Willing to Experiment?

When I was in school I hated problem solving in maths because I never knew where to start.  By the time I got to university to study physics it became an even bigger problem and after a very long road I finally figured the whole thing out.  You've just got to start.  There seems to be a huge difference between staring at a blank page and looking at a couple of scribbles.  Once you've put something down, well, you might as well put something else down that is linked to the first scribble to keep it company and suddenly you're going somewhere.  You might have to back track or even start again, but now you're on to something.  The mind has picked a direction and that makes it easier to focus.  As a maths teacher I have been constantly amazed at how many other people are too nervous to simply start and to just try out a solution.  It seems to be asumed that you shouldn't start unless you are sure you are going to succeed.  But what is very very clear is that you definitely won't succeed if you don't start, but that you might succeed if you do. 

When originally thinking about growing fruit in pots I was constantly thinking that there were so many restrictions and that things surely would not work. Surely the experts would say, "this isn't suitable, don't be silly you can't grow grapes in Ireland in a little pot."  Out of desperation and no other choice I tried anyway, but still with some lingering doubts and little voices saying, "this is silly, you need acres and acres of ground for this".  But the other day it dawned on me that even though conditions are not perfect for our fruit and even though I know only a tiny amount of what I should know there is no reason for me not to enjoy having a go anyway. 

It struck me that a lot of people may be slow to grow a fruit tree or bush just because they don't know anything about them. But we should throw caution to the wind and just have a go, put a blackcurrant in a pot, and see what happens.  Watch it grow and develop and learn a little something along the way.  Give it a little water and we might be surprised that it produces some fruit all by itself.  A year later, what have we lost?  Nothing.  What have we gained?  A lot more than just fruit.  And even if the worst came to the worst and the bush died....awe...what have we really lost?  Maybe €5.  What have we gained?  A pot, some soil, a stick for the fire or the runner beans, some fresh air and maybe enough knowledge to have a better go next year.

When Chris, my boyfriend, decided to plant some seeds from some cape gooseberries that we bought from a supermarket something was telling me that it surely wouldn't work.  All the way along something was telling him to just have a go.  And lo' and behold they actually worked.   We got fruit, ate most of it and saved some for seeds.  Now I am watching the second generation of seeds coming up in the greenhouse.  I'm still amazed.

From now I'm determined to just try things out even if they sound ridiculous.  I'm going to take the top off a pine apple and plant it in a pot and all I know for sure is that I'll enjoy telling everyone all about it.  I'd guess that it will at least grow leaves and if it decides to grow a full blown fruit, well that would be great too, but I will thank it anyway for teaching me some interesting lessons if it doesn't.  I don't think it is possible to fail at growing fruit if we at least give it a shot.  It just depends on how you define failure and success.  After three years I still haven't gotton a single fruit off our redcurrant bush but I've discovered that I love propagating new plants and that I might even like to open a fruit nursery sometime.  That sounds like a positive outcome to me. 

So I'm sending out a challenge.  Will you grow something that you would normally think just wouldn't work?  Something that you think would melt your brain if you read all about it and tried to extract the right propagation methods, something that you think wouldn't work in a pot, in your climate or your shadey position?  Just have a go and see what happens.  Have a laugh if it all goes pear shaped, have a huge smile if you actually get even one fruit. I'd love to hear your stories of the silly things you've tried and I'll make a page specially for them here on this blog.  If you have photos or simply words send them into me.  We don't have to be experts, we just have to be willing to have a go and enjoy the experiments.  Who knows we might actually discover something very useful along the way....and it might even be about fruit. 

Comments

[Jane]

Hi there, you're quite right - nothing ventured etc.
I've bought a pomegranate this year to grow in sunny Scotland I've only ever seen one growing in Corfu but what the heck eh?

I had a link somewhere to a step by step grow your own pineapple top - page I'll try to find it again and send it to you. I haven't managed so far but I do keep on trying.

[Maria]

Wow, a pomegranate! Please send me a photo if it works. Imagine going out picking one of them...

[RIGreening]

Maria: One of my favorite quotes was said by Piccasso:
"I love doing things that I don't know how to do. That's how I get to do them." (Of course he said it in spanish, with much more eloquence I'm sure.)
Your post touches upon a great premise to my life. We all need to challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zones. This even applies to our hobbies. It's enriching!

[Melanie Rimmer]

You're dead right. If someone tells you something is impossible, you should just do it anyway. What have you got to lose?

[fwuffydragon]

We're growing loads of fruit at the moment. Had autumn raspberries in pots on the patio this year - got some beautiful raspberries - they are now down at the allotment. Summer raspberries on the patio this year and hope to get fruit next year.

Also have 3 plum, 1 apricot, 1 pear, and a morello cherry tree in large pots which are going to be mostly dug into the front garden to stop them (a) drying out and (b) getting too big.

Also have 2 year old redcurrant and blackcurrant bushes on the patio which are going to fruit for the first time this year. Hurrah!

Also have a large plastic strawberry pot (mid-thigh height) which is looking promising with flowers on it.

Also all sorts of other veg / plants etc. both on allotment and on patio.

[Susan Small]

I landed here by following a link posted by fwuffydragon in a forum on growfruitandveg.co.uk - a very fortuitous event indeed!

I have spent some time worrying about choosing the right pots for my delivery of bare root fruits, This post has really made me realise how silly I have been to spend so much time worrying.

I'm going to just go for it and see what happens! Strangely enough I spent many miserable years at school in just the fear of maths that you describe. I have a feeling you are a very good teacher. :)