Topic: Notes for next year - in case I forget!

[RobinOfTheHood]

Don't waste greenhouse border space on bush tomatoes - Latah and Aurora should have been in buckets so that I could move them outside and put cordons in the border.

The peppers in the border, which were put there just because I ran out of buckets, have made bigger fruit than the ones in buckets.

If I grow melons again, be sure to keep them well watered. I basically water the tomatoes in the greenhouse border once and never again, this makes melons sad little bunnies and they didn't do anything until I started watering them.

My tomato house was pretty useless for tomatoes - see below.

The greenhouse cukes were quite early but also gave up the ghost quite early whereas the outdoor ones hardly produced anything - a combination of mosaic and too much heat for the greenhouse ones and too cold for the outdoor ones. Use the tomato house next year for cukes (The tomato house is basically a sheet of monarflex scaffold sheet for a roof and scaffold netting sides).

Don't. bother. with. outdoor. tomatoes. ever. again.

Don't bother with maincrop spuds except for Sarpo - blight again.

Keep the brassicas down to the varieties that I will actually use - the Kohl Rabi has done well, but we'll never use it ourselves and my attempts to give it away have been futile. And plant lesser quantities in more batches to stagger them - especially cauli.

Use more lime too.

PSB is fantastic. Everyone should grow it.

I'll add more as I think of it.   :)

[cornykev]

Being a bit sad, I still have my daily diarys from 07 and 08 and have similiar notes to yours at the back of the book.   :P         ;D ;D ;D

[RobinOfTheHood]

This is my book. If I try to use a proper paper thingy, the wife'll 'file' it.  ::)

PS I'm thinking Sungold and Brandywine for toms next year. Latah tastes of cardboard, or at least mine did. Anyone grown tasty ones?

[northener]

Heyup Robin, did'nt you get any Fantasio plants off Kes? been beautys best taste and loads of flesh, them and sungold next year for me. Your Toms in the border still need water i water mine at least 3 times a week. Been a crap year for outdoor Toms luckily mine were a few Moneymaker that someone gave me.

[RobinOfTheHood]

No, he didn't offer, or maybe he did and I said no...how big are they?

As for the greenhouse toms, no water at all this year after the initial bedding in, and the sungold have been brilliant again. I do plant them very deep though.

Another note - F1 sweetcorn is the way to go, I've been disappointed with the flavour of Ashworth and Double Standard, both from Real Seeds.

[northener]

Fantasio - the ones in the borders are more like a Beefsteak the ones in pots are satsuma size.

[earlypea]

Latah tastes of cardboard, or at least mine did. Anyone grown tasty ones?

Yes, tasty enough - juicy not cardboardy.  I'm not a big tomato fancier, more of a Victorian - prefer them cooked.  But, I grew them mainly for my parents who miss home-grown tomatoes and they loved them.

Not big nor good-looking, but early.  I suppose you have to trade something for that.

I'll grow a couple as 'first earlies' next year.  They were ripe before any others I saw around the allotments so basically they did what I wanted.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Fair enough, mine were marginally earlier than the sungold even though I started them later, and I may do the same, put a couple in buckets as earlies.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Peas. Don't just plant a row, put several double rows in at once. At least some may make it back to the kitchen then.

[Digeroo]

Plant a few at a time. 

More carrots,  brocolli, climbing french beans,  strawberries, BNS

Fewer beetroot, lettuce, courgettes,

Try again for a decent cauli, they had a whole row on the next but one allotment, so I can't blame the soil, weather etc etc.

Leave a bigger space for PSB.   

[lewic]

8 courgette plants are too many for one person..

Check beans are stringless before planting hundreds of them..

Dont plant peas up a trellis behind a row of courgette plants, as they will get smothered and you wont be able to get to them to pick them anyhow..

PSB will soon outgrow a 2 foot high cloche and the pigeons will just use the hoops as a perch and peck through the net..

Put the brassica cage up BEFORE the butterflies have laid their eggs..

Grow more Zinnias and Dahlias..

