This year has been really frustrating so far, i'm way behind on planting beacuse its been to wet. The clocks changed last week, and i expected to do some catching up this week after work - but its rained every day... >:(
I just hope its dry enough over the weekend, as my pending list is getting bigger each week... all i've managed to get in is my onions, shallots, some parsnips and a row of broad beans that I suspect have given up trying as there no sign of them after well over a month...I blame the government. ::)
Stop worrying Keef!!.....most of us are in the same boat- weather conditions were nationwide you know ;) but things will catch up! ok - maybe you'll have to sow your broadies again but that's gardening for you!!...did that last year 3 times with my carrots :(
don't panic!....just think - if you'd only just 'taken on' your lottie like some have....you'd be terribly excited but only just be clearing it and not even have your onions, shallots & some parsnips in....so 'stay calm' :-*
H.P.
I'm always behind on my planting! Never organised enough, although I'm determined to do better this year :-)
So far I haven't managed to plant anything outdoors, still have my potatoes, shallots and onions to go in, once I've finished preparing the new beds! Oh, but I tell a lie, I did plant garlic in the autumn and that seems to be doing ok so far.
I have managed to sow some cauliflower, kohl rabi, turnip in plugs, and last night I sowed tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, butternut squash and West Indian Pumpkin.
So I'm hoping that this year I'll actually get some aubergines, I only managed to get to the flowering stage last year before it got too cold!
I'm behind too.
The way I see it - if the weather's not right then the seeds won't germinate anyway. We are behind because Mother Nature is behind. Don't worry everything will catch up.
Quote from: sweet-pea on March 31, 2006, 13:13:21
So I'm hoping that this year I'll actually get some aubergines, I only managed to get to the flowering stage last year before it got too cold!
If I were to grow aubergines I would cheat and buy organic plug plants: http://www.organicplants.co.uk/ :-[ :P ::)
What a good link! Might try the July brassica collection if mine get slugged again.
I'm one of the newcomers that've taken on a patch of grass and metre high brambles but I've got onions, shallots and garlic on the go. Mind you I still have metre high brambles and a fine crop of couch grass/bindweed stuff:-)
I'm worried that I'm not going to get much out of it this year as I've only really cleared half of it, so you're not alone there Keef. I've still got the plan I drew out before I started but somehow it's not gonna happen this year!
Mind you, I'd blame the government as well... come the Revolution....
Jon
Sorry, I know it's terrible, but I feel better now. I thought I was well behind but I've got my potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce planted out or sown.
I'm also well behind, broad beans in the green house are a bit leggy, with luck they wont be blown flat when I get them planted, peas are ready to go out too!
Fingers crossed I will be allowed up the lottie for a while on Sunday afternoon
I agree Keef its the government!!! or my OH??!!
Matt
Well it has'nt rained here yet today - and i finish at 4 so i might get up there tonight. Race night in the pub tonight - so wont be up for much tommorow :-X
I wish to write a letter of complaint. To whom should I address it? :)
The rain seems to wait until I'm just about to leave work before absolutely bucketing down. It's a conspiracy, I tells ya.
It definately the government....but maybe not ours.. ;D
http://www.weatherwars.info/index.php
We've just started pulling the tale-end Autumn crops that went in at the end of last year so.. right now we get to enjoy..
Cauliflowers
Cabbage
Leeks
Swedes
some surprises that made it through the winter...
Organic Rocket
Coriander (BIG surprise, from fallen seed heads that bolted last summer!)
Which have made for some ealry salds with a bit of pep. Probably the highlight so far has been rather luxuriously pulling some immature garlic that's been kicking around for the tender green tops and delicate tiny bulbs.. excellent!
Scarey stuff keef.
Quote from: supersprout on March 31, 2006, 13:19:58
Quote from: sweet-pea on March 31, 2006, 13:13:21
So I'm hoping that this year I'll actually get some aubergines, I only managed to get to the flowering stage last year before it got too cold!
If I were to grow aubergines I would cheat and buy organic plug plants: http://www.organicplants.co.uk/ :-[ :P ::)
My god, that is pricey, I can buy two huge organic swedes at the farmers market for £1, so 5 plants for £1.50 is far from a bargain
You have potatoes IN?
Should I?
What about frost?
Have spring cabbage, broad beans onions in....
All the so called winter peas shrivelled without a trace though.....
I recon it's the council's fault....they won't even let me have a shed, and have just put up the rent from £12 to £25! OK for me, but shocker for some fellow lotty doers...
Quote from: amphibian on March 31, 2006, 22:33:16
My god, that is pricey, I can buy two huge organic swedes at the farmers market for £1, so 5 plants for £1.50 is far from a bargain
Good point amphibian. Confession time ... if you go to their shop in March, they sell the little plugs for 5p (gone up from 4p last year :o)). It's the postage and packing that add to the online cost. Depending where you live the 'grow or buy' decision might work out differently. Round our way, country roadside stalls sell home-grown maincrop/late spuds for £1 a huge sack, so for the space they occupy on the plot I'd rather grow the stuff you need to harvest fresh, or odd veg. I am growing fourteen spud plants just for the earlies :) - that's it ;D
Finally managed to get my 1st and 2nd early potatoes in yesterday. Of course it rained while I had only managed to excavate half my trench and me with no coat as it started out as quite a nice day. Decided to stick it out and as soon as i'd finished, it stopped raining and the sun came out again.
Noticed that my blackberry has probably died so bought another (+ another blackcurrent) today. Will leave it for another month - just it case.
Hopefully, I'll get my onions in next weekend.
It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday. At one stage I even managed to take off my fleece :o.
Managed to dig over three veggie beds and the flower bed again, and was pleased to find despite being waterlogged they were still fluffy and much easier to dig than when they were solid clay.
I managed to get in a row of broad beans (my first bit of planting out ever- yipee) but also managed to pull at least one muscle in my back - booooooo.
It kindly rained again for me today, so i didn't feel too bad about being crocked.
Quote from: Sprout on April 02, 2006, 20:41:35
Finally managed to get my 1st and 2nd early potatoes in yesterday. Of course it rained while I had only managed to excavate half my trench and me with no coat as it started out as quite a nice day. Decided to stick it out and as soon as i'd finished, it stopped raining and the sun came out again.
;D Snap ;D That's exactley what happened to me yesterday only I got hailed on, my trench looked more like a moat ;D
I hoped to have got the potato beds dug by now (last ones to do) but what with a "flu" type things for a few weeks and then a holiday, I am a bit behind...
The garlic and autumn shallots look great, the autumn onions were slow, but all but one are now "on the go" and a few inches high. I now have a couple of 2' lengths of early peas in (under cloches and more still in guttering - I have mice :() a few early carrots (cloched) a few turnips (cloched) parsnips (attempted today as the soil has been warm for a while; I have sand over the seeds and film over the bed) spring onions, shallots and red onions. Have a few things in a cloche in pots ready for going outside when the area for them has been dug... (chinese and jerusalem artichokes, babbington leek, egyptian onions, canary vine, american/potato bean.)
Hope to catch up on the potato bed digging this week in the evenings... and hope I can keep on top of the weeds this year which have started growing rapidly (nettles now rapidly growing where I haven't yet dug/cleared)
mat
nothing at all yet, due to being between plots/gardens. i have sown some tomatoes yesterday though. i'm not too worried, plenty of time to get plenty of stuff in yet.