Seed Stress!!!!!!

[jayb]

I didn't think it was possible to have seed stress! But not being able to get things done in the autumn has left me with a backlog of jobs. I didn't harvest quite a few things last year (some of the pea and bean grow outs on the plot are my worst fails as they can't be replaced) and I've still got lots of beans in the polytunnel waiting to come in- if they are still there! Plus my lovely oca are still out on the plot being eaten by ravenous voles I suspect.

Anyway, I've just started going through some of the seeds I did collect last season and had just put in boxes till I got to them, goodness me so many, what was I thinking!!!!! I'm feeling somewhat stressed by it all and can't wait to get them as sorted as I can or perhaps even thinking I should skip the stress and compost them!!!. So I'm busy podding, shelling and labeling as fast as I can in the moments I can. I know I have to cut back hugely on veggie projects I grow this year. So feeling overwhelmed this evening and wondering why I'm such a silly muppet!

[Galina]

You don't have to do everything Jayb. And certainly not all this weekend. Whatever little you manage to do, is something done. If you burn out or stress out, nothing but worrying gets done.

There are beans in the poly? Good! Take just a few pods of each variety, shell, dry, label and freeze. If you have time, do the rest. If not compost when you need the space. Your reserves in the freezer will give you a new start. Done. Ditto peas. Just safeguard for now, don't do it all immediately. Do the rest if you can. You know the old adage - you couldn't possibly eat an elephant, so make elephant burgers and eat those over time. Silverleaf told us recently how well neglected Oca resprouted all on their own. Take the stress away. Just safeguard what is important to you. Set a small target, achieve it and congratulate yourself. Because you are coping. Prioritise. Irreplaceable, important, replaceable. And keep priorities in mind for the daily, little targets. Your priorities, nobody else's. Muppet? Definitely not.

Courage! And please know that you are not alone. With the upheaval of life recently, I also experienced some of the above and had to prioritise garden jobs during the year and there were regrets too. I lost half of my garlic varieties. Too bad! Maybe I had too many anyway. Still had very interesting things happen with garlic all the same.

Please, do not make 'not quite good enough' the enemy of good or perfect. Perfect or good just isn't always available. Jayb, you've got this!

[jayb]

You have made it all sound so simple and manageable when I just couldn't get it
Thank you for the kick start I needed, and not just with the seeds. (I must admit to getting a bit carried away and picking more pods than I needed yesterday afternoon).

It is good to be reminded we are not alone and it does lift spirits . Thanks also for

Maybe I had too many anyway

just brings it into perspective with life and what is going on here and around the world. I'm sorry you lost a chunk of your varieties but I admire your attitude and it gives me inspiration.

Please, do not make 'not quite good enough' the enemy of good or perfect. Perfect or good just isn't always available. Jayb, you've got this!

So true and this unsticks me often, I suspect I have extremes but little middle ground!