Topic: 2012 crops - Has anyone had any particularly good yields/results??

[Robert_Brenchley]

It could be, though I've always got rats about, and I've never seen anything like it. The tooth marks on some broad bean pods which were opened looked too big for rats as well. It's a puzzle.

[Kleftiwallah]

I shoehorned my sweeetcorn in 6" apart  :o and they grew well, cropped well and taste superb.

Cheers,    Tony.

[Duke Ellington]

Rats will eat veg with a high sugar content. Especially in winter. Carrots, parsnips and sweetcorn are a favourite food of the rat, :-X

[realfood]

I would suggest that the culprit could be voles, ie short tailed mice. They do that sort of damage on our allotments.

[green lily]

After losing most of my garlic to rust I've been chuffed to grow good onions- both overwintering sets[Troy] and jeune paille from seed. The JPs  split a bit as I waited too long to lift because of the weather but they've dried well out of the ground and I hope to string them Monday. BTW onions grown on raised beds despite this being the 'dry ' side of the country.
Tomatoes are ripening and the marrow crop has been pretty impressive from one plant....Chillies and peppers seem to have coped but most are still green.
Nets over nearly everything have helped.

[banksy]

I would suggest that the culprit could be voles, ie short tailed mice. They do that sort of damage on our allotments.

That could be the case.  I had a field vole destroy my newly planted cherry tree back in Spring, and it was easily identifiable by the amount/size of droppings everywhere(I read somewhere that they continually poop!)  Not sure if I have seen this in evidence so far around the other crops being eaten - and unfortunately they are protected by law, so I am not sure how to deter the blighter!  >:(

[Obelixx]

Blueberry flowers frosted, strawberries mostly rotted, hopeless tomatoes but good crops from raspberries, blackberries and black currants plus my first ever cucs and masses of rhubarb.

Salads have done well plus fennel and the cavolo nero is getting going for good crops.  Swiss chard ready to crop but the spinach bolted quite early and the coriander did while we were on hols.  PSB is already fowering but sparsely.

Peas iffy.  I have to wonder if they're worth all that space for a small crop that takes ages to pod but does at least provide composting material.  Pumpkins looking smaller than usual but ripening OK.  The Chiense greens are just showing through and look to have high germination.

I don't grow spuds and have my first successful carrot sowing in 4 years - in pots.  It'll be a while till they crop.

[steve1967]

Although it seemed doomed early in the season I have had a good year considering. Runner beans were the best followed by broad , french. Carrots have done well also most brassicas. My iron man callabrese planted early on was very poor, went to seed. I am watching my swede which hasnt gone as well as last year. Lost my toms to blight then the potatoes followed but they were nearly ready to dig so I have taken up the ones that look ok, hopefully I will have some that will store.

So all in all with the very wet and cool temps we had for the early to mid part of the season I am happy, especially after reading some of the stories on here.

[cestrian]

Spuds did well! I'm struggling to eat all of the courgettes, but I'm trying my best.  :) Florence fennel have been great and I'm glad cos I love it. Tomatoes were mixed - some varieties have come good in the end (alicante, gardeners delight, conchita) but I've not had one ripe one off the heritage range. Salad did well, raspberries not bad, carrots ok, runners and broad beans ok..   and the bad news - spinnach, broccoli, caulis, chard all decimated by caterpillars. Not one aubergine!! Grrr!!

All in all though, I'm happy with my first harvest from our new house. We moved in just before Christmas and it was a blank canvas. Ive built a shed, a greenhouse, laid decking and a patio, made 8 raised beds and built a brewery in the garage. It's been a busy year, but I've enjoyed having a potter in the quieter moments too.

[elhuerto]

We've had a great year for melons, water melons, peppers and tomatoes. No runner beans at all, they're selling for €7 / kilo in the shops so it seems it's not just us. Potatoes too a complete disaster, planted more than I dug up I think. Sweetcorn looked good but was inedible really - incredibly chewy.

Biggest problem is we haven't any rain at all, probably not since May - mulched and watered like never before but it's not sustainable and am considering cutting right back next year to just working half the plot or less.