Topic: Things slowing down?

[Pescador]

Harvesting today, as I normally do on my days off work, Sunday & Thurs, and things have seriously slowed down.
I normally harvest 8-10Kg courgettes twice a week.  Today 3.5kg
Padron peppers normally 40, today struggled to get 20.
Runner beans also down a lot.
Anyone else noticed this?

[JustUncle]

Yes I have definitely noticed a slow down, although to be fair, my harvest has been very poor this year except for my runners, they started well enough but have been hit with a black bug....being discussed on another thread.

I thought my toms would pick up but they too have now slowed right down....nights are getting longer, days shorter..........it'll soon be Christmas 

[GREGME]

ive noticed too combination of hurrican bertha wind damage and lower temps and courgette plants getting old but i dont mind as the gluts is more manageable now

[tricia]

Moonlight beans have finished early this year but there seems to be a second flush on the Cobra. Tomatoes are slow to ripen but the squashes are still sending out male flowers even though the Crown Prince and Tromboncino fruits are well on the way to being ripe enough to harvest. Thankfully, the courgettes have slowed down considerably and the last of my Lark corn cobs are now in the freezer to be enjoyed over the next few months. Ten plants yielded 23 cobs, so a decent haul.

Tricia

[caroline7758]

It's really cold here, and nothing much is growing. First bad year for courgettes in 9 years!

[claybasket]

my beetroot did well,but the other stuff runner's and French beans didn't give much, and the soft fruits were naff! don't know if was a bit early planting my winter cabbage on Sat gone ,I wanted them to get a bit of growth on anyone else done there's yet?

[JustUncle]

Moonlight beans have finished early this year

Mine are Moonlight as well. I thought they had come to a halt because of the bugs, but perhaps not.

[galina]

Temperature I think is to blame - many plants just love it when it gets a tad too hot and sticky for us.  But with this arctic blast and much colder night time temperatures, it is not surprising that everything is slowing down.

This is certainly the case for warm weather crops like tomatoes and squashes.

Beans often come in flushes - the first flush is over and the second may not have started yet.  Some years I never get a second flush at all here.

The trick is not to stop sowing at the moment.  All the salad and cool weather crops that can be sown now are not so dependent on warm weather.  This way we still have plenty to harvest at the end of the season. 

[TheEssexYorkshireman]

I reduced my courgette plants to 2 this year after having an enormous glut last year with 4/5 plants. I've only had 6 fruits!! I also changed my usual butternut squash to a new DTB one called Walnut. It's supposed to be UK climate friendly but from the 2 plants I currently have 2 unripe squashes - not 'appy! However, I have a great crop of spuds, beetroots, apples and spagetti squashes so not all bad.

[strawberry1]

yes a definite slowing down, squash leaves are rapidly fading and the squash are fully exposed to the sun. I am very glad that I got them in when I did as I have a fantastic crop red kuri, munchkin and 4 butternuts on one plant but my problem now is when to harvest as some stalks are going that tan colour already. Courgettes have been hopeless this year, a total of 9 from 2 plants. Dwarf beans are still producing but they are maturing before I can blink, so I have decided to go with the flow on all my beans and let them mature for the dried beans

Autumn raspberries are in full flow and look as they want to get it over with sooner rather than later. Apples are starting to mature already, getting very large and some have dropped in the wind

I don`t know what else to sow now, the little gems have just been planted out and kales, cabbages and caulies looking good. Freezer is full of cobra and white lady green beans and I am glad I set to blanching early in the season. They got off to a flying start as the soil was rich and I had erected wind net. Potatoes are in storage and cherry tomatoes accumulating in the freezer, The larger tomatoes are maturing but I am getting a slow crop tbh and will not have any spare for passata this year

Maybe the season is turning now, I have that hibernating feeling as do other people, getting the house ready for winter, getting energy alternatives sorted in case energy is in short supply and we have a hard winter

[Borlotti]

Courgettes growing every day and giving them away.  Runner beans not good normally do well with them, but maybe didn't get the rain at the right time.  Raspberries OK, blackberries were fine one day, next day all finished.  Plenty of apples, pears, plums although a lot eaten by pests.  Toms taking a long while to go red.  Peas did well, spinach OK.  Loads of stuff to burn so will have to wait until we are allowed on our site, probably end of Sept/Oct when it will be too wet.  Oh well if things don't grow I am certainly growing/making new friends at the allotment, and if I can't grow it someone will normally do a swap, so I am a happy bunny.  First year my plum tree has got plums on it, as I threatened to cut it down last year.

[strawberry1]

It was 6 degrees last night and that was in somerset at my house so it must have been lower elsewhere. The plants really will change their growing schedule now.

[galina]

It was 6 degrees last night and that was in somerset at my house so it must have been lower elsewhere. The plants really will change their growing schedule now.

Same here, 5 C - and with shortening days plants will adapt.  Usually winter squashes desperately put out more female flowers for a last hurrah!, but beans, tomatoes and peppers will slow down and courgette ripening (even just ripening into little courgettes for cutting) will take a lot longer.

[Digeroo]

It has been cold here at night.  Courgettes do not like the cold wind.   But managed to crop two this morning.   Clarita they are normally the first to crop in the spring so do not seem to be so bothered by the cold.  Unfortunately no longer available in UK.

Beans are slow as well except my Hungarian wax which are brilliant.  They are a bush variety and produce a clump about a meter in height.

Autumn raspberries doing very well.

7C here last night.  Forecast even lower tonight, might cover my courgettes.  Except they are very big plants now.  Forecast warmer next week so hopefully they will get going again.