Author Topic: Disasters (Read 6297 times)

Pigface51 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 04, 2006, 14:40:47 »

Hmmm....the seeds....

On most packets, there is a gemination rate - how acturate is that?

Should we (as the consumer) complain to the manufacturers of the seeds if they fail tomeet the germination rates?...and if so, what outcome would there be (you can bet you'd be outside of your 14 days Statetory Rights) - would they blame "storage & shipment to whoever sold the seeds" or maybe "how they were handled when sown" or "soil ph & conditions")

Does anyone have any information regarding cpomplaining to seeds producers and outcomes from the complaints?

Tee Gee · « **Reply #21 on:** July 04, 2006, 15:35:30 »

Quote; Does anyone have any information regarding cpomplaining to seeds producers and outcomes from the complaints?

From my experience most seed merchants will not question what you have to say.

They will probably just send you a voucher to more than the value of the seeds in question and a letter of apology.

I guess this is the cheapest way out, as many of the main seed merchants buy their seed in from abroad already packaged in their livery.

For them to take it up with their suppliers might be too much hassle so as I said........they take the easy way out!

chuff · « **Reply #22 on:** July 04, 2006, 17:00:56 »

Hi everybody. this is my first year as an allotmenteer, Ive never grown anything from seed till now and Ive never grown veg apart from a runner bean in a jar at primary school and a blackcurrant bush that was left behind by a previous tenant.
My list of disasters so far:
Seed sowing, out of each packet of seeds planted-
Sweetcorn 8 (looks like couch grass)
marrow 5
Runner beans 0
Giant pumpkin 1 ( That will make Lorna giggle, I did say my fingers are not that green ;D
Not much chance of me winning the pumpkin competition this year) :'(
3 goose Gog's devoured by sawfly :'(
Things can only get better ;D ;D ;D

Tulipa · « **Reply #23 on:** July 04, 2006, 17:32:13 »

My disaster is Parsnips this year - I made holes and filled them with compost and put a few seeds in each - used 300 seeds. THREE germinated. Have resown holes with another packet of 300 - NONE germinated! Have watered well and the soil is warm. I think I shall give up now and plant something else in there. I have seen others comment on the parsnips not being good this year. I tried so hard and spent so much time on the preparation. Never mind, the soil will be really good for whatever else I put in there now.

I had wonderful parsnips last year just bunging them in a row!

And my pumpkin seeds didn't germinate - tried two lots and neither came to anything. I have lots of courgette and squash plants so never mind.

All were new seeds.

Feel better now I have let out all my frustration! Thank you.

P.S. I have lots of other things growing so can't complain really...

redimp · « **Reply #24 on:** July 04, 2006, 20:57:56 »

I had an excellent germination rate from my White Gem parsnips bought from http://www.homegardenseeds.co.uk/. Sowed three per station and had to thin at least one from every station. So heartbreaking that I will pregerminate next year so I don't have to kill any of the them. The plants are now going great guns.

My disasters have been cucs, courgettes, runners, brussels and I am blaming slugs and snails and that run of really wet weather we had.

Tulipa · « **Reply #25 on:** July 04, 2006, 21:22:23 »

RC I have saved that site to my favourites for next year! Both packets were Tender and True, grew White Gem and Tender and True last year as an experiment and had similar results from both, but obviously chose the wrong one this year. Better luck next year...

T

Money_Bunny · « **Reply #26 on:** July 04, 2006, 23:50:59 »

Another carrot failure here, sown twice and ended up with nothing, cabbages sown every week but always being eaten by the rabbits grrr >:(

Rhubarb not doing much, blackcurrant and gooseberry bush both died :(

First lot of leeks were eaten for tea today mmmm, strawberries never even make it home and are eaten as soon as picked lol

Broccolli slowly coming on as is the beetroot, parsnips germinated and in the polytunnel still along with some other seedlings. Chilli's and peppers got mixed up but both are growing. Butternut squash, marrow and/or courgette (forgot which is which) and cucumber all making a bid to take over the world!!!

Tomato's doing ok, onions fine, potatos fighting their way through the weeds (poor things) herbs (apart from Basil which got eaten by slugs) doing brilliantly.

Peas eaten by Bill the goat :-X but broad beans going great, lettuce and asparagus peas seem to be doing well (fingers crossed)

Seems like an ok first year for us, wish I'd planted more stuff but it took so long to clear up the lottie and build the polytunnel. Then again I'm sure I can find a few more things to plant in the next week ;D

fbgrifter · « **Reply #27 on:** July 05, 2006, 20:43:55 »

i am the only person on my allotment site that can grow carrots easily. never had any problems. i attribute the success to growing under fleece.

however my big disaster this year is (don't laugh): lettuce. in fact all salad leaves and spinach. putting it down to the weather being too cold and then too hot. i think i will have more success under my beloved fleece!

weedbusta · « **Reply #28 on:** July 05, 2006, 21:13:45 »

my runner beans must have done a runner. i planted a nice double row and one came up!!! i think it showed its face so i couldn't think i didn't actually plant some.

the mice ate a load of strawberries >:( my own fault for being late with the netting.

red hot pokers didn't germinate....not even one

tumbling tom tomatoes didn't show face either.... but the ones i gratefully received on this site are away like a house on fire and bursting with flowers. thank you.x

today i spotted two apples on my wee £4 apple tree from Aldis. :D i only planted it in the spring. me and my boys were jumping for joy and then .......guess what...... one was half chewed!!

artichoke · « **Reply #29 on:** July 06, 2006, 08:29:46 »

Disasters pending... Haven't sown for succession, haven't been able to work properly on allotment for several days and now have to work away from home for just over a week, followed by inundation of visitors and a wedding 300 miles away, and the courgettes and squashes are already productive.

