Allotments 4 All

Catastrophic, that's the only word I can use to describe the state of the garden. For most of June, the weather has been rainy and miserable and significantly colder than it should be.

    * The potatoes have disappeared, there is no foliage at all. I don't know whether to attempt digging them up or leaving them in the ground a bit longer?
    * The peas have just failed to give fruit. And the few they did give have been scoffed by something (note to self - next year do peas differently and net them).
    * The tomatoes seem to just be dying, there is no other way to describe it. They are tiny and sad looking. I will maybe try to buy some more plants on the weekend in a last ditch effort but it is not looking good.
    * I don't think there will be any QLD Blue pumpkins as they seem to have died :-( and only one melon has survived too. I am heartbroken Daffodil, as you sent me those lovely seeds and I was so looking forward to them.
    * I pulled up one of the garlic shoots and there is no bulb, a strong garlic smell but it resembles a spring onion. (note to self: overwinter garlic and onions next year).
Is anyone else heartbroken by the state of their gardens, with all this rain?? I wonder if I will get any harvest at all  :'( And can anyone explain my garlic?? I planted it in February.

You are not alone... my garlic didnt get too big and my elephant garlic all rotted - 8 cloves planted!

All spinach bolted

QLD blue's are looking very sickly though all other squashes and pumpkins are looking ok but not great.  I double the qld's will survive as they have hardly grown since i put them out.

Carrots are overgrown with weeds but i think they are coming up.

Didnt get chance to  put in parsnips but sons are doing well

Most of my maincrop have hardly come up - it is very weedy but i can only see a couple of potato plants... i planted some more maincrop thank god on the other plot and they seem ok.

Strawberries were fine until i put straw under them, since then they have been eated and rotted.

Only thing doing really well are the peas - though the HSL ones arent doing too good.

Indian red sweetcorn - a swap from here are looking sickly in their waterlogged soil.

tomatos are doing well at home - miracle as last year i managed to kill them all but there's still time yet and at least i have fruit on one variety this year.

My main problem this year is weeds weeds weeds. In fact the plot is in a worse state than when i took it on!

poor you!  where did you get the Qld blue seeds from? I am picturing pumpkin scones and pumpkin soup here mmmmmmmmm....

one of the people on the site kindly sent me three Qld Blue seeds which grew into lovely little plants but they have not survived the wet June. So disappointing

If it's any help for next year, I picked up Queensland Blue seeds from these guys at a recent show

http://www.pennardplants.com/seeds.html

Cheers

Thanks, I have bookmarked that

Hi Antipodes, can't remember whareabouts in france you are but my grandparents have just come back from one of their stints in Normandy. The report is France has had a really bad season this year, their neighbours got nothing, few crops but rubbish really. Apparently Brittany worst hit. dunno why. Bless you though. There's always next year.  ::)

er yeah, southern Brittany  ;D
Well, my friend who comes from a farm and who is a hotshot gardener either missed his sowing dates this year or has had everything die on him, so it definitely is not just me. My neighbor on the allotments had a few good things (incl squash which doesn't seem to mind so much and some nice artichokes) but lots of her crops either gave up or gave a poor harvest. So I think it is a bit generalized, which is a shame as this is a big "vegetable basket" are around here, where lots of big veg producing farms are, I guess prices will not be cheap this year in the stores!

"I pulled up one of the garlic shoots and there is no bulb, a strong garlic smell but it resembles a spring onion. (note to self: overwinter garlic and onions next year).
Is anyone else heartbroken by the state of their gardens, with all this rain?? I wonder if I will get any harvest at all   And can anyone explain my garlic?? I planted it in February."

Im sure someone will correct me if Im wrong,but planting out garlic in Feb is a little late and digging them up in June too early??

Oh dear antipodes sorry to hear about this and yes your right i do think veg prices will be high later in the year.

My Buttercup/kaboucha squash are just sitting there they haven't grown since planting and the slugs have wiped out two.
I think it's just too cold for them.

It is amazing the differences between the different parts of the Country. Here in Glasgow, the fruit is early, with strawberries, rasps and tayberries in abundance, and the vegetables on schedule. We have only had 10 mm of rain in the last week, but it has been colder than usual. I am so glad that I still have my squashes planted out under polythene, and sweetcorn protected from the cold north wind.
When I see the TV showing the floods in England, I really feel for those that have had to cope with floods.