Grow Your Own Magazine

Managed to get up the plot today and it is a mess. Most of the plants havent a clue what is going on. So I have given up on 2007.

Garlic....Rust and gone to seed
Onions...appear smaller now than when they went in
Tomatoes...no flowers let alone any fruit
Chillies.....see above
Corn...still looks ok
Potatoes...blighted
Gherkins...7 fruit so far
Runner beans....last seen being dragged off by a army of slugs.

So I am going to rotovate the lot and start again next year.

Any one else given in this season.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Don't be so defeatist!

Admittedly it has been a difficult season, but your corn is OK, gherkins
look "on the up", and you still have plenty of time for the runners to catch up (as long as you prepare your retaliation against the enemy!)

A bit of sun in the next month and the Toms & Chilllies may grow and you never know with your Onions....

BATTLE ON!!!!

Battle on. The slugs had us holed up in the Shed for most of the day.

If you have ever seen Dune well they were like the Sand Worms.

No it rotovvating time. I will keep what looks like it may recover but it going to be Sheen flame gun time for the rest. it will give me the chance to do the boarders and med the shed.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Oh NOG, sorry everything seems so disastrous for you.
I would think the tomatoes, chillis and corn are still in with a chance? And the gherkins & onions could still get going a bit? We're all still hoping for August and September to throw us some consolation sunshine I think... My stuff is all growing very slowly at the mo, but haven't had to hoik anything out yet (touching wood as I type tho.)
Do you have any winter veg to go in? Brassicas, leeks, over-winter onions & garlic?

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I am keeping the Corn and the Gherkings but the Onoins and Garlic have had it.

Weeds are Doing great.

In the greenhouse the Cuecumbers are going wild but again the Toms have done nothing.

I think all the plants still think it april.

I have some more stuff to put in so it not all lost.....but the sharks are circling.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

What a shame Nog. But I think it is too early to give in. There is always Plan B. As for the slugs - there are ways of dealing with them . Slog pellets work very well. I don't like them myself, they do get into the food chain. But when needs must I put them on a tray of somekind - a little bit if plastic so that they can't dissolve into the ground- and cover them over with a curved bit of plastic bottle or something so that birds etc can't get at them. It makes a horrible end for the slugs but if it's them or my food, well, it's no contest.
I hope you will find something to make a positive outcome to this years effort. Good luck.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

C'mon NOG, get a grip!!

I don't think anyone on this site (based in the UK) would argue that this has been the mother and father of a dreadful year!! What hasn't been drowned out has been blown to bits by the high winds.

Have you noticed that global warming has transmogrified itself into 'climate change'???

I hope you manage to salvage some of your crops.

I understand you have damson trees on your lottie. When they are ripe, buy some of the cheapest gin in the supermarket, prick the damsons all over, put in a jar with the gin, and some sugar. Turn the jars each day until the sugar has dissolved. Leave until Christmas. Decant the gin, drink, and say 2008 is going to be sooooooo much better.

In the meantime, try to rescue everything you can.

Chin, chin.

valmarg

A big no to rotovating... You're letting yourself into more problems. You want some plants in the ground to prevent nutrients from being washed out.
I'd focus on a bit of structure and build a coldframe, seat or plant fruit bushes to keep me motivated. I can only echo what others have said... It's no all over till the fat lady sings.

Lots of rain here too. But crops not so bad. Broard beans(Good now finished) Fennel growing well, cauliflowers,strawberrys,runner beans,courgettes,(had first this week)Might have problem with potatoes(tops dying off spuds OK!)Had some tomatoes(but very small)Also have picked some carrots & peas. As this is my first full year on my allotment I don't know if I am doing well (or not)

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Everything has been slow this year, except for the weeds and slugs and snails. My potato tops have gone (in the main bed), but the spuds are lovely. The runner and french beans are starting to flower at last and the sweetcorn is growing well. You're right about the tomatoes, NOG, even my greenhouse ones are not doing well this year. Still, at least now I'm lifting spuds I've got room to put the leeks and winter brassicas in. Definitely using slug pellets this year although, like Alice, I would prefer it if I didn't have to. I'm with Simon on rotovating. Apart from initial clearing of rough ground it doesn't do the soil structure any good.

