Experienced gardeners

[mogarden]

I'm wondering if any of you experienced gardeners have had this happen to you?
A novice, usually a lazy gardener (LOL) comes to you for advice about a problem they have. They might even write down the solution you suggest. The problem is they expect immediate results by following only part of the plan, then blame YOU because it didn't work. I am almost at the point with a couple people of refusing to talk gardening with them at all. I am a fairly patient person, but how do you get a lazy person "off the couch" so to speak?

[Rita]

I have had lazy gardeners too .. Or think they found a better or easier method and it doesn't work right .. or works too well .. One lady I know new to gardening .. gets the manure and compost etc to do her garden .. all organic right till she killed everything with tooooo much miracle grow
It is frustrating and I no longer give her advice because she one year gardener knows everything I tell her to look it up online

[coppice]

Mo, when I read your top post, it sounds like the next step of your plan; to stop advising your protogee growers may be what'cha got.

Mostly I have seen folks try to put part "a" and part "c" of a plan together and skip ahead a year or three. Thereby skipping over the tedious bits of actualy digging up clay or other onerous chores.

That said my personal favorite was on an organic gardening forum, where a new gardener who tried several times to get someone to weed for him... Heck, why didn't I think of that?

[mogarden]

None have been as bad as the woman a few years back that wanted my extra squash plants. "I just Looove squash and wanna grow my own, ya know". When I did visit her a few weeks later they had pot growing between them. I felt a little bit used but I knew the stuff would out-grow the squash in height so I just waited it out. Was kinda hoping she'd get caught 'cause she lied to me, I mean I could have suggested a number of better plants for the purpose...
It was kinda Karmic when I found out her 2 teen/pre-teen boys were stealing her herb and selling it at school, never laughed so hard. ;D

[Pharmer Phil]

Mo ya can lead a horse to water...yeah..yeah..

thing is...they listen...and as You say... sometimes write it down....
only to do the chore /fix needed...1/2 assed...or not at all....

For instance...
the neighbors...
they did do good...TWICE...

but only marginal...
I gave them "timely" advise, WELL IN ADVANCE...of different garden chores...

so as to NOT overwhelm NEW GARDENERS..with Too Much info...at once...

Then Laura would say to me: They better get that..Blah-blah-blah done...

I'd just smile and say...
they know it needs done...
but they will learn better...if they don't get it done

Coppice..yeah, shortcuts...lotsa new gardeners want shortcuts

Mo, was she trying to HIDE pot plants between her squash??

[jack]

Gidday

I AM A LAZY GARDENER.

I suggest that you just tell them the truth, you must do it all or don't bother doing anything.

[mogarden]

Phil, apparently she was. But she only "loved" squash so much until they quit growing up and started to spread out.

[w8in4dave]

kinda like a recipe if you ask me. I hate it when someone says "omg that was soooo good can I have the recipe?" So Igive it to them and the first thing they do is change the recipe ... Then complain to me because it didn't turn out .... pfffttttt!
I quit giving that person recipes because it has been like 4 or 5 times ...

[njm740]

HAVE YOU ASKED SOME ONE DOWN AT THE WAFFLE HOUSE BRO.

[njm740]

MAYBE THEY NEED PROOF.

[njm740]

NOT ALL NOVICE ARE LAZY, MAYBE JUST NOT WANTING TO BE............

[mogarden]

Well some days something gets under yer skin, ya know. I'm all better now, lol. I have a tomato, did I say A TOMATO on my Early Girl plant. All happy now, lol. ;D