Topic: WORST YEAR EVER IN ALLOTMENT

[cornykev]

Peas are nearly ready
Spuds are a plenty
Best Winter onions ever
Summer ones are coming along
Strawberrys are slow but steady
Finally got some carrots to germinate
Sweetcorn slow but a few of the plants are taking off
Parsnips are really healthy
So its not all bad
Just can't wait for Wimbledon to end so the Sun can come out.   8)

[manicscousers]

Thanks, Kev, I forgot the enormous long red florence onions  ;D

[Topsoil]

Don't have an allotment, but huge patio with loads of pots and large tubs. My first year growing things and admittedly I had these wonderful visions of me sitting in a comfy chair, watching the vegies bursting with vigour and teasing tastiness while the summer sun cast dancing shadows and bees happily bounded around spreading sexy delight to all my flowers!

So yes...the weather has been a real downer. And, with the jet stream well and truly stuck over the UK, it is probably going to be one of those summers...hark back to 2008 and 2009 both of which were the same I believe.

However...my rocket, lettuces, radishes, spinach and.....wait for it......cress is doing great!! Also the herbs are doing very well. So its not all doom and gloom. Sure the runner beans, peas and courgettes are most put off by the weather, but I have learnt a lot this year and already thinking about next year, where if the jet stream doesn't move north of the UK just before June, I might well hire a balloon and go up and kick it up there myself...

Onwards and upwards!!

[Ru1]

Yes I totally agree that this year has been a complete disaster.

Lost most of the early potatoes due to blight.  Rust on the garlic, and the onions are going that way, and the peas and beans have been a disaster  ::)

The only positives have been raspberries, red currants, gooseberries, plums and damsons.

I think most of the newbie allotment holders on our site have already given up, which is a shame.  Lets hope the sun shines soon and brings them back.

Lets hope we have better weather next year

[jonny211]

It's rubbish here as well, I'll be giving up half my plot later this year due to a new job but with no waiting list on our site and overgrown plots next to me I'm only staying for the chickens really. If they get stolen again I'll be off.

Jon

[BarriedaleNick]

For me a mixed bag...

Ye - lots of disaters. Blight on a couple of Toms, massive slug damage to spuds and cabbages, white rot and rust of garlic, onions have given up etc ...
But last night I picked sugar snaps, beetroot, chives, little gem, basil, cucumber for a great meal...

There is always good in every season.

[Deb P]

Mixed for me too...some things I have never had a problem with have been awful (shallots, brassicas, dwarf french beans and unbelievably courgettes and sunflowers), garlic was only middling after three fab years, but I've had the best strawberries ever (though they are starting to go mouldy fast now), sweetcorn is doing well, potatoes are OK after a slow start, spring onions and banana shallots are fine, climbing french beans are getting there.....

I dunno, my plot looks really messy because of the weeds on the woodchipped paths, despite hoeing its just been too wet for it to work as a weed suppressing technique so it makes both plots look messy. I tried hand weeding the carrot bed yesterday in the rain and just gave up!  ::)

The new bit of plot I covered in cardboard and mushroom compost is so wet a small river was running down the middle of it, and the squash I planted are doing backstroke rather than growing like they usually do, what is left of them after the slimies have been at them.........I just wish it didn't rain so much.....I'm not asking for sunshine, just no rain for a bit would do.. ::)

[RenishawPhil]

Well lost 4 pumpkin plants as they got gummy stem rot

Its the effort you put in the despair that you cant do anything about it

[Bing]

Peas are nearly ready
Spuds are a plenty
Best Winter onions ever
Summer ones are coming along
Strawberrys are slow but steady
Finally got some carrots to germinate
Sweetcorn slow but a few of the plants are taking off
Parsnips are really healthy
So its not all bad
Just can't wait for Wimbledon to end so the Sun can come out.   8)

over winter broad bean had a excellant crop...now cleared and cabbages in
over winter pea produced more than I can use..now cleared and climbing bean in
runners are 8 feet tall and beans are forming
french bean are 6 feet tall with top nipped off with lots flowers
cabbage's head is rounding up with a few are ready for use
dwarf kale grow nicely with NO white fly
parsnip growing like tiny forest
strawberry had a very good harvest for nearly a month now
black currants also full of fruits
rasberry is getting red and produced too many shots
planted too many khol rabi and some now had gone woody
lettuce-iceburg oe little gem all doing very good indeed
cougettes has produced 5 or 6
lots of squash are crawling on the field
potatos are a bit slow but forming nicely apart from one blackleg
...

