Topic: How does your allotment grow?

[willsy]

Hi guys and gals, just wondering how everything is growing on your plots/gardens. Im in Lancashire and everything is wet wet wet. Nothing moving/growing I think the plants think its Autumn. My peas are going yellow, corn last year this time was amazing, not this year.Im feeling depressed with it all and seriously thinking of leaving it this year and going to find a bit of sun somewhere else. How do you feel?

[betula]

You do have years when nothing grows how it should in your imagination :'(

This can be quite depressing but my first thought was have you used any manure from an unknown source?I always think the worse first.

Growing veg is always challenging and while going off to the sun is a great welcome break.........never give up LOL :'(

[willsy]

Betula, love the cats. No Ive not used any manure from an unknown source. My soil after 10years is in prim condition,I think its our weather up here. We are in a valley and we get all the rain (I think for all of the country) travel 10mins out of town and it nice and sunny.Just having a moan, wont give my lottie up as I would go stir crazy stuck in the house, it is my little piece of heaven ( although sometimes it back breaking work) I really enjoy just sitting there with a cup of tea in hand and looking at all my hard work. so disappointing this year to see things dying back so quickly.Never mind always next year.

[Bing]

first year I am had half plot. started planting out end of March beginning of April, which is against the rule, but this April was extrordinary;y warm and my gamble/stupidility had rewarded me big time, all my plants had out grown other plots'

beginner's luck? maybe more

[betula]

Willsy....You have hit the nail on the head,it is a place to think,listen to birdsong etc.

It is the best feeling to take home great produce but sometimes nature works so hard against us we can't win but great trying LOL

[macmac]

aphids in the summer cabbage, beetroot won't germinate ,radish woody ,onions and garlic rotting BUT so many strawbs,raspberries,blackcurrrants,lettuces and the beans are coming in nature has a way of compensating .
Swings and roundabouts  :)
I hope something grows well for you willsy  :)

[willsy]

Thanks macmac.  Anyone else found that their broad beans have not produced any fruits/beans? plenty of flowers on but no beans appearing at present anyway. when i touch them the flowers just drop of stem.

[Tee Gee]

Snap!

I live just over the hill from you and I am having similar problems to you!

I would go a stage further and say in all my thirty odd years of gardening I have never come across such conditions!

I have given the matter a lot of thought and personally I don't think the hot spell in April helped:(

During that time I had difficulty keeping my seedlings cool rather than warm as is normal in April and now that I have them planted out I would like to keep them warm during the cold nights we have had and can't

I can't be certain that this is the reason for our problems but it is feasible.

Like you I have considered hanging up my wellies and spade as I am finding that my visits to the allotment are now chore rather than a pleasure.

I have now had three problematic  years on the bounce what with aminopolyprid,poor compost and now the weather change I am seriously thinking of calling it a day!

Trouble is;  come next spring I will find old habits die hard and will probably try again!

Time will tell.

So to answer your question; I also feel like you and have lost a bit of interest in this growing season!

[lottie lou]

Thank goodness, I thought it was only me that had suddenly lost interest.

[lewic]

This year has not been good for veg - my beans are about 2" high and keep getting eaten despite slug pellets, carrots havent come up at all, chard one plant grew out of loads sown, cucumbers no bigger than when I put them in the ground early May, squash looking rather limp, and no sign of any of the lambs lettuce I planted ages ago. Only the peas, courgettes and celeriac have survived, and I did get a few gooseberries and blackcurrants.

However I have lots of beautiful clematis and the new lawn I sowed is coming along nicely!

[shirlton]

I agree that the early summer weather we had has affected alot of our produce. After being so hot they were thrown back into winter. Its like putting stuff out that you havent hardened off.
Never mind TeeGee you know you will be there again next year with yer boots blacked and ready to go again ;D

[Alex133]

Still trying to get carrots to germinate - out of four sowings have about 7 plants - but not giving in yet - will try again! Runners and French beans not so good as usual - leaves pale. Same with squash and marrow. Still, potatoes and oniions are good. This has been a strange weather year so perhaps worth experimenting with stuff normally too late to grow.

[Digeroo]

I have had problems with carrots and parsnips but on the next plot six inches away there are the biggest bonniest parsnips I have ever seen.   On my third sowing the packet split and so at one patch there were hundreds and I swear they all germinated. 

But having said that the few carrots that did germinate of the first batch are now quite big.

Temps down in the single figure again last night, not just a quick dip but hours on end  Hopefully things will pick up after a warm weekend.  I am normally gardening at 6am at this time of year but it is simply too cold.  Even during the day it was a rather cold windy 16. 

Looks like it may be a good year for apples here.

Don't despair folks.  Coping with the adverse it what makes gardening interesting.

[BAK]

it is a challenging year for sure but it is not all doom and gloom.

Our autumn-planted garlic has been harvested about a month earlier than normal. Some soft fruit, most noticeably currants around our site, are 2-3 weeks early.

March sown root crops are similarly ahead of the game while potatoes seem on schedule.

On the downside, much of the half-hardy stuff, eg beans, courgettes and squashes, are struggling so far with the unsettled conditions, but particularly with the cool nights.

[saddad]

The weeds are coming on really well... now we have had some rain...  :-X

[lavenderlux]

Broad beans sown last October all died in the winter weather so replanted in February, not a very good crop.  However March sown peas are probably the best I've ever had.  Parnsip didn't germinate until a couple of weeks ago. Poor germination also on carrots and beetroot.  Runner and climbing beans not doing so well but dwarf bean 'Red Swan' is already cropping - it was sown in pots 2 May and planted out four weeks ago. Shallots doing well. Flowers such as calendula and cornflower are brilliant.  Good crops of gooseberries and strawberries

[antipodes]

There are always some things that don't do well, and others that do. I have very good fruit this year but the peas were not a great success (they got disease). Onions and spuds good but the cabbages are finding it too hot! Pumpkins good, but I was a bit late with the courgettes and they are slow.  I fleeced many things to keep them COOL in april!!! Seems to have worked.
Still, there is still time to sow, and plant and many things will catch up if the weather is warmer.

[Duke Ellington]

Its been a strange year for me too. My seedlings grew "too fast" in the greenhouse at the beginning of the season. Now they are on the plot them seemed to have slowed down. My squashes and cucumbers seem to be sleeping and my climbling beans and sweetcorn look sad. My heat treated onions are terrible.
but
my cabbages are looking good
strawberries have been great
lettuces brilliant
spring onions very good
climbing peas look very healthy but I did have them covered up with fleece for a good few weeks
spinach was excellent
tomatoes and peppers doing well in the greenhouse.

Maybe its true that our climate is changing :-\
Duke

[Carls3168]

In the Pennines...

Potatos have grown patchy with huge gaps!
Onions are rotting
Garlic has rust
Brassicas attacked by slugs
Corgettes dissappeared
Rhubarb battered by drout and flattened by rain/wind
Tomatos in greenhouse on 'pause'
Runner beans either dead or dying
Peas have stopped growing
Pumpkins looking decidedly sad

Its the allotment compertition next week, dont think I'll even bother entering this year!!!  :-[

[lincsyokel2]

Lincolnshire:

Carrots - major battle to get them to germinate, seeded the same bed four times in the end :(
Beetroot, turnips and tomatoes going ok
Calabrese - fab
onions - nice size but now flattened by wind. 25% of the overwintering ones wiped out
Strawberries - great crop
Cabbages - coming on nicely
Beans - slow.
Weeds - best crop ever  >:(