New Bits and Bobs No 13

[donedigging]

I was thinking we could celebrate what cropped well this year for us all.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Donedigging, i think my best crop has to be my Runner beans, they are still cropping very heavily at the moment, thats if the strong wind last night and still this morning, hasn't flattened them.

[alan refail]

Nicola potatoes - heavy crop, no blight, no slug damage.

[Victoria]

Marketmore outdoor cucumbers and autumn fruiting raspberries which we have been picking since July!

[glallotments]

It's been a good fruit year for us - plums, gages and strawberries in particular.

Onions have done particularly well too - from heat treated sets.

Potatoes in spite of blight have produced well as have tomatoes.

Outdoor cucumber Burpless Tasty Green has produced more fruit than in previous years.

[Westi]

Been pretty brillant all round but impressed with my brassicas.
Won for my cabbages in the Lottie Show and my oriental pak
choi etc have been great as well, still sowing and growing them.
I think I may have even overwhelmed the flea beetles as less
and less holes with each harvest!

Soft and orchard fruit good as well but am still anticipating my
prize crop and fingers crossed will be as good under the foliage
as below - my Sweet Potatoes!!

Westi
PS Outdoor Melons total diaster.

[Monika]

Overall it's been a very good harvest with us, though there some qualifications: most of the runner beans and climbing French beans were curled and crooked because it's been (and still is) so very windy that they have not had a chance to grow straight down!

The winter brassicas look promising with little caterpillar damage. Some of the purple sprouting broccoli decided it is spring already and have sprouted but they are no less tasty. The calabrese 'Monterey' was particularly good: huge individual heads with lots more little side shoots following.

Carrots have also done better than in many previous years. We always grow them under fleece to combat carrot root fly and it's not always easy to water them adequately, but with the heavy rain showers we have had this year, they are clean, long and tasty.

So, can't complain!

[Elle's Garden]

I think my two 'successess' have been Sugar snaps which were lovely, if a long time ago and the hanging basket Tomatoes which are still ripening beautifully. Runner beans have also been cropping since the end of July, although with only 10 plants we are not eating them everyday! The pyramid is definately more 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' following last nights weather, but it doesn't look like any stems have snapped. I have learned quite a bit though, and my notebook keeps on filling with thoughts for next year.

[Primrose]

I was really proud of my first crop of kohl rabi - they virtually all looked like show winners. Can't understand why the second succession crop was more disappointing and the third succession crop hasn't produced a single bulb. Is this crop temperature sensitive?

My beetroot have done unusually well, and my Ferline, Sungold, Ildi and tumbling tomatoes have all cropped prolifically.

My Blauhilde purple French climbing beans have been a strange mixture of nice slim dark coloured ones and rounder knobbly ones, even when picked all the same size so can't understand what's been happening there. . My Cobra beans have been excellent. And the courgettes as usual just keep coming - and coming - and combing, damn them!

[Elaine]

We have been pleased with everything except brassicas this year. For some reason they have been very hit and miss this summer and we usually do so well with them.
Potatoes have been exceptional, as have onions and shallots(some real whoppers!) and root vegetables have been brilliant.
The soft fruits have been marvellous too.
Cheers.

[glallotments]

I think my two 'successess' have been Sugar snaps which were lovely, if a long time ago and the hanging basket Tomatoes which are still ripening beautifully.

What variety did you grow Elle as I fancy having a go next year. Anyone grown those tiny currant sized tomatoes?

[Elle's Garden]

Hi Glallotments,

I have reached for my seed box, but I think I used them all when I sowed. I got them from the garden centre this spring and I am fairly certain that they were by Mr Fothergill, especially for hanging baskets. My sister-in-law grew them successfully last year and I wanted to give them ago. She didn't have a variety to give me, so I just grabbed these when I saw them. The largest ones are about golf ball size and the smaller ones normal cherry tomato size. For a complete novice like me they have been perfect! I had enough plants for 5 baskets & 2 tubs with about 5 plants in each.

[Primrose]

I haven't grown any of the currant sized tomatoes but have grown Tumbling Red and Tumbling Yellow tomatoes in containers and have been amazed how many tomatoes they've yielded - and still growing strongly. Tomatoes have been anything up to an inch in diameter but mostly cherry sized. I noticed that of all my outdoor tomatoes they were also the first to start ripening, which is useful in prolonging the season if you don't have a greenhouse. Even the two plants in a container outside our front door which only gets the sun after 2 p.m. have done well. Am saving some seeds from them and will definitely grow again next year.

[WestHamRon]

Cherokee Trail Of Tears beans have been my outstanding crop this year.
I actually want to ask a question here. If I pinch out the growing tips, will they produce flowers lower down on the plant? I've never been too sure on this.

[Malk]

My beans have done really well this year, especially the green climbers that I bought from the garden centre on a whim. I'll let Thing1 plant the beans again next year. Peas didn't fare so well.

Potatoes have done pretty well considering the manure I put on them was contaminated with that weedkiller. Still to dig most of them up.

Onions were great, especially the sets I got from a neighbour. My ones from seed weren't any better and a lot didn't fare well against the early heat we had, so after I finish this lot of seed off I don't know if I'll bother with seed again.

Asparagus has done well, with all the new ones I put in this year surviving, so hopefully they'll come back next year and I'll be able to harvest from the older ones.

Other than that, everything's been ok, but not great.