Should I tell him

[JaniceH]

I agree with 1Bee I've also welcomed every bit of advice as well, but it does depend on the people giving and receiving that advice.

[4x4]

I've read the 4 pages of this thread with interest.
A lot of the replies are saying leave him to learn from his mistakes and yeah, I do see that point but...and I'm as new to this growing thing as it's possible to get...less than a week and a half since I planted my first ever seeds... I would be gutted if I made a mistake and there were people around me who could have told me where I was going wrong.
Obviously there are ways to tell people..You can't just shout over "Oi...you ballsed that right up" but a helpful word said right can make a massive difference.
If someone is told what they've done wrong and why it's won't then they have a choice...listen to someone who knows and learn, or go their own way and ignore the advice, realise the other person was right and learn that way.
100 percent I'd want to be told.
It'd also go a heck of a way to starting up a bit of a friendship.

[Martin H]

Well said, 4x4. I agree, if we see a newbie do something that we know is doomed to failure, we should try and find a tactful way of explaining.

In this particular example I would hope to tactfully explain that, if they all grow they will produce more courgettes than anyone could hope to eat, and there's a risk that a cold spell might kill them, and they could think about lifting a few to put in pots for a few weeks just in case.

[noviceveggrower]

That's the thing when you are a newby you have to learn by your mistakes but also listen and learn from the more experienced. I learnt a new easy way of how to nudge slabs and how to move them so they are tight up next to each other yesterday.

Go on ask me how.

[1Bee]

How?!

Hmm. Apparently that's not 10 characters. ..

[noviceveggrower]

The old guy used a garden fork, not a hand fork I might add. He got the slabs as near and as straight as he could then just used the fork to leaver them into place.
Could of cried, the path I put down is as straight as a donkeys hind leg and took me chuffin ages. He put 4 slabs down as straight as a ruler in about 10 minutes.

[Jay-ell]

Of course you can always say to your neighbour "Just in case I see you making mistakes would you like me to tell you or would you like me to stay stum"

That way it's clear and in the open with no more should I shouldn't I.

[vixylix]

Jonny we're northerners and therefore friendly

[snakeshack]

As always the problem lies not in the advice given but in the manner of delivery, so the general rule seems to be
If you can't say something nice don't say nuffin' at all .

Its also a sad fact that people tend not to learn from others mistakes, only their own.
So if your advice is timely ,helpful and most importantly absolutely correct, don't hesitate to give it in a tactful way if you can be sure not to cause offence