Grow Your Own Magazine

I know I got started late (we moved into our new house on 5 April, and didn't get greenhouse till end of May), but I feel like nothing is going well in my veg growing efforts!

Spinach failed, even my second sowing of rocket hasn't rocketed at all. It seems to just be sitting in the soil at about 1 cm high and saying "am I bovvered?". Courgettes are doing likewise. Sweetcorn has stalled at about 15 cm high.

Broad beans and French beans are OK and I've had a few peas, but I'm feeling v. failurous. And very sorry for myself.

sniff

Sweetcorn
Oh dear! I'm sure the weather has got a lot to do with it, all the curcubits seem to be affected, this time last year was drowning in courgettes and was looking forward to the same this year - total so far 4.
But then last year's heat made all my lettuce bolt and this year's wet but warm weather seems to suit them so I've too much of it.
You can still sow rocket and lots of other things for winter eating at the moment. I'm only on my second year, so my failures are still outclassing my successes, but I have learned you just have to keep trying and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's great when it does work.
Chin up!
best wishes
Sue

Hope you feel better now you've aired your feelings. I can assure lots of us are feeling the same this year. The weather hasn't been good (but then gardeners are like farmers - the weather's never quite right for us). Look for the pluses - you don't have to spend too long lugging cans to water things, lettuce are doing well (if you can keep the slugs off), beans are growing well, and everything will catch up sooner or later. If it was just a matter of buying seeds, sowing them, and waiting for a certain harvest, it would be boring wouldn't it?

Moan away sweetcorn, what started as such a promising year has ended up one of the worst I can remember.

What hasn't been drowned out, has been blown to buggery.

Our leeks, which were looking sooo good when oh planted out, are now suffering from rust. Broad beans have chocolate spot. The peas planted next to the broad beans have been swamped as the broad beans have been blown over them.

The one crop that is doing really well is the tomatoes in the greenhouses, but unless we get some sunshine soon to ripen them, we are going to have the most enormous potential for green tomato chutney!!!

Ah well, that very long hot summer we were threatened with could materialise, anytime from now to January!!

valmarg

Oh Sweetcorn, shame you feel so down about it. You were late gettong started, what with moving house and all. There is still plenty of time left for things to come good for you. Hope so.
What a shame Valmarg. I'm sure your tomatoes will do fine. It's still only July. And the weather could turn wonderful anyday now. If I remember right it was July last year before the weather faired up and turned out wonderful. Hope it happens again.

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

The guy on the plot next to ours said it's been the wettest/ worst year in the 34 years he's been growing veg, and he's not a happy bunny either!
Good to know you're not the only one though!!

Thanks all! Yes, I do feel better for airing my miseries, and also I feel better for hearing others sharing my misery too!! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's struggled..

This is my firstest ever year growing anything. You could say it's been a bit of a baptism of.....well, water.

Some of the things I planted months ago are only just starting to grow properly now, courgettes being one, onions being the other.

My potatoes have done quite well, but other than that, not a sausage has been harvested from my plot. I was there the other day and one of my neighbours must have taken pity on me because he gave me two lovely yellow courgettes.

I guess when you've never done it before, the only way to gauge how you're doing is to look around you. Problem with that is that it's likely your neighbours are a little more versed in the dark arts of veg growing....

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Minor update - 10th November

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Yep, You do have to look for the positive angles! Goodness, What a washout tho! It is difficult when you are starting out as you don't usually have the variety of crops to offset a failure. I find that each year I have slightly different successes and disappointments.

You will also find that your soil and micro-climate suits certain crops. eg:There is sandy soil here so we tend to do well with roots and sweetcorn and not so well with brassicas

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul

I really feel sorry for anyone who started their veg growing career this year. It's been dreadful. However, there is always something not quite right with the weather - there's always a challenge to make us old hands realise that we don't know it all and can't guarantee a brilliant crop every time. We've all had cucurbit challenges (sounds like a 'celebrity' game show!) this year but in my experience you always get something that enjoys the weather. When you have a full (and less soggy) year under your belt you'll feel much happier about it.
Good luck and don't give up.

Flum

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Trouble for us newbies is not knowing what's 'normal', so when the wet weather slows down my crops I think it's something I've done wrong! Keep going sweetcorn - if nothing else we're getting experience to learn from for next year when we ARE going to have bumper crops of EVERYTHING !!

Possibly the most uttered words of a 'plotter'....... "there is always next year"!
which could if you are ready start as early as October with onions, then garlic and away we go again!!!
Please don't any of you give up.
This year has been a truly tough year.
Good luck to one and all, old and new to it!!