It's not a competition

I'd like to see a bit more common sense at this time of year.

Growing your own is not a competition (unless you show stuff, of course ).

It doesn't matter if you don't sow two months earlier than the seed packets tell you to.

Don't be fooled by what other people are doing, consider your own situation.

Ask yourself some questions:

1) where am I gardening? Do I have the "average" conditions that the books and seed merchants base their information on?

2) do I have the right conditions to keep the plants growing healthily from germination to harvest?

3) what benefits am I expecting from sowing/ planting early? Have I checked to see who got these benefits and how they grew things?

4) Am I really just sowing because I've heard that some other people are and I haven't considered "what next?"

Why make yourself vulnerable to completely avoidable disappointment (especially if you are a beginner)? It can be soul destroying to have to ditch plants that have grown too tall/ been frost damaged/ burnt by the sun.

There are enough difficulties that go with growing your own, even when you're lucky enough to have the ideal conditions, so give yourself a break!

And there ends the sermon for the 28th January 2008.