Mikey]

I grew onions from seed last year, and this year they have been transplanted as sets. I'm not going to both this year, I stick with just the sets.

[Mr Gardener]

Spring Onions have always failed on me, I can never get them to grow unless the pictures of what they're supposed to look like are subjected to magnification of at least x100...

I've admittedly not tried too hard so far but I'm starting to think I'm just a spring onion failure...

[Bill HH]

I dont have much success with any brassicas, I did get some sprouts once but cauliflowers have I none.

[bretty666]

A couple of things as previously posted by.myself
iv never been able.to.grow herbs...this year is looking ok though
iv never had the cahunas to thin out and reduce numbers on squash or melon plants
but my gardening experience isnt a long one! Im breaking all the rules this year!

[sparrow100]

I can't grow leeks past the 'chive' stage

I can't grow spinach

I can't get more than 1 squash to a plant. I don't care so much about the top 2, but if anyone knows how to get more squash, PLEASE let me in on it.

[Mikey]

Loads of manure Sparrow, they will happily grow on top of your compost heap.

[Kristen]

1. Grow leeks to pencil thickness before planting out

My solution to that is a polystyrene tray (like fishmongers have) filled with MPC and hand-place each Leek seed 1/2" to 3/4" apart in each direction. Type the whole thing out at planting time and I reckon you'll find that they have got to pencil thickness, rather than biro-refill

cauliflowers have I none.

I used to have trouble with them, but have had pretty much 100% success since I started growing Candid Charm. Just as I was getting good at it Suttons stopped selling seed of that variety ... still available from other suppliers though.

Can't do these though:

Get my compost bin HOT

I've never been able to grow decent brussell sprouts without them bursting on me

Carrots I'm a bit rubbish at - heavy soil here. Mixed in several bags of sand to make a dedicated carrot bed for this year.

Asparagus Pea, Salsify, Florence Fennel, Scorzonera have not done well.

[sparrow100]

Loads of manure Sparrow, they will happily grow on top of your compost heap.

Thanks, will try a manure heap. My friend does NOTHING to hers and gets barrowloads. She barely waters them.

[Bren In Pots]

My carrots never do very well and I've given up with aubergines all I get are the pretty purple flowers.

As for leeks some of them don't seem to get much thicker than pencils so they get called 'posh leeks' because I've seen the price of baby veg.

[rhonsal]

I've failed miserably with spring onions and turnips over the last few years - and even the pigeons ignored my purple sprouting brocolli this year as they just looked like weeds!

[Mikey]

I only water, when its dry and they are fruiting, the heap seems to do a pretty good job of retaining moisture.

[mothhawk]

I've never been able to...

1. grow carrots 'cos of my clay soil

2. grow aubergines - no room for a greenhouse

3. grow enough sweetcorn plants to get a decent pollination.

4. laze away an afternoon in a hammock

I think I NEED a bigger garden!

[Chippy Minton]

Never been able to get a celeriac worth eating
Never got a potato big enough for baking
Snap with the aubergines (pretty flower though)

Leeks last year, sowed them in a half tray around this time, germinated them inside, hardened them off then tried a trick I read on here somewhere, half buried the tray in a bed, the roots come out of the bottom holes and when you pull it up it trims the roots (as recommended). Best leeks I've ever had