2010 Growers Progress

[non-stick]

Very hit and miss this year and very late with everything. Firstly very cold and wet (spuds hit by frost) and then no rain. Spuds almost non-existent. Some lovely early sugar snaps but not many. Autumn sowed broad beans succumbed to the snow, late sowing went in to replace. Lovely but small yield. Garlic looks good but not pulled any yet. Overwintered red onions disappointing.  Lettuce coming out of my ears despite succession sowing.

Other stuff is catching up but the watering is hard work, the ground is so dry.

[Jeannine]

Well we were very late getting anything in,  the rains came down and it has been raining on and off since  2nd week in April week, it seems the summer is coming with very high temps expected next week but meantime everything has suffered because of the cool and wet. So we are not expecting anything much.

XX Jeannine

[Bugloss2009]

it's been a bit of a struggle

this year may be the first one out of 6 with the lottie where things haven't got better

[Unwashed]

Best year ever.  Winter onions came through well and only a few went to seed - I even got some red ones for the first time.  Grew peas for the first time.  Summer onions look fabulous and are bulbing up well, though I have had one or two with white rot.  Runner beans are setting fruit and look great.  Sweetcorn got well away and looks the strongest and healthiest I've had.  Courgettes and marrows transplanted without a check and I'll have courgettes in a week probably.  Got me leeks in earlier than I've managed before.  Parsnip germinated fine and are growing well, though I am needing to water.  Only the potatoes are struggling with the drought as I can't be asked to water them, but the Rocket are cropping well and are very tasty.  Even the lawn around the shed was magnificent, though it does look a little brown now.  I have to say it's been a brilliant year for me so far, I might even get some butternut squash for the fourth year trying!

[Crystalmoon]

It's been a strange year sofar for me in Kent. Everything went in late due to frosts in May then the heat wave/drought we have had has made alot run to seed. Not sure what will be the end results but sofar :
Loads of strawberries 
lots of raspberries but not juicy, very crumbly so bit disappointing 
sweetcorn took ages to get going, didnt germinate well & I lost quite a few after planting (think this is because I used old seeds & didnt use peat pots this year & may have disturbed their roots) 
Terrible trouble getting beetroot to gerninate this year (Ive had great crops for the previous 2 years) but have finally got some strong looking plants on the go so fingers crossed.
First redcurrents on my 3 year old bush - absolutely gorgeous but only  a handful, hoping for many more next year 
Lots of salad crops went to seed but others have been great so 50/50 with salads - will sow alot more when the weather cools down.
Im growing turnips & swede for the first time & they are doing really well sofar 
courgettes, pattypans, butternuts etc havent bushed up as large as usual & have started to have flowers & fuit while still smallish plants so not sure how the crops will be 
Am going to plan some crops to sow this autumn to extend my growing season instead of just sowing green manure crops this year.
 

[Crystalmoon]

forgot to say my cabbages are romping away nicely, radish doing well  spring onions rubbish though 
sugar snap peas not growing very tall, again flowering really quickly before gaing height but producing some pods so not sure of result yet

[carrot-cruncher]

Potatoes - 80 sown, 79 germinated, currently flowering but not know what's underneath yet
Onions - 110 sown, 67 germinated, won't know for a couple of months what's underneath
Strawberries - 9 brand new plants, 8 survived, ate last strawberry a couple of days ago & am missing them already
Runner beans -   (not one germinated, will try another sowing, direct this time)
Peas - see runner beans
carrots - didn't get round to sowing (is it too late now?)
Parsnips - ditto carrots.
Tomato x 2 - going great guns, 2 trusses developing on first plant, 2nd plant flowers later but shooting up rapidly
Capsicum - growing very well, awaiting flowers
Cucumbers - ditto capsicum
Melon - coming along well, not know if doing good or bad as have never grown them before & not know variety of plant

Fingers crossed

CC

[Mortality]

My tomatoes are just starting to ripen up and the french beans are still going strong.
Squash plant is romping away all over, second planting of peas coming along nicely, Painted mountain corn has cobs forming. A few carrots split because of all the rain in one go and the onions survived being munched by mystery catterpillas, but they arnt very big (from seed) Lettuces eventually bolted and the beetroots also bolted, put more beetroot in, but it's a bit swamped by the squash now 

The mystery bean plant that grew in a module that a corn plant shouldv'e been in, grew, but was badly munched by slugs or snails hopefully it will survive and the mystery will be solved, but it definitely isn't a french bean. 



Best tomato plants by far and the strongest and prolific are the Santini (yellow) which were saved seeds from a £1.99 Marks and Spencers pack. Middle tomato is a Tigerella and the top corner are Matina.