tomatos...nothing shown yet, with only 3 small tomatos forming
bought thornless blackberry is still producing thorns in its second year
cucumbers are tiny and lazy at climbing up
new experience on red russian kale has now flowered and they too chewy any way

generally, french bean has some difficulties germinating this year and wet has caused prob for peach leaf and 1st year gooseberry...and potatos

and generally, everything is a bit slow than last year

[queenbee]

Bing where do you live, you have been very lucky with all your crops. I bet you don't live in the north of England, we have had such bad weather everything in my plot is struggling, I was unable to plant early so every thing is late. My raspberries are rotting and I can't pick them fast enough. 

[RenishawPhil]

Bing where do you live, you have been very lucky with all your crops. I bet you don't live in the north of England, we have had such bad weather everything in my plot is struggling, I was unable to plant early so every thing is late. My raspberries are rotting and I can't pick them fast enough. 

Do you mean the plant or the fruit?

[claybasket]

Our Lotty is looking good, onions are very big, cabbages ,cawli,and spuds looking great,and to top it we got a second prize in the Lotty competition,yee-haa ;D

[rokerman1973]

Well things have been bad this year but have been up the lotty today and managed to harvest all the white/red over wintering onions. Some had bolted, most a good size, some rotten stems with slugs and snails hanging of them. Shallots much the same state, all brought home for her indoors to sort out. Peas, lettuce all had by the slugs/pigeons. Managed to harvest some new pots, last of the asparagus and some courgettes. BUT managed to harvest a wheelie bin of weeds and 55 slugs/snails. They were dispatched by drowning in a bucket then released, snails crushed and the slugs cut in half with the spade for the birds.

[Suzanne]

The sun shined today and I just harvested 4lb of strawberries before it got dark - jam tomorrow.........literally!

 ;D

[RenishawPhil]

The sun shined today and I just harvested 4lb of strawberries before it got dark - jam tomorrow.........literally!

 ;D

Yes has been lovely in the sun!!!

picked a load of raspberries :)

[harrys dad]

Hi I am a new member..Been to my allotment today . First time for two weeks as we have been on holiday. Am so disappointed. Weed rampant and my onions seem to be roting in the ground.  :'(

[Bing]

Bing where do you live, you have been very lucky with all your crops. I bet you don't live in the north of England, we have had such bad weather everything in my plot is struggling, I was unable to plant early so every thing is late. My raspberries are rotting and I can't pick them fast enough. 

I am in south next to Thames River in Essex. maybe we had a lot of wtaer but still much less than your area. and windy + low temperatures.

[the_snail]

Hi I am a new member..Been to my allotment today . First time for two weeks as we have been on holiday. Am so disappointed. Weed rampant and my onions seem to be roting in the ground.  :'(

Welcome to the forum :) Sorry you are having a bad time :'(

Dont loose heart in your allotment. There are a lot of plot holders that are like yourself. All I can say is there is plenty of time to grow other things like lettuce, beetroot, radish etc also look forward to planting winter onion sets in september/october also garlic.

I have had my plot now for 17 years and I have never seen it completely flooded but it was last week and I am expecting the same after all the rain today  :'( More weeds than crops, soil is just plain mud. This has to be the worst year EVER!!

[powerspade]

The last 5 years have been bad but this year it is the worse, My spuds are drowned and are now rotting  Parsnips after 3 sowings just didn't appear  even those I sowed in T rolls died a death. Salsify not appeared. Swedes Beetroot carrot  all failed Just a complete wast of effort tome and money French dwarf beans have grown about 2 inches and stopped and are now going yellow (Too much water) peas standing still. The only things I have are Broad Beans (A real glut this year) Black currants. and up to now I have harvested 27 lbs of Gooseberries. The rest of the stuff I am thinkin of digging in. I am so fed up I am begining to think of packing it it on the allotment. Having said that the veg in my home garden is "wow" masses of stuff  Runner beans in full flower Cabbages hearting up and the couple of new spuds that I planted are looking and tasting great. So this year my harvest will be far better from my garden than my allotment.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't despair; the fact that everyone's saying this is the worst year ever implies that you mustn't use it as a guide to normal experience! It can't get worse, so it can only get better.