Problems I had last year !! Can anyone help?

[supersam]

Hi all

Not posted on here for a good few months due to pc problems but nice to be back

I need some advice as I had some problems last year - I have a plastic greenhouse 6 x 4. Last year I started off from seeds in the house, tomatoes (Alicante) Peppers, Cucumbers (Marketmore)
I put the cucumbers and toms into grobags and the peppers into large tubs when they were big enough. They all grew well and flowered but that was it - nothing else really happened !! I got 2 very small cucmbers, around 2" long, they did not grow anymore. I got a harvest of 2 toms altogether!! They were a decent size but 2 ?? from 3 plants ?? and the peppers, 6 plants on total, I got a pepper 1" long and then it stopped growing!
Can anyone tell me what went wrong? It had a steady temperature of about 65 to 70 degrees. I closed the door at night to keep the heat in and only opened it halfway in the day if it was a bit cool. I did not over water as the grobags seem to stay very moist. The greenhouse is not in direct sun but a sheltered spot, no sun gets onto it at all. I used the appropriate feeds on all of them
I hope someone can help with this as it was my first year of using a greenhouse and I am so disillusioned I may not use it this year!
I think I have given all the info but feel free to ask any questions if it helps you help me

Sam xx

[Nicos]

I had a bad year in my greenhouse- the frost got my peach blossom ( 9 panes of glass missing due to high winds breaking them).
Tomatoes were VERY late- most of the crop was September
Same as you with my chillies- they never really grew as I think they were too cold and dark compared to the previous summer when we sowed them later, but the weather was better .
Poor cucumbers as well last year.
I think the weather can be blamed for a lot of it ( cold/damp/dark)- not perfect conditions for growth- nor pollination!
Also- on that subject - did you help by transferring pollen from one plant to another?
There were not so many insects around last year on my allotment.
Perhaps there was a shortage inside your polytunnel???

...just a few thoughts, but not a real answer- sorry!

Oh- and good to see you back!!

[Cutecumber]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience, Supersam.

As Nicos says, many people had a really bad time last year because of low temperatures and too much rain. Don't give up, do try again.

I've been trying to think of anything particular that might have gone wrong, and this is what I have come up with for tomatoes, at least:

Tomatoes need very high levels of light. Although they enjoy some warmth, it is light which they crave even more. I wonder if the fact that the greenhouse gets no direct sun could be a bit of an issue.

Did you get several trusses of flowers or not? Did the flowers open or did they fall off?

If there weren't many flower trusses, are you confident that you pinched out the right bit of the plants (the sideshoots) and not the flower trusses by accident?

Gently shaking the plants will help the pollen move around (it does it within each flower on a tomato rather than between different flowers) although this normally happens quite easily.

Does any of that help at all?

[supersam]

Thanks nicos

Hi Nicos

Thanks for that suggestion, I did wonder about that myself. If you have any pollination tips could you pass them on to me

Sam

[Nicos]

As cute says just jiggle the flowers on toms, No idea about the other plants though....except sweetcorn and you shake that around a bit too!
Peaches need cottonwool or a paintbrush , going from one to another...what do other peeps do??

[supersam]

tom trusses

Thanks Cutecumber

I did get the flowers, lots of, which opened but then just seemed to die off leaving no fruit. I did not shake them, not heard of that before.
I know I pruned the right bits as this is my third year of toms but first year under glass/plastic.
I think it may be a pollination problem so have asked for tips. I also thought of the bad weather but then thought it seemed like a bit of a cop out, but if evryone had bad crops..............

I feel a bit og enthusiasm creeping back the greenhouse may not turn into an outdoor store cupboard after all lol

Sam

[smallblueplanet]

Last year was a poor year, but even so our greenhouse toms and peppers were reasonable.

I can't understand why your greenhouse is in a sheltered spot.

The greenhouse is not in direct sun but a sheltered spot, no sun gets onto it at all.

Perhaps you'd do better if you moved it to somewhere that gets sunshine, most veggies want to be grown in full sun. Very few grow well in shade, maybe some lettuces and a few herbs.

Our greenhouse is in full sun from early morning until 5 or 6 pm - the aubs/toms/peppers love it.

[bobleponge]

Sam
I hope it doesnt, try again, as everyone says it was a shocker last year. We had the same problems here in France too. Our spuds and toms were just a write off, and our neighbour (a dairy farmer) has had to buy winter feed for his cows for the first time in his life (he is 45) due to catastrophic crop failure due to the weather.
If you dont use your greenhouse though, you could always give it to meeek

[supersam]

Hi and thanks Smallblue planet

The reason the greenhouse is in the shade is we have a very tiny yard, mostly paved. The only soil space we have is where I grow my potatoes. The way the sun goes means the only spot on the paving would block the gate so no entry to back of house.......... i know i know, we should move house lol lol lol
I just hoped that with plenty of light even if its not bright sun I could reap some veggy rewards.

Sam

[Nicos]

Is it a walled garden- or fenced in??( as opposed to a hedge)
Had you considered painting the wall/fence white behind the greenhouse to reflect what light you have?
I know in Vineyards they leave white stones near the base of the vines to reflect light.
Might be worth considering?

[smallblueplanet]

You beat me to it Nicos, try to reflect more light in. If not a permanent painting of wall/fence maybe some sort of board could be rigged up?

[supersam]

Hi again
The greenhouse is in a corner with a white wall (the house) and a pale blue fence next to it. Perhaps I gave the wrong impression, it is not in direct sunlight but is not too shady and gets a lot of heat and no nasty draughts or high wind. Hope this info helps.

Sam

[Nicos]

You beat me to it Nicos, try to reflect more light in. If not a permanent painting of wall/fence maybe some sort of board could be rigged up?

What a team eh SBP!!!!

[rustylady]

I think we all had a bad greenhouse year last year, the weather was atrocious for what was supposed to be summer. Only advice is to keep things ventilated, not overpotted, and not overwet. If you overdo the watering and feeding and the light and temperature are not adequate, then the crops will do nothing.

[supersam]

Many thanks

Thank you all for the advice and encouragment. I will give it another go this year. Im not sure what to try yet but I wont be using grobags again! I will also take care with the watering and feeding.
When I decide what to plant I will check out any pollination that should be done!
I thought that the problems I had should not really be down to me as everything I grow outside does really well and tastes fantastic (strawberries to die for ) and all your comments have convinced me!! Thank you all again xxxxx

Sam