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aptz

vegetable thinning - struggling with life's little things

aptz
10 years ago

I don't know how you feel, but to me it is embarrassing and annoying that the littlest, easiest things are so difficult. I generally have a lot more sympathy when others have problems with them than when I do. (Perhaps I should give myself a break.) One of my biggest problems with vegetable gardening is thinning out plants. Not that it's difficult to do physically; rather it's the mental challenge. Since I was a child I've struggled mightily with measuring distances. I can kind of determine what an inch is (as long as it's not too perfect an inch), but anything more or less and I really have a great deal of trouble. Thus, when it comes to thinning out vegetables I absolutely hate it. I go over to a patch of carrots, beets; whatever and I have a mini panic attack trying to figure out where to begin and how to determine what the distance is especially when I know everything within that radius has to come out. Its one thing to get one measurement but to get the total area within a given distance of a plant just sends me for a tizzy. And I have similar problems with calculating the depth of planting seeds. It seems so easy when I watch videos on the internet, but I then I go out to the garden and try to do the same thing and it just gets so complicated in my mind. Perhaps, I'm trying to be too exact like I do in the kitchen when I measure out everything to exact proportions. (I actually do fairly well with baking. It�s the cooking that's more of a challenge.) At times I'd like to think I'm not the only one that faces this kind of struggle, but I fear to think I may be the only who does. So realizing the garden season is drawing to an end for this year. I'm hoping someone has a tip or two for next year how to go about doing the seemingly simplest things in life like thinning vegetables and planting seeds at the right depth.

Comments (7)

  • nc_crn
    10 years ago

    Take a commonly dragged around small gardening tool and mark off 1/2 inch...1 inch...2 inches...etc with a marker on the handle.

    Some people, especially row gardeners will make a homemade fabric tape measure (or an actual fabric tape measure) they can roll up/store easily and drag out when it's time to thin...especially useful for 12-18+ inch thinning.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Measure your foot and your hand. My foot is 12 inches so it makes thing easy.

    If your hand is 6 inches, then you know that half your hand is 3. 2 hands are a foot and so on.

    By the way, it doesn't have to be EXACT like in baking. If a plant calls for 24 inch spacing and you only spaced 20, it's not going to make too big a difference.

    Kevin

  • susanzone5 (NY)
    10 years ago

    Use a plain plastic ruler to measure space and depth.
    Lots of people have trouble with space perception. Go easy on yourself.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Exactly as Kevin said. Where do you thing the measurement "FOOT" came from ? When you say ONE FOOT everybody can visualize it (approximately) what it is. So we can use our hands, fingers, fingernails as units of measurement in the garden. In most cases it is not that crucial to be exact. One foot can be 10" to 13". One hand can be 5" to 7". One index finger can be 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches.
    So forget the measure tape, you have your hands and fingers with you all the time in the garden. Sure , if you want to do carpentry you have to use measuring tape. But if You want to thin radishes all you need is to look at your fingers: SMALL FINGER will do.
    Then again, dont make it complicated. Gardening is an art and fun form not an exact science for most part. Just relax. Nothing will happen is the seeds are a bit to close or two far apart. After a while it will become AUTOMATIC, just like walking or riding the bike.

  • donna_in_sask
    10 years ago

    I am guilty of not thinning my plants enough. Here's an idea: you can put tiny dabs of glue, evenly spaced, on a roll of toilet paper and put your seeds down on that...when it's time to plant, you just lay the strip down and cover with soil. Obviously, you won't be able to do this with large seeds, but things like carrots would work well.

  • thirsty_dirt_77
    10 years ago

    I use my fingers as a guide - ei: 1 finger between each carrot or 3 fingers for beets.

    When I plant I'll measure a certain distance on a bamboo skewer and mark it and use that for a guide.

    It might be uncomfortable, but I find it way easier to thin after a good rain. the soil is soft and things pull out easily.

  • nancyjane_gardener
    10 years ago

    Relax and enjoy! Nancy

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