Topic: Feeling a little downcast :(

[cambourne7]

Hi All,

Between the cats and the weather i have had very poor germination/survival rate even the little pumpkin tree i managed to germinate got it in the end with a silly black and white cat :(

My germination rate has only been about 20% and i am wondering if some of my seed is just not viable any more and next year i need to be more cat unfriendly !

Has anyone else had a bad year?

I am disappointed as amongst the failures where the last of the pumpkin/squash seeds from supersprout which i was hoping to save some seed from.

I am also now wondering out of the many packets of seeds i have lovingly collected if some are past there best :(

Has anyone i have sent seed to this year had problems?

Is it me?

Cam

[grawrc]

Me too Louise! Mainly because I was too busy to deal with my plot for most of May and June and half of July. Plus the weather has been awful - turns to rain if you blink - and I just can't face it all at the moment. Seed germination was OK mind you but then no time for pricking out and potting on.

Ah well there's always next year, although, at the moment, I don't even know if I can be bothered!!

[Jeannine]

Louise, which seeds did Supersprout send you, I have a few she sent me .Might just be the ones you wanted.

XX Jeannine

[lottie lou]

Don't worry, I think a lot of us have had a pretty weird year - I know I have - seeds not sprouting or just dying off.  Thre's always next year though - that's the best thing about gardening.  Didn't help with hot days and freezing cold nights and no flaming rain.  Its like digging the Gobi desert on my plot and in the garden. 

[brownowl23]

me too.

was going great guns until I had both parenta criticcally ill and through thier local hospitals rescussitation  unit, thier local being 40 miles from me in another county and across the Thames.
This was swiftly followed by 3 weeks quarantine when the boys had chicken pox.

Up to that point I had great expectations of this year but it really has all gone to pot.

Ive had soem things grow good despite hte hitches and im having a great harvest of beans courgettes tomatoes etc at the minute.

I guess I can only do the best for this year and look to the new year as a new start and better things to come next year, and hope the weather is kind to us.

[willsy]

I think everybody has had a bad year this time.Funny weather lots of rain, cool at night the list goes on. I am disappointed with a lot of stuff this year , tomatoes done nothing lots of flowers but little germination. BUT plenty of cucumbers, good crop of potatoes, beans still no signs of setting. Given up now only go to my plot to water indoors cannot get motivated again. Never mind next year.....

[grannyjanny]

Not to good here either. First lot of beans didn't germinate because of poor compost, 2nd lot not brilliant but had enough to plant out. Courgettes & squash plants eaten by something, they just vanished. As other have said, cold nights, plenty of rain & little sun where we are. Potatoes were/are good. So far it's been a strange year all round ::).

[shirlton]

All of mine died on the one plot but are ok on the other one that has sunshine all day. Trouble is that they are a mixture of varieties instead of what I ordered namely waltham butternut.

[artichoke]

Feeling a little downcast: me too. I have had very poor germination from a wave of sowing in July/August of spinach, oriental greens (none!), rabbits have nibbled my second sowing of beans away to nothing (first time on that site) and even radishes and spring onions have either not appeared or have disappeared since. Very discouraging.

My conclusion is that I should do what I normally do in early spring: chit the seeds in damp paper, transfer to a gutter to grow on, then transplant, water and protect. Harder work, but more productive than sowing in situ in the East Sussex desert. JUST time to do some more now.....

Yes, I have good climbing and broad beans, courgettes, potatoes, lettuces and quite a lot of other things (millions of raspberries!), but not the quantities and beauty and controlled, clean beds that I had hoped for this year. Thank goodness there is always next year.

Brown Owl, much sympathy over your parents' illnesses. My distractions have not been so serious but a combination of minor illnesses, sore back (my fault), being away from home, and having grandchildren flocking here to stay in their halfterms and school holidays has really limited my time at the plots.

