What did you do in the garden today?

[nekker57]

My granddaughter and I got Irish potatoes planted yesterday and this evening with Weather forecast of no rain I watered my garden and just after dark it started raining and rained a little over 1/10th of an inch. Just my luck

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Deepbluesea, I see where you are coming from and I'm sorry if I offended. I doubt you fit in the same age group as most of those folks let alone the same mentality.

While there's obviously no fault a group for having older folks or people with physical disabilities around (lots of wisdom and many don't ever really "grow up", ie, become jaded and unenjoyable) and annual hybrid flowers are FINE (though most people I know balk at the price/time it takes to maintain planters of those)... I think it really speaks volumes about what kind of group you run when it's open to the public but it's mostly geriatrics who can't manage more than an annuals planter and laugh about how unreasonable vegetable gardens are.

And I feel like it's mutual given that my friend and I were asked multiple times if we were highschoolers. We are not. She's turning 30 next year. Apparently anyone younger than 40-something is a literal child to them.

Maybe I should start a "youth" gardening club, since we're all just kids anyhow.

 

[dan26552]

Well the vulunteer squash are looking quite interesting this year! Lots of color and shapes. Two in particular have caught my eye, they look like watermelons!

A couple of the others.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Are those ornamental or edible? Love the color and variety!

 

[Birdsong 82]

Potatoes going nuts! Having to fill at least twice a week. I have 6 of 8 planted. I try to plant 2 every 2 weeks. Cabbage and bok Choy coming up great. Hopefully this upcoming weather doesn’t damage anything. Crazy storm the other night killed 2 sunflowers and 1 cabbage. Dang wind. It was so bad they cancelled school because you couldn’t access the back roads in my area. Huge trees down everywhere. More storms and just plain rain in between storms till Monday. Got all raised beds weeded yesterday though. Weather so funky this year only 1/2 spring veggies germinated. But it’s something

 

[Birdsong 82]

Weather says could get anywhere from 4-8 in before next week. But cukes FINALLY sprouted. Had to plant the seeds twice and after 2 weeno sprouts I was ready to buy prestarted ones but found sprouts yesterday!

 

[chickadoodles]

Dan your squash is very interesting in color. I hope they taste as good as they look.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Deepbluesea, I see where you are coming from and I'm sorry if I offended. I doubt you fit in the same age group as most of those folks let alone the same mentality.

While there's obviously no fault a group for having older folks or people with physical disabilities around (lots of wisdom and many don't ever really "grow up", ie, become jaded and unenjoyable) and annual hybrid flowers are FINE (though most people I know balk at the price/time it takes to maintain planters of those)... I think it really speaks volumes about what kind of group you run when it's open to the public but it's mostly geriatrics who can't manage more than an annuals planter and laugh about how unreasonable vegetable gardens are.

And I feel like it's mutual given that my friend and I were asked multiple times if we were highschoolers. We are not. She's turning 30 next year. Apparently anyone younger than 40-something is a literal child to them.

Maybe I should start a "youth" gardening club, since we're all just kids anyhow.

Not to but in but I think what it is is that everyone here is passionate about gardening and anything someone is passionate about makes them feel young whether they are or not. Age brings wisdom. The problem I would have without gardening club is I don’t feel that true gardeners would talk about certain plants being unreasonable when others aren’t. I am much more personally into growing vegetables. But I love to admire all the different plants flowers or vegetables or fruits or shrubs that people post on this site. I think a true gardener can appreciate any plant and be interested in the different ways they all grow. And I love how on this thread I feel like everybody feels that way

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm 62 years young. I'd probably fit right in with the old biddies. I work with geriatric patients. Many of the "social clubs" which is what that garden club fits into are hard pressed to attract the younger set, b/c the youngsters (ie: any one who is of working age, and/or raising a family) are too busy for organized social activities. But, I feel the pain of expecting to participate in a plant swap, only to end up with a sales pitch.

I rarely go to plant swaps or plant sales b/c I have all the perennials I can use, and then some. But, I often invite folks to "come shopping" in my yard. I tell them to bring some boxes, bags, and perhaps a spade or trowel. Sometimes they go home with a couple plants, one time, I sent 2 ladies home with a whole trunk full. Now and then, I bring back goodies from other yards. Most recent: Concord grape cuttings and Sekel pear scion wood

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Lazy, you may well age-wise but in attitude I also doubt it. There's a sense of grit and sensibility I get from you that those "old biddies" don't have. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think you would have appreciated the "event" much either. After the presentation (IE, sales pitch) literally every single one of them stood up and bought plants from the lady from the garden center. :T It was like a Mary Kay party - something that almost nobody in my age group would ever willingly attend. Perhaps you have a deeper appreciation for people that easily fall for multi-level marketing than I think you do. Who knows? Not me.

Also, "young people" (*ahem* adults) often DO have time for social groups and organizations... They just choose to go to places where they feel more welcome. Almost everyone I know has regular scheduled meetups for their favorite hobbies in open social clubs. Miniatures building/painting, dancing, board games, roleplaying, video game meetups, clubs for anime or cartoons, book clubs... Usually the people I know have at least 4 different clubs/groups they attend across any given month, many times on a weekly basis... They just have a wildly different atmosphere than this sort of group. Even people with children and both parents work that I know make time for these things. "Young people" are extremely passionate about their hobbies and love to meet up and share them.

This sort of attitude is exactly the problem with groups that are made up exclusively of older generations. "Those youthful 30 year olds are just kids who are so busy and mysterious" is a form of ostracization nobody wants to deal with.
There are assuredly ways to get pre-retirement adults to join your groups. Presuming that anyone who gardens under the age of 40 is some kid sent by a school and having sales parties are the opposite of how you do that. It's also uncomfortable having such a big divide that nobody would understand if you cracked a joke. A more mixed environment would be richer for everyone but I got NO sense that they wanted to foster anything of the sort.