Veggie Highs and Lows

[dingerbell]

I thought I'd never get over my "tomato disaster" but today I picked my first 2 cobs of Sweetcorn   ;D
I've never tasted anything soooo sweet and delicious.  Who needs Tomatoes when you've got golden ears of sunlight. :)

[dingerbell]

[Nathan]

lucky you, our sweetcorn is still small and definately unripe. we think in
a week or 2 it'll be ready. home grown stuff always seems to be nicer than supermarket food!

[wardy]

No toms or sweetcorn here in North Derbyshire yet and the runners and french beans have only just started producing.  Only courgettes and more courgettes here, oh and some good looking squashes.  Onions have been fab as has my Little Gem lettuces.  Dying to eat one of my own tomatoes.  Have been defoliating them again tonight  :)

[aquilegia]

I love that - golden ears of sunshine!

I cannot wait to eat mine! keep checking but the kernels aren't the right colour yet.

[bananagirl]

I'm pleased to say that after weeks of neglect (on holiday) my tomatos are going great guns. No sign of the dreaded blight yet, and my chillies are all starting to pop 'em out like it's a race. Now, if only the red ones would go red, and the yellow ones go yellow...


Everything else died, so I will have to try again next year.

[Lazybones]

I'm not sure about my sweetcorn yet  ???

The silks have gone brown and when I do the nail test they are definitely slightly creamy but the kernels are v. small and almost white rather than yellow.  Is this just the variety or should I leave them a bit longer?  Yum, can't wait!!!  :D

[cleo]

Aaaaaaggggghhhh-sweet corn,it`s been rather less than perfect on the Smiling Cat garden this year but the corn does look good-and I am away on hols soon :(-   oh well the laddies who are coming to feed and cuddle the cats say they will pick and freeze it-not quite the same though

[daisymay]

I am with you lazy bones. the tassles have gone brown but the leaves feel quite empty! the sweetcorn only comes about half way up. I tried to peel back the leaves to find some kernels but it seemed to be all leave! not expecting great things from them, never mind! win some, lose some!

[telboy]

Lows.
Gooseberry Mildew - first time ever.

Parsnips - only one, first time ever failure.

Highs.
Sarpo spuds - looking fantastic after last year - first time ever 'blight'.

Winter cabbage - eating now. Could be a disaster if they rot.

No caterpillar damage - last year disaster, this year vigilance.

Everything else - stonking, considering I have no allotment water (only watered the runners)

[BAGGY]

Lows:
Peas - what flippin' peas ?, onions - white rot and bolting, leeks, Greyhound cabbage - the slimey ones got there first.
Highs:
I GREW A CUCUMBER.  Sorry but I was dead chuffed.
Still await the elusive red tom.

[Shoyu]

Beans beans and more beans. Toms are starting to look good, although I have lost some to blossom end rot there are still tons of healthy ones.

My dissapointments this year have been Chinese raddish - bolted before anything ediblt happened and Squash. Came free with Grow Your Own mag. I was dead excited as I lurve squash. We've had tonnes of flowers but not a single fruit, the flowers just drop off. Any suggestions before the flowers finish??

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm at a low point every time I look at the plot at the moment, it's in such a mess. This chest infection I've had has reduced me to such a state that it's taken four days to clear one weedy onion bed and harvest the onions. Normally it would have been an easy job for a day. Apart from that, the pathetic germination rate of the parsnips, and the total non-germination of the peas, twice, have been the real lows this year. The outdoor tomatoes are looking good if they'll just ripen, and one of the beehives has done well.

[jennym]

Cheer up Robert! I am trying something new with parsnips. Mine all failed, so about a fortnight ago I sowed some in rows in a seed tray. They germinated. At about an inch and a half high, I drew a line along with the corner of a hoe, carefully transplanted the seedlings, carefully watered in and drew dry soil over to seal the water in.  Three days later, with no rain, I looked at them last night and they are still there. Gave them a light watering using can with fine rose, and fingers crossed, this could be OK. I always germinate some of my peas in a seed tray, just pile them into moist compost, and put them in when sprouted to about 1/2 inch, but not carefully, just as normal, and have good success.

[wardy]

My allotment is far from straight rows of veg or any kind of logical order and I have lots of things which don't go to plan but there's always something to be glad about (sound like Polyanna  ;D).  I was hunting for beans yesterday and stuck my head into the bean rig to look for some and the scent from the sweetpeas was fantastic.  Not many beans to take home but a bunch of lovely flowers  :)

My niece found a fab cucumber though which I'd overlooked.  It went lovely with the tuna we had for tea  :)

[BAGGY]

Tried the pre-germinating pea trick, twice, still no peas.

[redimp]

Highs -
Getting a big half plot.
Potatoes - every potato I have eaten since I started harvewsting hasbeen the best potato ever.
Runner beans now they have got going
Some cabbages that are looking very promising

Lows
Onions - poor size bulbs - weed infested bed
Garlic - ditto and possibly a touch of white rot (big fire to be had  ;D)
First lot of cabbages - complete disaster
Leeks - attempting to get more than 1/4 to germinate
Courgettes and squashes - still very sluggish

Highs far outweigh the lows  :)

[aquilegia]

Just noticed I've replied to this thread, but didn't say what my highs and lows are:

highs (so far - I'm not going to say what's looking good because it then won't be tomorrow!)
potatoes - especially the Charlottes - absolutely lovely and decent yields (enough off one plant for a generous meal for two).
beetroot - ok harvest so far. very tasty (but small) and the leaves are delicious!
garlic - decent crop of early variety

lows (where to start?)
sweet peppers - all plants got eaten by slugs when I moved then to the greenhouse (Have fingers crossed for the chilis)
courgettes and squashes (20 in all) - all got eaten by slugs (now have one squash and three patty pan that I have fingers crossed for - I've run out of fingers!)
parsnips and fennel - zero germination
peas and beans - had a few, then plants got munched by the slimies
carrots - a few germinated, then vanished (slugs again) ones in pots ok, but very small
tomatoes - seem to be catching up after a stalling, but will they ever ripen?
garlic - late variety produced tiny cloves that are a real pain to peel.

feeling rather sad and pathetic now. But there's always next year and I've learnt loads!

[shirl]

Highs

Cucumber for sure, i've had so many, I've given them to family and friends, made soap out of them!

Had my first red toms this week, with more going red as we speak, delicious!

Lows

Onions and garlic!

Both hardly bothered growing, even though they promised a good crop to start with by having good green top growth.

What did I learn?

Keep your eye on the cucumber otherwise it just becomes a maze of offshoots, mine is so untidy but its still going great guns so its not too much of a problem :-)

[daisymay]

I had not replied either!

Highs
- Discovering how much I LOVE gardening and how happy it makes me.
- Getting the lottie - nothing growing yet, but it makes us very happy
- Courgettes - went really well - have had loads
- Beans - runner + french - started off slow, but are now going gret guns
- Lettuce
- Beetroot
- Growing from seed - begenias, dahlias, petunias, etc..
- Watching bulbs I planted grow.
- Making plum jam - really enjoyed myself!
- looking forward to next year when our garden will be solely flower garden as we have the lottie.
- Winning a greenhouse in a competition

Lows
- Sweetcorn - not going well, see above. I peeled back some leaves last night and found it was also full of blackfly!

Can't think of that many! I am so new to this game and I enjoy it so much, even if things do not work out it does not really get me down too much. We succeed at more than we fail.

[TEL]

Hi Dingerbell
I take it that you wont be using your sweetcorn to go fishing with.