Nothing seems to be growing the way it should!

[Duke Ellington]

Can someone put my mind at rest or help perhaps! I have a new allotment quite a few of my veggies aren't performing well  :( I have  done what I should do but:-

My beans dont want to climb and look yellow ~my squash looks ill~my courgettes seemed to have stopped growing and my lettuces have tiny holes in them.

Is this quite a common thing to happen to new vegetable growers??? Iam expecting miracles in the first year? Should i relax and calm down!! :'(

Duke

[Duke Ellington]

[Nobbyman]

yes relax and calm down!!!  :o

[gonz]

Hi Duke

We only got our allotment in Feb this year and so far I have lost all my peas, most of my green beans, the birds ate my turnips and my tomato's look like triffids, but other things are going really good.  Its all a learning curve and will come right in the end.  Have faith!!!

Sam

[Tulipa]

Hi

My squashes and french beans are looking very sad at the moment.  I have seen a few people posting on here saying the same thing so don't worry too much, it may be the weather, or it just might not be the year for these veg - it happens like that sometimes.  The first year I grew Butternut squash no-one had very good crops and I felt I had failed until others were posting the same!

That's the advantage of being on A4all is that you will see others saying the same thing and it makes you feel better.

Welcome to the site, it is a wonderful place. ;)

T.

[froglets]

Panic ye not - the cold weather has checked quite a few things.  My squashes & courgettes should be romping away by now but they're just sitting there making me feel guilty for having planted them out.  They'll go mad when it warms up, then it will be courgette surprise for tea again.

Beans and peas are struglling to contend with the wind, even when I get them against the canes, they get blown off as soon as my back is turned - they don't have to deal with that in the rain forests.

On the other hand cabbage and kale are having a whale of a time - they hate hot weather.

[manicscousers]

if like ours, your soil's been mauled with to get rid of weed, it'll take some time to calm down..also, it takes a few years of rotating compost, lime and manure to get it performing the way you want  ;D
we also grow green manures to help build up the nutrition. :)

[tim]

Good advice!

Us? Our outdoor Cues & Courgettes all died. I have to tie my Runners up every day. Many were smashed by the recent wind. and they are only just setting a reasonable amount of flower, even though planted 28/4.

But- yes - all Brassica are doing like crazy!! My Winter Cabbage are so far on I'm having to sow again.

[Duke Ellington]

Well thanks to everyone! I feel so much better about it all now :) I was at the allotment earlier today and I am still tying up my beans! Now that I feel happier I am going to sow some more beetroot! The slugs had the first lot  ::)

Duke

[tim]

And keep sowing Beetroot!

In passing, I was christened Duke (for obvious reasons) in 1941 by the later Chief of Air Staff!

[sawfish]

yes what is it with runner beans not wanting to 'hold on' this year?

[Columbus]

Hi Duke,

Don`t worry, nothing ever goes the way it should, there are so many things that could go wrong,

Planting too early or too late,
Too much water or too little water at any time,
Too much muck, not enough muck,
Bad light,
Wrong weather at the wrong time,
Not potting on in time,
Not planting out in time,
Wrong compost,
Wrong soil,
Not growing, (sulking)
Growing too fast, (leggy, slug food)
Birds, rodents, insects, (those slugs again)
Mould, fungus, disease
No nets, wrong nets,
No support,
Big feet,
Clumsy with a hoe ...
Or the modern version, - death by strimmer.

And for those sturdy plants that gow and produce a wonderful harvest theres ... allotmenteer goes on holiday in august and misses it.

I`m sure theres more but at the end of all that you will find you have more
fantastic produce than you can eat. It all works out in the end and if it didn`t then there`s always next year.  :)

Best of luck, Col

[Duke Ellington]

Ha Ha!! Columbus great words ~~thankyou!

Duke