Topic: A fairly disasterous year

[Rosyred]

I'm happy so far with what i've got in my first year bit I can understand how annoying it is sowing 4 packets of seed and get nothing. I get something and something eats it. Next year i'm growing more seed so that if I lose half it don't matter. I have a few friends wanting veg but can't give as it will feed my family.

I'm surprized too as to how farms grow carrots and we can't.........

[glow777]

I'm surprized too as to how farms grow carrots and we can't.........

Organic vs pesticdes, fertilzers and chemicals etc

[OllieC]

I'm surprized too as to how farms grow carrots and we can't.........

Organic vs pesticdes, fertilzers and chemicals etc

They get " better" (okay, more effective) chemicals than us, and use them routinely as part of a "spraying routine". Some of the stories I've heard from when I worked on a fruit farm (you're a small farm, you spray something with a 2 week clearance, then it's incredibly hot for a few days & all your strawberries come earlier than you'd expected... do you a)Throw away the fruit & risk going bust, or B) Pick it all & sell it?)

[ugly gourd]

I don't what Ive done or maybe the allotment fairy just waved her wand on my plot beautiful carrots and beetroot, best row of parsnips for 4 years mind you I set 500 and thinned to 100 good accent potatoes Picasso haven't peeked yet brill broccoli cabbage cauliflower all year round 10 inch across but so full of bug couldn't be eaten tomatoes had a packet of marmand floating about for years finally got set and ripening nicely outside marrows great but lost some that got baked in July courgettes very slow but good BUT lettuce broad beans and winter plants rubbish and all in the greenhouse lost

[Chris Graham]

This is my first year and so far it has been quite good.

Loads of Courgettes

one small jar of Beetroot (see my post) due to infestation. 

Loads of carrots and more to come. 

Gonna pick my first Swead at the weekend.

Tomatoes have started to ripen  ;)  (at last)

Oh i forgot........around 20 lettaus

[dingerbell]

Well here goes my annual report. I posted an earlier thread that relates to the fact that despite the drought condidions and only watering my tomatoes and seedlings I've had a pretty good year. I put this down to only one thing...tons of muck and organic material double dug into the entire plot. My plot sits on top of a thick strata of clay so all the organic material is quite moist below the surface although looking at the plot it resembles the bottom of a dried out river bed...deep cracks and fissures.
Greatest success this year...Beetroot, Carrots, Sweetcorn,Pink Fir Apples, Red Duke of York,Garlic, Longour Shallots, ButterNut Squash,Asparagus,SunGold Tomatoes (superb taste),Cobra climbing French Beans,Swedes still growing, and Parsnips planted in deep cones filled with loam based compost (100% germination).
Not so good were Borlotti Beans, Broad Beans, Courgettes (but still producing modestly), Celeriac .
Now thinking about next year and just taken delivery of another 2 tons of ancient farmyard manure...it has the consistency of loam. Oh well back pain again.. ;D

[powerspade]

I got no parsnips, onions, potatoes or runners beans all died a death through the drought

[saddad]

No early or main carrots, but good germ since the hot spell, no Parsnips, pathetic potato yield ... but still loads of goodies!
 :D

[katynewbie]

 :-\

Beans and peas great! Next year will do 3 times as many broadies though!
Spuds rubbish, although still hoping for great things from 1 row of PFA.
Onions not good, next year 3 times as many.
Parsnips...huh?
Carrots...ditto
Chard, next year will do 3 times fewer.
Fruit things...next year i will have some.

All in all, well pleased, constant refrain of "Next year..."

 ;)

[SMP1704]

This is my first year on the plot.  What has gone well?

Early carrots under cloches did really well - it took me a while to realise that slugs enjoy munching the leaves.  Next year I plan to sow more in succession for a fairly continuous supply.

All the parsnips germinated and am hoping that the dry conditions, then the wet conditions haven't caused too many problems.

Loved the strawberries - even though ours only gave a supply for about 3 weeks in June, we all turned our noses up at the supermarket tubs.  I'm doubling the size of the bed and putting in some mid and late season varieties - any recommendations??

Really pleased with the peas, the earlies - Feltham First were very prolific but am trying Early Onward next year and Hurst Greenshaft to follow - already purchased from Wyevales.

The tomatoes are starting to produce and are delicious.  At the mo, I am too much of a novice to say which tastes best - they are all soooo much better than anything in the supermarket.

Lettuce and spinach before the heat caused them to bolt and the early beetroots.

I have high hopes for the squash and pumpkins

What didn't go well-

The climbing beans and runners - planted in the wrong place, too dry and made worse by the drought in July - looks like I might get a couple of pickings from them in September.

Minipops - just couldn't manage to get them at the right time - but when shredded made good material for the compost bin!

Sweetcorn - planted Swift.  All harvested and eaten now.  Had a very small harvest and the cobs did not fully plump up - even thought I gave the tassles a good shake to help pollination.  Are now shredded and in the compo bin.

Calabrese produced beautiful heads but full of tiny caterpillars and they had been covered in fleece - next year need to make sure there is no way in for the CWB.

Potatoes - full of eelworm.

The ongoing battle with the Horsetail.

Lots of learning this year and head now full of plans for next year.  No overwintering as the plot is going to be fully dug over.

[saddad]

Unless the slugs get them should be a good year for PFA Katy, as the blight has stayed away and they are a late main so wouldn't have been trying to form tubers in the hot dry spell...
 :D

[Meg]

Well folks just put on a sad face and you might get a gift from all the other folks. Have just sat down to a gratin of veg that was mostly donated. My carrots are up on last year but that was nothing!! I have always laughted at the plight of no parsnip people but...I might have one for Xmas day!! My raspberries are fab and tomatoes amazing. don't know what to do this winter know I have broken the back of my weeds and will just put black plastic on. Might have to start all over again!!

[OliveOil]

Ahh well my first year on lotty too - well first few months, only took it in June!  Courgettes did brilliantly,
cucumber quite well
Sweetcorn Amazing!
Patty Pans - great
carrots - nothing until i was weeding where the leeks ahve been dibbed and i've found a load of carrots growing between the leeks (i sowed the carrots in June!!!). Finally got a row of winter onions and spring onions germinated on the plot.
Swiss chard - 4 plants out of 3 rows but more are coming up - sowed in July!.  French dwarf yellow beans - great!
Chickory - going great guns
Beetroot - still growing but look ok so far! 
found some potatos at the top of the plot - lovely!
 Various squashes going well but not ready yet!
Butternut squash  - still not ready yet.
Tomatos disasterous,
Aubergine - same as toms
 Brocolli and cabbage - eaten to death. Bought some fleece and i have some kale and cabbage growing at home ready to plant out next week and covered. 
Lettuce still growing!,
leeks filling out to my surprise!

Actually i think i did better than i thought! LOL

[dicky]

The good:

Courgettes (not suprising)
Sangria lettuce
St James Intermediate carrots
Foremost / Sante spuds
Spinach
Runner Beans
Sweetcorn (some that didn't get watered too much were a bit small)

The Ok:

Onions (some were a bit small)
Pumpkins (think they should have been a bit bigger)
Radishes (good till the weather got too hot)

The Bad/ugly:

brocoli (damm the flea beatle)
Purple carrots 9split or died or really small)
pak choi (flea beatle again)
lolo roso lettuce (could get these to grow to save my life)


Dicky