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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: pippy on August 29, 2008, 15:58:06

Title: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: pippy on August 29, 2008, 15:58:06
As Twinkletoes suggests:-   Mine are butternut squashes (all leaves this year), parsnips (nothing came up!) and cauliflowers (neighbour gave me one and it was delish!).

Wots yours?!

Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: twinkletoes on August 29, 2008, 16:04:44
Ok pippy - I'll follow - cauliflowers (always a challenge every year) and cabbages. Don't know what happened to them this year  ???
twinkletoes
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Rhubarb Thrasher on August 29, 2008, 16:08:29
fennel (as always)
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Flighty on August 29, 2008, 16:18:40
Carrots and tomatoes neither of which I grew this year.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Jeannine on August 29, 2008, 16:24:13
Swedes.. blooming things aggrh.

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: froglets on August 29, 2008, 16:26:10
Not so much a specific veg, but to use things before they bolt unexpectedly - must polish ye olde crystal ball.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: tricia on August 29, 2008, 16:33:36
Only blight resistant tomatoes! I'm fed up with losing all my hard work to this dreaded scourge.

I have several self-seeded squash/marrow/pumpkin?? plants which have fruited better than all the carefully nurtured squash and pumpkin plants put together. When I have covered my squash bed with manure in November I am going to sow some squash seeds quite deep just to see if they germinate when the soil warms up next Spring. Nothing lost if they don't, but worth a try.

Tricia
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: thifasmom on August 29, 2008, 16:40:19
okra
melons
aubergines (pathetic size fruit 3 yrs running)
coriander (allways runs to seed before it puts on any real growth)
sweet potatoes
sweetcorn (the bane of my existence 3 yrs running arrgh >:()
fennel (success last year, but all bolted so far this year :'()

I have several Silvester squash/marrow/pumpkin?? plants which have fruited better than all the carefully nurtured squash and pumpkin plants put together. When I have covered my squash bed with manure in November I am going to sow some squash seeds quite deep just to see if they germinate when the soil warms up next Spring. Nothing lost if they don't, but worth a try.

Tricia

yes my selfseeded ones also did better, i plan to only use these next yr and not buy butternut seeds, i always throw them in my compost bin, so where ever they come up in the squash bed next year they will be left to do their own thing :).
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: pippy on August 29, 2008, 18:10:31
Oooh - my mouth is watering!  Hope you all succeed - will be watching for the tips! ;D ;D
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: davyw1 on August 29, 2008, 18:19:34
To plant the farmer who delivered my last load of weedkiller manure.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: pippy on August 29, 2008, 18:30:35
Oh gosh no! .... did you spread it or leave it to rot down?  Is all your plot affected?

I think everyone's going to be wary of manure this year.  I'm hoping to get some reasonable compost from my darleks and supplement with chicken poo.  Or there's always green manure, which I haven't tried?

Wonder what the farmer will grow into?! ;D ;D Mr potato head maybe?
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: grawrc on August 29, 2008, 18:33:39
tomatoes (sow earlier), swedes(bolted), parsnips (forgot to sow any)

peas - I always get a measly return and then they curl up and die.

lettuce - sow fewer more regularly

but I'm artichoke and asparagus queen this year ;) ;)

Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: manicscousers on August 30, 2008, 20:26:02
just got some Franchi seed from Eden, chicory and onion, rossa lunga di firenze, trying them  ;D
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: loopyloulou on August 30, 2008, 20:58:20
ummm can i say pretty well everything? not had any beginers luck to speak of  :'( tomatoes are blighty and starting to rot so will be picked green sorted and pickled by mum, lucky mum (i just want 1 red tom to try is that so much 2 ask???) pots we were given were great but not the poundland ones, suspect i needed to manure and trench like the others we were given, peas got eaten by slugs and birds as have cabbages mangetout french beans pumpkins (just the fruit) yellow courgettes (same) green courgettes (aka marrows with slug munchings on them) corn is yet to ripen all 8 of them (planted lots more tho!) beetroot (so mini its not worth the effort) carrots (same) onions rotting in the damp or refusing to grow leeks now bolting (bugger! i was so proud of them too!) mizuana (birds and then flowered) italian leaves (slugs)  fruit bushes so tiny theyre still sort of going, ooh, soil, ooh umm now what? lol! strawberries flowered and ran but no berries (?) lettuce bolted all of a sudden so bunnies got it, kids sweetpeas looked nice tho, but bulbe we planted, tubers, etc? nothing, marigolds? have got all of about 3 from sowing a lot of seeds, and i mean a lot, 1/3 of the way round the edge of half the plot! (oops u said veg!)

umm yeah help! EVERYTHING!!!! wheres my beginers luck?? lou x
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: goldendaisy123 on August 30, 2008, 20:59:42
I'd like to give Sweet Potatoes a try and more peas - cant get enough of them!
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: betula on August 30, 2008, 22:13:24
I want to make a big effort to grow flowers for cutting.I love fresh flowers and they are very expensive. :)

I also want to devote one bed to a spring bed,lots of spring bulbs all together to give a splash of colour in those dull early months of the year.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Bean_Queen on August 31, 2008, 19:07:32
Radish.

