Tales of woe - 2016

[Bill Door]

I have avoided reading this thread but after Tuesday I decided I had to give out my tale of woe.

We moved 100 miles in April towards the South West (we were planning an August move), so no quick trips back to look after allotment. I went back twice and spent each day weeding, hoeing and living in expectations of some good crops.

However, the shallots I planted at New Year have basically rotted in the ground. The zebrune onions have been "swallowed" up by presumably the slugs. Onions sets planted in late January have also disappeared. Courgettes and squash have all gone. Funnily enough everything looked ok 5 weeks ago. Somethings had not grown much but everything looked "content" and alive.

On the plus side we had loads of gooseberries and the four elephant garlic had substantial bulbs, although they all have flowering spikes. The garlic that had grown so well on top was totally invisible under the ground, almost the size of peas.

So my thought was just another year, next year will be better. I wish you all well and good harvests.

We move to a new house in November so much digging and manuring from then onwards.

Bill

[Jungle Jane]

I planted my Victoria plum about 7 years ago,had to dig it out yesterday
I noticed last year the plums all ripened so quickly didn't think too much of it,this year half the tree didn't leaf or flower,I wondered was it dead. The other half of the tree had about 7 plums a few fell off,none of them looked healthy but I didn't know why. I noticed a crack by the trunk where the two main branches come out like a fan. I cut them off & it had some silver leaf patches inside the branch cut. I wonder did the weight of the branches cause the crack,I should have supported them better.

[Scoot]

Leeks - Just aren't growing this year at all. No idea why.

About half a dozen of them are starting to put a bit a growth on but nothing to write home about.

[Bigmallly]

Here I go

Sweetcorn is no bigger than when I planted them
Celeriac died a death
Sweet Peas have lost the will to live
Toms been a disaster again this year. No flowers, no nothing. Not bothering with them again.
Cucumber has disappeared somewhere.
Peas got snowed on fought back then got eaten by either the allotment deer or pheasant.
Carrots can't be arsed to grow
Parsnip seeds well a bit like the carrots.
Runner beans were started at home then planted direct but nothing either way

A very deep breath has been taken in and exhaled. But hey this is what makes gardening 'fun' the challenge and the feeling of satisfaction when something finally grows. Well that's what I keep telling myself.

Ever thought of becoming a Noviceflowergrower?........................

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

First "Casualty" of the year, found a "Yellow Perfection" tomatoe plant on it's backside this morning! Collapsed under the weight! Thank G'awd I planted 3!

[Penellype]

Some of the ripe Shirley tomatoes on my sitting room windowsill have literally cooked in the heat. I found tomato juice dripping from them and when I picked them they were soft and peeled easily, but tasted fine. There are several with greenback though - a sign that they are getting too hot.

[noviceveggrower]

Ever thought of becoming a Noviceflowergrower?........................

Don't get me started on my sweet peas

[hamamelis]

Aaaand blight.

My greenhouse tomatoes were touching the roof. Though some really weren't setting fruit it's- my first year with the greenhouse, and I underestimated how much space I needed per plant- most were looking brilliant. Then it struck.

The outdoor ones are just showing the first few signs of it, the spuds don't even have it yet, but I'm down to salvaging what I can from the greenhouse...

[Marb67]

A once very productive Tumbling tomato died for no reason.
Sweet Peas foliage being eaten by something other than slugs.
Peas are pathetic, tops eaten by sparrows, slugs and about 3 pods off 8 plants.
Broad Beans all had to be cut down due to chocolate spot but managed to at least harvest decent crops.
Beetroots not swelling, thin stems. Will eat the leaves instead.
Spinach yellowing and only one survived despite nitrogen feed.
The usual cherry tree leaf fall (after healthy start in spring) with horrible marks and leaf miner.

[Chippy Minton]

Blight here as well, noticed it on a couple of pot borne bonus spuds (didn't know they were there until I went to plant something else in the pots, must have been a failed attempt at Christmas spuds last year ). Then looked at the spud bed and everything was ravaged. All dug up, foliage off to the council, spuds OK but yield is very poor.

[craftymarie]

Blossom end rot on many of my biggest tomatoes

[Gillykat]

And I thought it was just me having a rubbish year I actually feel a bit better hearing all these tales of woe and, as BigMally said, trhere's always next year to start planning for....

Peas ~ neighbour's racing pigeons ate them

Runner Beans ~ grew well in pots but within days of being put outside were raxzed to the ground by slugs!

Strawberries ~ mouldy!

Greyhound cabbage, Nero kale and cauliflower ~ eaten by pigeons after netting came loose

Pumpkins & squashes ~ went mouldy during a wet spell.

Tomatoes in polytunnel ~ blight! Had to rip all 11 plants out, stuff 'em in black bags and take to skip.

Cucumber in polytunnel ~ slug!!!

Little Gem lettuce ~ my fault as I didn't get up to allotment for four days due to working hours and it being so hot and they bolted.

Ditto Beetroot!


BUT......despite all this and feeling pretty rubbish for the past fortnight and feeling like I just wanted to give up the allotment something made me turn a corner today and think ''No! I will not give up!'' and I've actually started flicking through GYO magazine once more and planning what to sow now to salvage what's left of the growing season and look forwards to next year.

[Marb67]

I had to cut all the tops off my spuds and put in council green waste bin as looked like blight.

[astraman1]

i have 10 shallots left out of 300 i have now found wireworm babies about 2 or 3 mm long eating my shallots and attacking my spuds

[Elfeda]

seems I kept on planting this or that while slimmies strimming plants & veg. at the end been picking some thing and plot still look green all over


Learnt to not run after the veg that looks different. I have thrown many seedling pot holder trays. I should discard as many of seed starting pots as well.

by planning as much into ground directly , will learn to deter slugs. also has equal losses due to poor drainage conditions on my plot. and I have lot of space not really planted yet. so that much need to go for perenials.

Using as much space at home,so all the failures this dint bother too much. am going to pick my first courgette today! which I have planted in late june. all the ones planted early may either drowned or slugged even after lot of care. couple of them still struggling and one even bearing a fruit. nothing is last if my july planted courgettes are productive.

hope I can sort out the months like preparing, sowing,weeding and picking. not jumbling all the tasks and struggle.

half a kilo of beans and peas seeds started at various stages. and now I get just half a pound of mixed beans every other day. seems they are enough and really no time to pick excess produce/prepare and cook/freeze.

never thought the time that takes to pick, clean and preserve fruit. so next year I should put as many flowers so that I do not over do the veg.