Cropping "problems"

[JohnN]

Just a comment on a few of my crops this year and to see if any other members have similar “problems”.
Tomatoes (Alicante, Marmande, Gardeners Delight) in g/h & outside.
Good crop, but very slow ripening, just the odd one or two.
Runner Beans
Also good crop, but many going straight to seed (poddy). Erratic watering perhaps?
Sweet Peppers, in greenhouse grow bags
Moderate crop, but nearly all going bad at the tip. Watering problem again? Too much or too little? Mini-cucumbers in same bags giving steady crop with no problems!
All comments gratefully received.
John N

[John]

Hello John
Interesting comment on Runners. My neighbour has the same problem but mine are fine. We have both kept our rows well watered especially in the dry hot spell recently. Dryness is likely to cause early podding. The only difference we can think of is that he grows from saved seed (been saving for many years - mixed varieties) and I always grow from packets - trying 'Celebration' this year. We wondered if the quality of his saved seed was declining?

John

[glallotments]

Our tomatoes are slow and some developing blossom end rot in spite of not being erratically watered,

Runner beans are slow and the peppers in the greenhouse aren't really producing much flower but the aubergines are loaded with flowers and setting better than usual!

[Monika]

Runner beans have not set yet though climbing French beans (planted on the same frame and at the same time) are cropping well.

Tomatoes, chilli and sweet peppers cropping very well in the greenhouse but none of them turning red yet in spite of almost daily non-stop sunshine.

[Motherwoman]

Ditto on tomatoes not ripening, up to my oxters in mini-cues though. Runners are starting to crop after a gap, think the hot weather meant they didn't set. Dwarf frenchies doing well, clg frenchies won't be long about.
Good carrots and beetroot. Later peas are not good, hot weather again I think. Courgettes are doing really well. Lettuce have all gone to seed and I didn't get much successional sowing done.

But you can't have everything!

MW

[oldherbaceous]

Me and Old Codger had a huge crop of peas ready for picking, but they were full of maggots, that's including my Radeo peas, so not amused.

[Monika]

Harvested our first garlic Bella Italiano today - wow, what a size, almost tennis ball! Until now, I have been using garlic Solent Wight and Picardy Wight which have been ok but nothing special. So, if you want size AND taste, I can recommend Bella Italiano. Ours came from DT Browns.

[John P]

Runner Beans not setting and cropping as good as usual,weather perhaps,got to blame something,Cabbage destroyed,even with netting. Like OH peas full of maggots.On the plus side everything else doing well. JP.

[vegpatchmum]

My runners were slow to get started but have finally started to crop properly, as of yesterday. Climbing beans have been cropping well for last few weeks and the Mangetout have been fabulous this year, both in numbers and taste.

Found the first reddening tomato in the greenhouse yesterday

The courgettes and Winter Festival Squash have been dismal and the Hunter and Cobnut Squashes are only just now starting to flower, so it may well be too late for them.

Anna Swartz Hubbards are doing okay and we have 2 or 3 fruit finally growing on the Cheyenne Bush pumpkins but these are behind where I would have expected them to be at this time.

The potatoes look to have been doing really well but, obviously, the proof will be in the digging

A lot of my second sowing of lettuces went to seed and just didn't do well but that was down to the heat I reckon. My current batch are looking a lot happier.

As for my chillis, well the cayennes are massive and just need to turn red now but the Patio chillis have only just started to flower and grow.

So, all in all not too bad but it will be a race against time for certain things to ripen or cure before the colder weather begins to creep back in.

VPM
x

[tracie]

I have had the same problems with my peppers for the last couple of years.

This year I read somewhere that if you mix a bit of lime in with the compost for the peppers it should stop the tip from rotting.

I have done this for the peppers this year and have had no problems at all, not sure quite what the lime does but it has worked!!.

Worth a try next year.

Tracie

[Colin Miles]

Runners - quite good set - and tomatoes (in greenhouse) just starting to produce - very late. Cleanest crop of potatoes ever. First early Casablanca gave a good crop and taste - will grow them next year. Charlotte are doing very well - virtually no slug damage. Indeed, slugs have been noticeable by their absence though snails are plentiful. If commercial crops are as good then there will be lots of very good spuds.

[peter]

Three bulging carrier bags of Cosse Violette FB.

[Geoff]

Must admit can't complain about much this year. Tomatoes are ripening well, I don't know if the beefsteaks are going to support the masses of fruit that has set on them and is just starting to ripen. I've mentioned the Potatoes before, haven't tried baking the Rocket, bagged up 45Kgs of Charlotte that look very nice, huge tops on the Sarpo Mira (never grown them before) but I haven't investigated. The Triffids (Courgettes, Squashes, Pumpkins and Gourds) are absolutely rampant and threatening to break out of their enclosure. Onions are quite large but also with a lot of top growth which might be a problem later. We have frozen more than enough Peas and given lots away. S-in-L came to visit from Shropshire and was complaining the Runner Beans she shares with her uncle were not growing at all well so I took this photograph for her to show him (Moonlight and Red Flame), we picking lots already; also shows Brassicas are doing well, Sprouts in the foreground.

IMG_2932_R.jpg (330.59 KiB) Viewed 6637 times

[Ricard with an H]

What a fabulous display, well done Geoff. Are you eating all that produce or selling ?

I had a reassuring crop of broad beans, my French beans which are a yellow variety are ready for the first picking and my tomato look like a good crop but the taste is disappointing compared to the Cardiff grown ones I've been buying from the Co-op. Presumably this is because I like the sharp taste, the i'm growing taste quite inert and they are tough compared to the Co-op ones.

Red onions in the cow-poo are looking good but the ones in the carrot bed are looking poor but the carrots are good. Lot's of lovely sweet carrot and no grubs yet.

[Geoff]

Don't sell anything, just give away or barter. I get a large trailer load of muck each year which gets paid for in fruit and veg. Been trading dahlias for eggs the last couple of weeks. Wife gives presents of preserves at Christmas, runner bean chutney is particularly popular.