I just can't grow decent radish.  The slugs, or drought, or caterpillars always do for them.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: littlebabybird on August 31, 2008, 19:12:47
squash type things, the ones that survived the manure were brill but i want lots of types

tomatoes, need to get them to fruit, not just leaves and flowers

beans, need to grow lot the kids  love them

lbb
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: texas01 on August 31, 2008, 19:22:22
Anything! I'm new to this, only had my lottie for 2 months so still clearing and digging. Got rabbit fence up this week so can actually plant something now   :) Did have some sprouts in but the pesky pigeons got them through the netting  :( just got leeks on now. Really looking forward to my first potatoes and some winter greens.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: asbean on August 31, 2008, 19:29:29
but I'm artichoke and asparagus queen this year ;) ;)

Me too !!!  Or I will be next year.  I have 14 globe artichoke plants doing very well indeed thank you, 20 well-established asparagus and another 20 junior asparagus-in-waiting.   :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: saddad on August 31, 2008, 20:27:38
Well I don't bother with Cauli except Purple Cape.. I'm on target for decent Sprouts for once. The Sweet Potatoes are looking good. Swede are alive but that's all I can say about them!!
Have ordered some Yard Long Beans... in case I get to look after the big greenhouse again!
 ;D
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Froglegs on September 01, 2008, 11:18:56
Next year i will succeed with melons,will get the buggers to set fruit somehow. :(
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: GrannieAnnie on September 01, 2008, 11:35:25
Next year IF- and that's a big IF- I try any brassicas  again it will only be if I can build some cages and screen out the disgusting bugs. 

Am leaning increasingly to only growing things which attract
NO Major Pests.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: twinkletoes on September 01, 2008, 11:42:52
GA - you can make a "cage" with some canes and environmesh - works a treat.
twinkletoes
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: nastybritishgardener on September 02, 2008, 05:23:32
GrannieAnnie
Quote
Am leaning increasingly to only growing things which attract NO Major Pests.
I suggest you try a cement pad or fake plants.
 if you want to totally avoid bugs.
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: cleo on September 02, 2008, 13:48:25
Yard long beans-again!!. they did start of OK in the greenhouse but came to nothing. I have seen them growing elsewhere so I know it can be done
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Barnowl on September 02, 2008, 14:03:07
Sprouts (again)... ???
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: thifasmom on September 02, 2008, 14:03:59
Yard long beans-again!!. they did start of OK in the greenhouse but came to nothing. I have seen them growing elsewhere so I know it can be done

oh yes i forgot about these, mine were doing nicely but then i put them out about a week or so before June and the resulting 2-3 weeks of cold nights soon put them to the compost bin. would really like to grow these as one plant in the lovely warm climate of the West Indies will grow to give a good long steady crop (not that we would normally only grow one plant, but the odd selfseeded one pops up here and there) we call them Bodi in my old neck of the woods and they taste very nice curried.  
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: 1066 on September 02, 2008, 17:21:30
To try Autumn sown broad beans (in an attempt to beat black fly etc  >:() and garlic (loads more than this year, different varieties and to remember to store them properly  :-[), more varieties of pumpkins (so delicious!) and loads more flowers for picking and to attract the buzzies
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: Barnowl on September 02, 2008, 17:31:07
Yard long beans-again!!. they did start of OK in the greenhouse but came to nothing. I have seen them growing elsewhere so I know it can be done

oh yes i forgot about these, .....  

I tried the Italian ones from T&M (Fagioli Rampicanti Dolcio del Metro) - not frosted but didn't get more than 6 inches off the ground. Which is about the height of the seedlings when I planted them out!
Title: Re: Challenge veg for 2009
Post by: thifasmom on September 03, 2008, 09:45:50
Yard long beans-again!!. they did start of OK in the greenhouse but came to nothing. I have seen them growing elsewhere so I know it can be done

oh yes i forgot about these, .....  

I tried the Italian ones from T&M (Fagioli Rampicanti Dolcio del Metro) - not frosted but didn't get more than 6 inches off the ground. Which is about the height of the seedlings when I planted them out!


yes mine also didn't get frosted but also stayed at that 6'' height which was also the height they were planted out at. ho hum :-\
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