Aquadulce Broad beans - what a flop.

[taff]

this winter ricardo, work out roughly what your rotation plan is, and feed the ground accordingly.
and sow some rocket, some peas, some lettuce, spinach, pak choi, leafy stuff, and carrots...

[Two_Sheds]

its just the crushing disappintment when you get nothing

I'm having a bad year too: it's simply been too dry for too long. I've barely had a panful of spuds, I've chucked away about 50 lettuces that went bitter in the heat, my broadies stopped in early June*, all my peas (6 rows) got munched by pigeons, none of my parsnips (6 rows) have come up and only a handful of carrots are growing, slowly ...

However, the French beans and squashes went in after the rain finally came and are looking good


* broadies (ime) don't do well after June, so I sow in November and get a good crop. Other people find spring sowings do better ~ choose your variety accordingly

[ginger ninger]

The last few years I've grown "Crimson Flowered" broadies. There not the most productive of croppers, but they're very reliable, have wonderful scented flowers and don't grow too tall...around 3ft. If you want a runner bean that just keeps running I would say "Enorma", t's been around for a number of years and I've never been disappointed with it. Tomatoes, if you just want a bog standard one why not try "Money maker", not my choice...but my OH'd Dad grows them every year and get's some very heavy crops of them. But at the end of the day it's down to personal choice.

Don't give up, we all have crap crops now and again...we just don't like to admit it

[Ricardo]

Thanks for the tips everybody, I do appreciate your advice, especially at the moment when confidence has taken a severe bashing.
Rusty Lady, I have a veg plot in the back garden, almost south facing (but not quite) and a wall behind it so its sheltered. I've got leeks (musselb) cabbage (Capriccio) courgettes (yellow and italian green) marrow, purple sp broc (Rudolph) and a couple of butternut squash (still only a couple of inches tall)
I also have wooden raised beds which I use for carrots (stubby chantenay style only) beetroot, toms (Gardeners Delght) broad beans and florence fennel.
I've got some hanging baskets for tumbling toms (this year Maskota and Yellow Tumbling).
Its interesting what you say about over feeding. I figured (wrongly it seems) that since I didn't put anything in last year and took a lot out, the veg plot might have benefitted from a real rush of goodness.
The other point is that the ground is stony and we are in a chalky area, so I figured stable manure (which is plentiful and free here, since we are close to Epsom) would help water retention.
So should I just leave it be over the winter and just resow without any extra feed/manure?
I do need to get to grips with this crop rotation malarky in time for next year perhaps.
Edit: The thought of over feeding has got me worried. I've never grown brassicas before so I don't know what to expect but can somebody take a look at these pics of my cabbages (Capriccio) and Purple Sprouting broc (Rudolph) and tell me whether they are normal or if they have actually bolted. (Go on, surprise me )






And the broccoli



(Sorry about the big pics, couldn't figure out how to make them any smaller)

[bearded bloke]

I figured stable manure (which is plentiful and free here, since we are close to Epsom) would help water retention.

Was that well rotted (black & cold) or was it fresh (green & hot) ?

[Ricardo]

Hi BB.
it was fresh(ish) but I put it down in Autumn, figuring it would rot down in situ, since the veg patch was not being used over the winter.

[Two_Sheds]

Ricardo, bolting means "flowering, gone to seed"

Yours haven't, but they are too close together. Check the packet for recommended distance, and thin out a bit

[Ricardo]

Thanks TS, will do. I'm assuming you can replant the ones taken out elsewhere or are they consigned to compost?