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

I think everybody has had a bad year this time.Funny weather lots of rain, cool at night the list goes onTalking about funny...we haven't had rain..hardly at all for whole summer!! DRY,DRY,DRY
This must be the worst growing year I've had for 18 yrs.
Some losses are my own fault.. ::)..only some..but majority is due for the weather...compost..etc.
So Cam..if it makes you feel any better..one to join 'your club'.. ::)
But I do try not to think the lost causes..and look for the successes.. ;) What's gone is gone and I can't do anything about it..I'll enjoy my apples instead.. ;D ;D

[Paulines7]

I grow all my tomato plants outside and after a huge crop last year, all I have this year is little green fruits on my plants.  There just hasn't been enough sun and warmth.

Only half my runner and French beans survived but as I always plant too many I have enough to keep me going.  They are very late though and I picked my first ones earlier in the week.

Squash plants haven't grown, though my Cavali courgette has produced plenty of fruit.  The moth got in all my peas and broad beans were not as good as last year.

Potatoes have been really good though and the garlic has done really well.  Onions weren't too bad either.

It's been a funny old year weather wise but there is always that hope that next year will be better. 

Sorry to hear about your parents Brownowl and hope they are now well.

[cambourne7]

WoW, I feel a lot better knowing i was not the only one although barnowl i do hope you have a better year next year and your parents are better...

Jeannine the seeds i had were Futusu, Japanese Dumpling & Ahmeds Bosnian Pumpkin if you have any please let me pay you the postage at least :)

I have been offered the services of a architect to get the plans into the council to get my greenhouse planning permission so i am hoping for better things next year.

Husband suggested that i print off a calendar for next year and pop on what i need to do and when so might just do that and add some time to chitting the seeds 1st :)

Anything anyone might do differently next year?

[Jeannine]

Cam, I will have a look.. and yes I am planning a "do it now" calender for next year.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Cam, I have been doing a bit of scrooting.

 I have Futsu, starts green, goes to black then turns deep burnt orange in storage.
I have Sweet Dumpling which is Japanese , small white/green  striped chubby shape.

Re the Bosnian Pumpkin ..no..  but..

If my memory serves me correctly Trixiebelle distributed  squash seeds that she had from Sarah's stock  after Sarah died and among them was pumpkin seed from her next door neighbour Ahmed, now he wasn't from Bosnia he was from Pakistan I think but the connection may be there.

The only Bosnian squash I know personally is a summer squash.

I would check on a few of trixiebelles posts and perhaps Sarah's too, you mat get a clue to who else got seeds via Trixiebelle in Mrach of that year.I think it was 2007.

Let me know if you still want the seeds, I have grown the two types named above for years and truthfully I don't know if they were directly from Sarah or not..they could have been if I ran out, she may have sent them, i did have others from her so it is possible I had none at the time and she offered. The ones I have now |I have been growing for some time.

XX Jeannine

[1066]

sorry to hear about the lows of your gardening year.
re the calendar thingy, if you use Outlook you can keep a diary in there for your gardening stuff - reminders of when to sow and plant, and any notes you want to add about when you actually got round to planting. I've found it useful, although like others I may get round to sowing some things, but as and when they actually get potted on or planted is another matter!

If you need Futsu, I have some, and you would be welcome to share

[tai haku]

If it makes you feel any better to know you're not along - all my squash failed completely this year. the only thing growing in the squash bed this year is weeds and a lone achocha.  >:(

[Alimo]

Yep - frustrating year here too.....

Good job we're all optimists about next year  ;D

Alison x

[cambourne7]

Sorry for the delay in posting planning a surprise 40th for hubbie for sunday :)

Tai Haku & Alimo - hugs xx

Jeannine thanks for the offer if i can get back to you in the next week or two as i am going to have a bit of a sort though and see what i need :)

Will also go though the posts and see what was posted by trixiebell re sarahs seeds..

Got 30 people comming sunday so will check in around tuesday when i recover :)

[Kleftiwallah]

This might get under the wire, but then again.  .  .  . 

Life is like a pubic hair on a urinal rim,  someday you just get p**d off.   ;D  Cheers,   Tony.

[Sunflower lottie]

I have three butternut squashes which have no fruit on them.)  I have six courgettes in and am not even getting three fruit a day. Last year we were over run with them. The only thing I have done well with this year is lettuce, broad beans, carrots  and dwarf beans. But this year is the first year we have had tomatoes in our polytunnel without blight yipee.

Our sweet peas have been a disaster this year,  :(