It's been a funny old year.

[rary]

Potty, I pulled my first tumbler tomato yesterday and it tasted very nice, thank you for recomending it, also found my first sugarsnap pea today, needless to say none reached the house, but what is worrying is that the summer never arrived here, and I noted today that the trees are starting to turn.
But as I have said previously, it will be different next year

[sparrow100]

I think this year there is a huge north/south difference. I've had lots of produce from the plot so far, though melons are looking awful and a few things are late. My greenhouse has loads of tomatoes and they are all turning. Hope that doesn't sound too smug, but this year isn't a wash out for me, just slow.

[Lumpy]

I think I am just about to quit for this year.

It's not because the weather has been throwing a fandango, but my lack of attention whilst I try and sort out home problems and moving of the veggie growing area because he wants hens has not helped so....

As my runners are doing anything but.....and some other bits and bobs have no intention of growing up I am going to rip at all up, scrub my pots, get some things ready for the winter months and then brood over next year.

[jacob]

Perhaps sparrow100's description of slow rather than bad is right. With the exception of outside tomatoes I've not had any catastrophe's that I didn't have a hand in (carrots planted too late so snail problems, climbing beans not treated with the respect they deserve). But boy things are behind schedule. So I worry that some of the slow things will never come to anything.

[Penellype]

I think I am just about to quit for this year.

It's not because the weather has been throwing a fandango, but my lack of attention whilst I try and sort out home problems and moving of the veggie growing area because he wants hens has not helped so....

As my runners are doing anything but.....and some other bits and bobs have no intention of growing up I am going to rip at all up, scrub my pots, get some things ready for the winter months and then brood over next year.

Sorry to hear that lumpy, but at least you will have a nice clean sheet for next year if the veg area is moving.

[Lumpy]

I think the carrots have finally done it for me. For the last few years they have been in the same large, deep planters of new MPC and sand mix. Every year we have had carrots by mid June or even earlier when the weather has been kind.
This year I am just about to harvest 2 carrots and they are not huge. The rest I shall just leave but by heck its been a problem.

[Guest]

It has been slow and horrible. Crops aren't as heavy here, I am guessing the pollinators went to the rapeseed fields when the first of my flowers were out. However, after the usually bugs and bits I am now getting mould and fungus issues - in August. It is rather disheartening, one year we might actually get decent constant weather......I live in hope

[Penellype]

I think the carrots have finally done it for me. For the last few years they have been in the same large, deep planters of new MPC and sand mix. Every year we have had carrots by mid June or even earlier when the weather has been kind.
This year I am just about to harvest 2 carrots and they are not huge. The rest I shall just leave but by heck its been a problem.

Carrots - I wonder if you have had a dry year like we have here. Last year was also dry, and I did my usual carrots in pots, and stood them on slug and snail matting instead of their usual water trays. I was thinking that they probably didn't like growing in a puddle. My biggest carrot was about the size of my little finger. It may partly have been that I sowed them a bit thickly, but this year, with the water trays back in place, I am harvesting decent sized carrots from the same pots, and the main difference is the water supply.

[Ovce domácí]

Hottest summer Ive experienced living in CZR for 10 years. No rain for about 3 weeks now, finally forecast a drop today and tomorrow and a big storm on Sunday but we will see as we should of had some already last week and it passed us by. Having to fill up the water butts by hosepipe every couple of days and then get loads of water down in 35C usually so its hot work, no hosepipe ban as we have our own underground wells but worried in case they run dry and we have no drinking water or water to shower in. Mild winter as well so its been Hitchcock-esque with wasps instead of birds, they've taken over my barn, keep coming inside and swarm around every mouse corpse the cat leaves around or on me when I have an ice cream(almost daily in this).

Last year was a washout and slug central but the heat has kept them away this year, only had the early summer slug recce which didnt unfold to a full scale invasion.

Grew most of our stuff from Real Seeds to move away from the supermarket F1 hybrid stuff and be able to keep our own seeds and hope they acclimatise to the local conditions and soil. Been a big success, best year we've had in 5 years of growing for toms(Grushovka) although the tomatillos have been high maintenance. Carrots good, Hokkaido has been invasively good, leeks mediocre but still have time, onions best yet, swedes have taken to the local conditions well, broccoli okay but would of liked a longer cut and come again period have bolted now, caulies average for the work involved, basil and parsley has been rampant for plenty of winter pesto.

Its been hard work but its probably been our most productive year, unless the deer we have noticed hanging about the garden who has ravaged a couple of trees and one tom plant comes and eats everything before we can.

[ESBkevin]

Peas.

I took on the other half of the plot this year and was blessed with some very well rotted farm muck (complete with mature weeds sticking out of it). Anyway I understand it had previously been cleared with domestic strength glyphosphate but I had rotovated it a couple of times during the summer to keep it clean whilst weighing up my options. Adopted the land in September and dug in the muck with some year old wood chips buried in the furrow and my own garden compost and cardboard added for good measure. Soil is good and the extra loom was just normal practice for me.
Anyway I can't get peas to grow here. In the other half of the plot which we also cultivated intensely last year I have some peas I planted 7 weeks ago that are 20" tall and have pods developing. In the 'new' half they are 5"/6" tall and shrivelled but dark green. Same seed pack and 24hrs apart in planting.
I had previously planted about 4 feet away from the present site very early in the year. Of about 500 seeds (yes really - I wanted a years supply) two germinated. TWO! I put it down to a late spring. So I hoe'd it through and fertilised again and planted some more. This time about a dozen germinated all under nets so it's not birds or mice!
Is the ground too fertile (I used some general granular plus fish/blood/bonemeal). Is it a hangover from a previous crop (fallow for two years I believe).

What have I missed? is it the soil? Is it too exposed in this location? The other (old half of the plot) was also treated to the same regime of deep digging, muck, compost, cardboard and fertiliser.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sounds like you may have something in the horse poo. Have you any other crops growing in the treated ground?

There is a weed killer that can travel through a horse ( can't remember the name ) and infect it's poo.

Someone will be along with details soon but I hope I am wrong.

[Martin H]

Sounds like you may have something in the horse poo. Have you any other crops growing in the treated ground?

There is a weed killer that can travel through a horse ( can't remember the name ) and infect it's poo.

Someone will be along with details soon but I hope I am wrong.

You're thinking of Aminopyralid.

Hope it's not that.

[bario1]

The other (old half of the plot) was also treated to the same regime of deep digging, muck, compost, cardboard and fertiliser.

The same muck you used on the new half?

Any weird curled up leaves on the peas, or just smaller and darker?

[KevinM67]

I'm sorry, but the thread title makes me remember these from when I was younger.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uR4FQ8IQ6vA

In Scotland, we used to have a little bit of religous consideration before the telly ended back in the day.