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When I was a kid, I'd have to keep some clothes "for best" - meaning I could only wear them on Sundays, to parties or Christmastime, Other times, they stayed in the wardrobe (getting damp and dusty!). These habits stayed with me, even when I was working. Best clothes were not for everyday, to be worn to the office, they were for "going out".
These days, I don't have any "best clothes" - probably because I rarely go anywhere "posh".
The point of this waffle, is the realisation that these habits have rubbed off into the garden - and I need to break the habit.
For example, I pulled some carrots up this week because they were bolting. They were big but inedible! If I hadn't been keeping them "for best" and had pulled them up weeks ago they would have been smaller but much nicer. More to the point, I could have eaten them instead of adding to the compost bin.
Its the same with seeds - I'm a hoarder - not necessarily a buyer, but, an acquirer of seeds at swaps. When I decide to sow a particular seed - let's say courgette for example. I'll sow the oldest seeds first and keep my fingers crossed that they'll germinate. If they don't, I'll sow the next oldest but, I rarely sow the freshest seeds. They go into storage for another year.
Each time I sow and fail, I've wasted time, compost and energy. If I went straight to sowing the freshest seeds, in theory, I should have healthy seedlings from the start.
Part of the problem is that, some packets of seeds contain far more seeds than any "normal" person needs - or can sow within a year or two. As you know,I am unable to throw anything away - especially seeds - so part used packets are stored with the unopened - and my next round of sowings will not just be old seeds, but opened packets of old seeds, which may have deteriorated even more than unopened packets of a similar age. So its a double whammy!
I'm going to try to overcome my frugal habits this year - by sowing seeds that are in date and by picking "small and beautiful" crops instead of thinking that I need to win a giant veg competition.
Is there a support group in G&G that can help me please?
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