I'm feeling like you NOG. I go up the plot and spend 4 hours just repairing damage from wind, rain, slugs. Everything I pick has got slug damage, despite judicious use of blue smarties. Lots of other stuff just isn't growing...my peas are 3 inches tall and just stopped. The ones that grew taller got about 3 pods each with about 3 peas in each. Not a bumper crop at all!
the only thing looking ok is Sweetcorn, but I fear for it in these gales. My flowers are all flattened and smashed up. I just want to cry...I put in so much work and it is just not fun any more.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

NOG, why not sow some green manure and then rotavate that in later on? If you really must rotavate!

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

NOG - don't let the B******s get to you! C'mon chuck! Just divide your lottie/probs into sections and do one bit at a time. Wish I was closer to give you a hand. Remember - one chunk at a time and take it from there. Good luck chuck, Bernie PS Even Dexter says keep trying! (well, a big shake and a woof!)
Two sheds - my advice to you as well.

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Went up there today....and strimmed all the weeds and broke the strimmer..oh well.
Pulled the rest of the Oninons and Garlic.

And Rotovated....I am going for 2007 #2 with a small leve planting of Coliflower, Brussles and Chillies. The rest will be coverd in manure and left till next year.

That will give me the time to work on the other plot.

Next year will be better.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

I felt just that way a month or so ago, wondered why I was bothering especially with no experience behind me to look back on, but I perservered (with encouragement and advice from the great folk on here) and now have baby toms, broad beans, peas and even brassicas. Every small success makes me smile and is a triumph against the elements. Please keep going but more importantly keep smiling. And you as well Two Sheds. It feels a bit strange to be saying these things to you peeps with far more experience and expertise than me but I can encourage if not advise

I felt like that as well! Yesterday I removed all my damaged plants, did another dose of RoundUp on the couch grass, covered with card and tarpaulin, and today I've just ordered some overwintering veg (onions, garlic etc) and some late cropping potatoes from Dobies and Marshalls.

Not ideal, but better than looking at empty beds!

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

Garlic - rust, also started to rot what with all that rain, but still harvested it and spent a couple of evenings getting them chopped for freezing while watching vampire films.
Onions - well, they don't seem to have got very big yet. Shallots however look good. Spring onions have had poor germination.
French beans, the HSL ones that I planted in the garden have been sliced off by those molluscs. Those on the plot are faring better.
Squash things - well, had slug damage and those that survived to be planted out still seem slow/small.
Sweetcorn - well, munched.
Brassicas, even with proprietary cabbage root fly collars, most had root fly. Also, cabbage whitefly and white blister rot. Very few cabbage white caterpillars though.
Lettuce has been a success.
Broad beans - choc. spot and blackfly (overwintered & spring sowings).
Peas - ok.
Spuds - a couple with blackleg, but otherwise, the earlies have been fine. Blight though has been spotted on a couple of varieties and have now been sprayed with Bordeaux.
Ups and downs this year and I had felt like giving up.

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Hi - It's ok to try planting again. All the snails have come to me now ; (

How did they get there. Down the M42/M5 from me then but I still have some to send you.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

My plot is infested with teeny tiny slugs. They are minute, about 3mm long, but doing a lot of damage. Does anyone know, are these a particular variety, or just baby slugs?

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I have climbing slugs/snails they are eating the leaves on my sun flowers at least 5 feet up.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Yep baby slugs..they love this wet weather



Geo..

Bubblewrap
Me too, they've done for my sunflowers, second year running too.
Yesterday, I thought, blimey that lettuce looks a bit holey so got down on hands and knees and found 9 of the big brown jobs sheltering under it and loads of their kids in the lettuce. All were given their marching orders.
Have now commandeered the allotment picnic table to put my container carrots and radishes, they don't seem to have made it up there yet but anywhere else I might as well put out little tables and chairs for them to eat at their leisure.
Sue