[carosanto]

Hi there, my notes for the year, (and I also keep a garden diary) are:

forget the Three Sisters planting - not worth the effort.  Beans never grew (Cornish wet/cold  summer again) pumpkins went miserable and sweetcorn only grew to about 2 feet (weather again).  This is only worth doing if  you live on the American prairie, and have a never ending supply of Buffalo pooh!

never ever grow outdoor toms  again - I pulled up 20 plants thru blight

double the amount of strawberries (easy with runners), half the amount of potatoes, and we really only need one or two parsley plants not 8!

grow more onions, spring onions and garlic, masses more, and remember to water them

Onward peas are fantastic do-ers - plant more successionally next year and start earlier

why did I grow Broad Beans - no-one even likes em, so don't grow stuff you don't personally love, it's a waste of time effort, money and space

look after your back!!!!

..and never give up.

Caro

[tomatoada]

Grow more broad beans because they freeze well.
I staggered plantingmy my onward and other peas but the later planted ones caught up with earlier planted ones!!!!

[Deb P]

Notes so far.....

Plant greenhouse tomatoes earlier. They didn't get in until mid June this year, so I've only been picking them the last month, although hopefully they will last longer. Also, the system of taking off the sideshoots below the first truss and then letting the other shoots grow has worked well, so I would do that again.

Not growing broad beans again...I tried them this year as I had never tried homegrown and was prepared to give them a go....and I still don't like the taste! :-\

Only grow three types of dwarf french beans, Cupidon, Purple Tepee and Triomphe De Farcy...they outshone the others by a mile..

Sweetcorn.........go back to tried and tested favourite, Extra Tender & Sweet, The pink popcorn were so late I still haven't got a crop! ::)

Don't grow so many sweet peppers...had a very prolific year and don't know what to do with them all...

Go back to early potatoes only.....all the maincrop were planted too late, they got blight or were slugged before reaching a decent size. Because they were late out of the ground I didn't have anything to follow on with except salad.........so I'll get more out of the space sticking to earlies I can harvest and get another crop in by June. Well that's the plan anyway...

Try and have something ready that can take over from wigwams of early peas...... ::)

Forget outdoor tomatoes.....three years of blight, I have learned my lesson the hard way. >:(

[northener]

Don't bother growing Cape Goldenberry its took over one greenhouse (Saddad did warn me) the berrys are'nt ready either.

[GRACELAND]

 ;D


Gosh   !!!

[cornykev]

Stagger french bean sowing.
Sow carrots earlier, then stagger.
Not too many earlies and dig up before July.
Sow cabbage seeds more sparingly.
 ;D ;D ;D

[flowerofshona2007]

Mine so far.....
grow more broadbeans so some might make the freezer !
Only grow home guard and smile potatoes, not worth doing main crop !
More Feline outdoor toms they dont get blight and are nice toms.
Grow huge amounts of vic climbing peas they are brilliant !
Dont grow purple beans we dont eat them.
Def grow goldfield climbing beans great taste.
Never put the squash plants in amoungst the fruit bushes again, grew well but it was like a mass of growth and until the leaves and tips where taken off no idea what was in there !
grow less cosmos and cornflowers and more zinnia and dahlias
Grow more sweetpeas and stagger them.
Make bed for carrots wih added sand, grow more carrots.
Make sure everything is ready for the spring !!
Have fun and sit and enjoy the plot more :)

[Borlotti]

I forgot where I put my notes from last year.  ;) ;)

[carbonel11]

Less earlies and more maincrop potatoes, but make sure in by Paddys day!
Only two courgette plants.
Get pumpkins and butternut squash in earlier ( use cloches )
Sweetcorn in earlier to follow early pots.
Don't plant chard looks brill ( don't like taste)
Overwinter peas and broadbeans to get a first earlier crop and extend growing season.
Don't grow outdoor toms at allotment ( blight )
Plant fewer brassicas but put in successionally
Cucumbers plant non bitter variety two were great and one was really bad.
Net the Josta berries ( now at netable height )
Direct sow beetroot ( worked well and easier than modules) Don't direct sow peas ( mice get em)
Carrots dury out so far have been better at home in potatoe grow bags.
Make sure label so don't get brussels, cabbage and caulis mixed up !!!!!
Beetroot great but how do I get it bigger?
Planting on compst heap did well and maximised space.
Kohlrabi great as catch crop between other slower brassicas.
 :) :) :) :) :)