Your Growing system strengths and weaknesses!

[veggiechicken]

I've been giving thought to the stages in growing seeds and acknowledging my weaknesses - the points at which I fail, to the detriment of my plants.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is complete failure and 10 is perfectionist..

Buying seeds - 8 - yes, my favourite stage!

Sowing seeds - 5 - I forget to sow on time

Thinning out seedlings - 3 Put it off as its fiddly.

Planting out - 4 - usually leave it to late

Weeding/pruning/feeding once planted - 4. Not very good at maintenance,

Picking crop when ready - 5, most times I want to see how big it will grow, and suddenly, its bolted.

Having read that, its a wonder I ever grow anything edible.

Anyone else care to step up and confess?

[Baldy]

Buying seeds - 4 I'm too tight / brassic
Sowing - 7 - mostly on time but always summat missed
Thinning - 2.5 - find the concept very difficult to cope with
Planting out - 5 - too early too often
Weeding etc - 6 - getting better at it, don't like it
though
Picking - 8 - Quite good at that

[Penellype]

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is complete failure and 10 is perfectionist..

Buying seeds - 7, I'm good at finding things I want to buy, but not great at replacing things I've finished so I go to sow it and find there isn't enough seed.

Sowing seeds - 9, I'm fairly well organized most of the time

Thinning out seedlings - 6, I usually arrange things so that they don't need thinning (station sowing carrots for example), but if I do need to thin I'm not great at it.

Planting out - 6, I sometimes to do this too early and can end up with root balls falling apart, or in the case of modules, plants getting broken.

Weeding/pruning/feeding once planted - 4, I try to mulch where possible to avoid weeding, I'm sloppy with things like sideshooting tomatoes, and I often forget to feed.

Picking crop when ready - 7, I'm very good at things I really like to eat, but lousy at the ones I am less keen on.

[Small pumpkin]

I'll fess up VC

Buying seeds 8. Also quite a fan of the seeds!
Sowing seed 8. I like sowing seeds because I love watching then germinate.
Thinning out seedlings 6. Some get thinned, some don't
Planting out 5. Usually a bit late, but I blame the weather
Weeding, pruning, feeding 5. Weeding not to bad weather depending, pruning dreadful don't like it, feeding weekly
Picking crops when ready 7. Somethings I grow to much of and can't pick it quick enough.

[rary]

Much as I dislike having to say this, I am very similar to what you do (evidently I will need to try to do better) though my biggest failing is not feeding my seedlings as they should be

[nickdub]

My main weakness is inconsistency. So on a good day I could award myself a 9 with some justification on any of these criteria. The problem is my good days are very few and far between.

Most of the time I can find other interests like reading a book, making something or just lazing around watching the world go by. There are months sometimes when I do virtually no gardening at all .

So there you have it, the odd burst of enthusiasm, when quite a lot of stuff gets done pretty well and long periods where almost everything except a bit of watering gets completely neglected .

Not something that works well really - I'd give myself a 2 as an average - and that's being generous.

[happyhumph]

Buying seed - probably a 7. Normally get everything I need, but points deducted for buying too much stuff on a whim!

Sowing seeds - normally an 8 or 9, this year about a 3 so far but working on that! Good at succession sowing etc

Thinning out - about a 6, hate it with brassicas, normally start things in pots so avoid it too much.

Weeding/pruning/feeding - mixed bag here. Weeding, I'd say about a 3 (!), Pruning, pretty good, about a 6, feeding, again about a 6

Picking when ready - going to give myself a 9 here - very few things get a chance to go over.

Major weaknesses are weeding and pest control, and this year, seed sowing - had to buy tom and chili plants! Also not great at overwintering tender / half hardy stuff.....

[Greenleaves]

I am going to give myself 10 for effort....the rest I will refrain from answering on the grounds I may incriminate myself

[rary]

Also a 2 for labelling, and taking notes 0

[ESBkevin]

Thinning out, I leave to Carol - I'm a bit clumsy and my eyes not so good in detail these days.

Failing to protect what I have managed to plant out and get established. It's not that hard to put up nets, slug barriers, fleece etc. but I seem to need to reinforce that lesson every year!!!

[Thelma Sanders]

Buying seeds - 8 I buy lots and then have not enough space to grow everything

Sowing seeds - 8 Quite good at sowing but often too much for the space - but bigger plot this year, so might not work out too bad.

Thinning out seedlings - 3 Put it off as its fiddly. Snap!

Potting on is my downfall - 2 things start to look sad sometimes, before it gets done

Planting out - 7 usually only the weather that holds things up

Weeding/pruning/feeding once planted - 6 Good at maintenance, in the greenhouse but a lazy weeder/feeder outside, so often grow through plastic although I hate the look of it.

Picking crops when ready - 8 I like eating veg so most of it is picked and eaten/frozen on time.

[burnie]

I'm perfect me, 10's across the board................................yeh right, in my dreams lol.

[Snoop Puss]

I don't have a system! I have plans and seeds, but it all goes awry after that!

[Small pumpkin]

Also a 2 for labelling, and taking notes 0

Labelling 10. It would drive me up the wall not knowing what was what.
Taking notes 5. I take them , but not detailed enough. They mean nothing when I look back at them.

[Penellype]

I'd give myself 10 for labelling too - I always label, and often use different coloured pots for different varieties of the same thing, just to be on the safe side.