I just know that by mid-July the allotments will be a mass of shoulder high weeds and immense courgettes and stringy mange-touts. Husband won't go near the place or eat courgettes and peas, but at least I am leaving him boxes of potatoes, onions and shallots (but I know he lives on pizzas and sausage rolls and pasties when I am away).

One thing I am enjoying is leading the trailing squashes up a ladder of old trellis into the apple tree and over a bean archway. If it works this year, I plan a more serious "vertical growing" arrangement next year.

katynewbie · « **Reply #30 on:** July 06, 2006, 08:32:51 »

;D

"Disasters Pending" Oh yes, have a list of those I expect!

;)

Paulines7 · « **Reply #31 on:** July 06, 2006, 09:18:15 »

I sowed two varieties of parsnip, White Gem and Gladiator under enviromesh. Unfortunately I was ill for a few weeks and didn't get round to weeding them so they were amongst foot high milk thistles and shaggy soldiers to name but a few. :(

Yesterday I got round to weeding the bed and half the parsnips had survived. However, there was a marked difference between the two varieties, the Gladiator was taller and much stronger than the White Gem and had held its own amongst the weeds. Only time will tell if they taste is the same.

My biggest disaster was when I saw my baby aubergine fruit which was my pride and joy. A fat orange slug had made a hole in this inch long fruit and was curled up inside. :'( Last night I went on slug and snail patrol and killed almost 100 beasts. ;D ;D .........I did enjoy that!!! ;D

I too have had a disaster with carrots. :( Those sown early in the greenhouse were a great success and we are still eating them, but the three varieties that I sowed outside are extremely sparse.

I sowed some mixed lettuce seeds in the Spring and had four red ones and all the rest were the same light green ones but they have made lovely hearts and when they bolt I feed them to the chickens.

prink13 · « **Reply #32 on:** July 06, 2006, 09:50:33 »

This is my 1st season, in fact only been gardening since March, but twice I've planted carrotts and parsnips, and neither time have any come up. My only other disaster is my Globe Endive, which I bought as small plants, as the name suggests, they are supposed to be large round balls of lettuce, but mine are about 2 feet tall twigs!

I'd post a picture - but I don't know how :-[

lorna · « **Reply #33 on:** July 06, 2006, 11:50:29 »

My runner beans don't have many flowers (enorma) bit disappointed so far. I do love runner beans.
Still only have the one pumpkin, so chuff I will have to compete with you but as you are growing giant pumpkin don't fancy my chances ;D
Wahoo! have got my first squashes ever, will have to see if I can find label under the leaves to see which variety
One half row radish wasted, gone woody but more ready to thin out.
Have been eating and giving away lettuce, radish and spring onions so my first veg/salad growing year is not complete failure.
Gardeners delight in g/house look reasonably good although bottom leaves on a couple of plants have "discoloured" will keep an eye on them
Well it has all kept me out of mischief :)

legless · « **Reply #34 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:07:50 »

my runners aren't setting.

grew 3 cucumbers, all stems split low down, causing 2 to snap completely while young, was worried about number 3 yesterday, turned out to be ok in the end.

with limited veg growing space (2 8'x3' beds and a lot of pots) i have managed to avoid large scale disasters this year. will be a miracle if my carrots work though, never managed to grow a carrot.

Hyacinth · « **Reply #35 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:13:23 »

Early nantes are virtually no-show. Lots of foliage but no carrots. Bizarely I'm picking maincrop small as babies. 2nd year of early nantes disappointment, so thinking of giving up on them. (maincrop = red somethingorother? can't remember, someone here sent them me).

Then the Belle de Fonteney I was growing in tubs got their foliage sliced off during recent high winds, so what should have been, potentially, a really good crop, wasn't.

Only other 'disaster' has been sowing Lorna's pak choi too late in the season, EJ says, so it bolted immediately.

Other than that, everything's been a success (so far) ::) (know I'll regret those words.....) but superb garlic and red onions are well worth a special note.

Multiveg · « **Reply #36 on:** July 06, 2006, 13:00:48 »

Carrots were sown early down the plot - not a sign. Sowed another short row - got 4! In veg boxes built in garden, got luscious carrot tops ;D and I sowed some parsnip - got 1. The parsnip down the plot didn't show either. Heard theories that slugs/snails got to carrot seedlings. Another plotholder on site said 3 packets of carrots yielded nothing.

Paulines7 · « **Reply #37 on:** July 07, 2006, 21:38:39 »

Yet another aubergine which was being eaten by a big fat orange slug. :'( Will any get to grow to full size I wonder. :-\

timnsal · « **Reply #38 on:** July 08, 2006, 10:19:53 »

After years of attempting to grow in gardens of new houses with no topsoil, I've been reading this thinking how pleased I'd have been to get as many as 4 carrots!

Only half the row of peas at the allotment germinated - thought that was fairly disatrous, until I went down the other day after a 2 week gap. Turns out to be the most successful thing I've ever grown :-[
And I think I managed 5 carrots and 3 parsnips - so pretty good for me.

Can't see anything else as it's all buried in bindweed. Oh well.

Sally

Hyacinth · « **Reply #39 on:** July 09, 2006, 13:15:57 »

More wind damage :( The garden tomatoes are taking a battering. 2 Ferlines has been snapped just above the 1st truss - there may be more. Shall walk the estate after a restorative g&t (Dutch courage?)

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Author Topic: Disasters (Read 6297 times)