What lessons have you learnt from this years growing

[reetnproper]

That Ma Nature always has a surprise or two up her sleeve and likes to keep us gardening types on our toes

Reet
x

[Nik]

Don't bother with romanesque - it looks nice but it tastes, ummm, not so great.

It is not possible to grow too many french beans, brocolli, carrots or parsnips - and it is not possible to grow too few tomatoes, raspberries, spring onions or courgettes.

The whiteflies will always win.

[daisygrubber]

a) corn on the cob tastes lovely raw when picked as baby corn. Delicious in salads or eating as a snack.
b) Definitely grow vivaldi potatoes again was really pleased with those.
c) Start of runner beans in pots
d) grow tomatoes in greenhouse
e) Dig up the rest of the first lawn to plant more things
f) work harder on strawberries they died off for some reason (very poor show)
g) grow some dragon carrots they sound fab
h) do better with watering and feeding (naughty naughty)

[hamsterqueen]

1) I always plant far too many tomato plants

2) not clearing brambles has its advantages, blackberry crumble!

3) never leave an 18 year old to pick the courgettes while you are away

[Ken the Chef]

I�ve learnt that some of the advice about carrot fly may not be the whole picture as, in the last few days I have found carrot fly amongst my carrots.
I pulled some carrots and took them into the kitchen to clean them. Out limped a carrot fly. Out limped a carrot fly in October; what happed to all the information regarding May & July.
I'm sure it was a carrot fly as it had the characteristic red head. Once identified it became very flat.
Has anyone else found carrot fly this late in the year?

[Thelma Sanders]

this advice

There are usually two, sometimes three, generations of carrot fly in a year. The first and worst attack occurs mid-May and mid-June; subsequent attacks are in Autumn and in Winter in mild seasons.

quote from this site Carrot Growing - In depth guide to growing carrots fly

[snohare]

I�ve learnt that some of the advice about carrot fly may not be the whole picture

Haven't found any this year, I'm happy to say, but all that stuff about "they don't fly more than eighteen inches off the ground" is complete b****cks. Show me any fly that size that doesn't go where the wind blows it if a gust hits !
As for timing of generations, I imagine that they are just like plants. They don't consult a calendar, some processes simply take a certain amount of time (gestation/metamorphosis etc) and some are triggered by conditions. So if conditions are optimal, they don't care what month it is, they'll have a go.
Mother Nature only has two methods: try everything, if it works do it more, and quality control by test to destruction.

[Mizjazzi]

what i have learned is that raspberries multiply by,if not a square root,then certainly a square yard,per plant per year,anybody need a load of late raspberies ?(is that sound also the answer?),i have had to stop transplanting them,no more space...but oooh what a taste...

Hi there,
What variety are they? I want to grow some myself down here in Dumfries!Never ate them before relocating to Scotland!
I would love some if you have spare. I visit the outlaws in Stevenston, weekly.Still experimenting with stuff I never tried.Also any advice would be helpfull!!??!!
Regards,
Mizjazzi

[Mizjazzi]

Agree : catpillars are evil,though butterflies are pretty!

Plant less tomatoes and Kale.
Plant more parsnips,and beetroot.
Growing veg is GREAT, but as unperdictable as casting (A bit of a black art!)
Dumfries weather is very strange,and it is as windy here as it was in Stevenston.I live in a wind tunnel.
I need windbreaks desperately.
I seem to have green fingers,as I am giving so much away and I did not have a plant here when we moved 2 years ago.

I love growing,

MizJAZZI

[frogga]

Kill all slugs and snails, drown caterpillars, weed more often, grow crops that we eat, not ones that will get huge on the plant, then fall and rot!

[snohare]

I need windbreaks desperately.

You could always try Jerusalem Artichokes, Mizjazzi...although you might find the cure was as bad as the ill !

[The Large One]

Must plant broad beans next month, done the spring planting this year and got mullered by black fly whilst neighbour plot overwintered and had his picked before black fly got bad

Seriously considering no main crop spuds next year as too much time/space taken up whilst I can buy a 25 kg sack at local growers for �7

Also must get proper watering system into my newly proposed greenhouse as asking neighbour to water my chilli's whilst on holiday has left me with some quite poorly plants

[VirginVegGrower]

After nil germination of parsnips I am trying the board method next year. Everything else pretty much okay. (She says with fingers crossed )

[Nordmead]

2 things i've learnt this year:

always harden off plants properly before leaving them outside all day and night and you can never have too many tomato plants; it's better to have too many tomatoes than barely any at all

oh and sowing/growing instructions are for guidance only and aren't gospel ..so i spose that makes 3..

[reetnproper]

and you can never have too many tomato plants;

Oh yes you can