How did we all do?

[Elaine]

How did we do? In a word...erm..dire. This year is the worst we have had regarding crops growing, in the eleven years we've had our allotment.

We have done well with potatoes, onions and beetroot. The brassicas....all of them have been awful...they just sat there doing nothing at all from planting them out. Peas soon succumbed to mildew. Runner beans might as well have not bothered climbing the frame and to add insult to injury, even the ruddy courgettes sat and sulked! They have only just produced a few flowers after being planted out early June. Usually they grow like triffids and the neighbours are running and hiding when they see me getting out of the car with yet more courgettes.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse are absolutely brilliant, huge yields and pest/disease free....looks like yet another year that I won't be making green tomato chutney! The soft fruits...black and red currants, strawberries, red gooseberries and now the autumn fruiting raspberries have given bumper crops.

Oh...the couch grass and annual weeds have flourished, of course....

We haven't done anything any different, we watered them in dry spells, the soil is good, no pests or diseases present....so what went wrong??? The weather?
**sigh**
Hope next year will be better!

[Primrose]

My courgettes this year have been dire too but after overkill in previous years it's almost a relief not to have a courgette mountain to deal with. My Cavalo Nero is pathetically sparse on leaves but probabky my fault as it was planted too closely to grow to its full potential. The curly kale is overwhelming prolific and healthy.
Leeks looking badly rusted. Outdoor tomatoes have been brilliant and pretty much resisted blight despite some very humid conditions and their flavour has been really enhanced by late sunshine.
Sweetcorn cobs were very small. Probably won't other growing again.
Many of my red and white onions went to seed very early despite generous watering so they were a disappointment.
Redcurrants and blackcurrants embarrassment of riches. Strawberries less so as the slugs and woodlice got there first. However still have more than enough soft fruit in freezer to see us through the winter. The same applies to green beans !
Only four parsnips germinated after the second sowing but we usually end up with more than we can eat.

For a relatively small growing area the veg garden has earned its keep. The rusted leeks, for the second year running though, are deteriorating raoidly and I do rely on them a lot for winter soups, stews and caseroles so how to deal with this problem next year is really exercising my thoughts.

[Monika]

Things that have done very well: broad beans, runner beans (after a shaky start), peas, courgettes, celeriac, calabrese, summer broccoli, garlic, shallots (though I am not sure that they will keep until next summer), and in the greenhouse: tomatoes and sweet peppers

Not so good: leeks (a lot of bolters), dwarf beans (planted out too early?), red cabbage (edible but mostly split in half), carrots (many forked), beetroot (very small)

Still to come but looking good: curly kale, cavolo nero, flower sprouts

Overall, not a bad summer for us but it did involve a lot of watering. It was quite obvious that the crops in the garden, where I can use a sprinkler, fared better than those on the allotment where it's a watering can job.

We don't grow any fruit.

[Westi]

I think I pretty much shared what went good or bad in my posts (& rants)!

I've been pleased with all my brassicas, celeriac, fruit soft & hard, carrots, chard, outside aubergines & chilli's and finally can add my courgette & squashes. My beans, peas, spuds & salad crops not so good. I'm sure a bit more care & attention would work wonders, but a bit time poor currently.

Westi

[PLUMPUDDING]

After thinking summer would never arrive and the beans sulking for weeks before they even started growing up the canes, we've had bumper crops of everything. Even the sweetcorn, courgettes and squashes have done very well. Both freezers are full to bursting and now the late plums, autumn raspberries, apples and pears are producing an abundant crop.

I'm getting bucket fulls of tomatoes from the greenhouse and the sweet peppers are just starting to turn red. The beetroot I sowed in the greenhouse border have been excellent and I've made another sowing. All the greens are romping away. The onions, shallots and garlic are stored in mesh trays and a bumper crop of potatoes sorted and stored in paper hen food sacks in the cellar.

I'm writing notes on how to cut down on everything next year, but all the fruit trees might have a rest next year so it won't be a problem.


The things that have had a problem are leeks flowering and the slugs have eaten all but one of my flower sprouts.

[Stephen]

Like others, I had mixed results. There are some changes I'll make next year in planning. If I worked less and gardened more, I hope things would be better!

[Pa Snip]

I'm writing notes on how to cut down on everything next year, but all the fruit trees might have a rest next year so it won't be a problem.

That's good because notes on cutting down fruit trees can be hard work

[PLUMPUDDING]

I rather enjoy cutting trees down Pa. Especially now I've got a chainsaw the notes are the easy bit though.

[robo]

The French beans have been the best ever, our leeks are looking good the few I've dug up have been lovely,the early cabbage have been spot on but the spinach has bolted the tomatoes and spuds suffered with blight, all the salad stuff was great the sprouts are slow growing but they are getting there overall not a bad growing year

[PLUMPUDDING]

I picked a clothes basket full of Sunset apples today. They look and smell lovely. I've just thought, they are really late this year as they are usually ripe early September.