Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi

I`m quite a new gardener with veg and i have had a allotment for 3 years,the first year evry thing was ok but the last 2 years i had a lot of veg go to seed with out harvesting them,last year i had 3 lots of spinach go to seed and even some bolthardy beetrot do the same and the fennel did the same where all around they had fine results,my soil is first class and all i have added is leaves in winter and then some organic seedweed type manure in the spring,i exspect theres many reasons for veg to go to seed but i can`t see what i1m doing wrong

regards holttum

I suspect this may possibly have been due to lack of moisture. We have had a couple of hot dry summers and most veg need to be kept well watered which may not be easy on an allotment. My experience is that they start growing well but can go to seed very quickly if the soil suddenly dries out for a prolonged period. I'm not sure there's an easy answer to this apart from trying to keep as much moisture retaining humus in the soil. Some veggies too simply don't seem to thrive in temperaures which get too hot. I wonder whether it would be worth experimenting and putting a fleece over them to protect them in fierce heat and sunshine.

You say that in the first year everything was OK. What did you grow in that first year?
As for what you have had go to seed in the past two years, spinach and fennel are likely to run to seed depending on weather conditions and especially sowing time. Beetroot is a biennial, but often can go to seed in the first year.

Spinach, if sown between May and July, will go to seed very quickly. Best sown between March and mid-May. Otherwise sow August-September for an autumn/winter crop.
Fennel: if by Fennel you mean Sweet Fennel/Florence Fennel (varieties such as Zefa Fino etc etc), you would do well not to sow before early June. Otherwise it will shoot up almost immediately.
As for beetroot, I can only assume that htey bolted due to being too dry. Although a biennial, their instinct for reproduction/survival can drive them to seed in the first year.

Hello Holttum, i'm with Primrose on this, i think it is a combination of heat and lack of moisture, as the three vegatables you mention are all prone to bolting under these conditions, especially the spinach.
So i think it is a case of a little more watering at the critcal times.