Has there ever really been a 'good year'?

[GardenNinja]

Hello Seasoned Gardeners,

I started growing veg last year so this was when I started to take particular notice of the weather. As you remember, it was very warm for a couple of weeks in the spring and then no real summer followed. This year, a lot of people are saying they are over a month behind in planting their veg and most agree it has been a grim start to the growing season.

I have read posts pre-2012 and I notice that many people are saying similar things about the weather in that particular year (e.g it's been too cold, wet, etc). For those who have been growing veg for a long time, I was just wondering if you remember a year when the British weather was considered a good year for the growing season?

[rustylady]

I think as gardeners we're even less satisfied with the weather than the average member of the public. Too cold and wet and the plants don't grow, too hot and dry and we moan about having to water.

[Alison]

There will never have been a perfect year and it'll always rain when you need to get out etc . However until relatively recently we definitely had more fixed seasons, we now get a very short spring and autumn and definitely more extremes which make it very difficult to predict when you can do things and also confuses the plants in that it's so stop / start.

[binley100]

Trouble with our weather is that it's all or nothing.......what suits one type of veg doesn't suit another. 2011 was good in the fact that there was not blight but there was not much rain ......

[SarzWix]

We had a good year the first year I had my plot, and the 3rd year, all the others have been pants in one way or another. This is the worst in terms of winter interfering with spring though I reckon, and I was all geared up to take advantage of summer arriving in April and departing in May

[Two_Sheds]

In every year, you will find the weather good for some plants, bad for others. The key to success is to have a diversity of plants, so you never lose EVERYTHING

This year has been very cold so far. The last good summer I can remember was 2008

[GardenNinja]

I'm very glad to hear your responses, everyone. It certainly is hard for me to balance my unreasonable/overoptimistic expectations of the weather with the actual eventualities.

[lettucegrow!]

I'm hoping this year is going to good, it's looking good so far. I know everything's a bit late but it's all going very well now. Everything's racing away!

[Bren In Pots]

For me last year was a good year for beans but the rain drown my cucumbers and courgettes. so i'm hoping for less rain this time.

[Bigmallly]

A lot of people are saying they are over a month behind in planting their veg and most agree it has been a grim start to the growing season.

Welcome to the vine. Was there something you wanted to add to the post?

[veggiechicken]

I think they're saying its been such a good year we need new summer frocks, BM
Edit :- No need to rush out for something to wear on the beach, they've been removed Thanks Mods

[Thelma Sanders]

I agree it was a slow/late start - but everything seems to be doing really well now, albeit with a lot of watering - and good harvests are starting to come in
So for me - this is a good'un, although I grumbled along with everyone earlier in the year

[taff]

The best year is the year you haven't really got a clue what you're doing but things seem to grow anyway.

Any year after that, you are going to try and replicate your success but then you will start noticing things faling, and you've forgotten that that happened in your first best year, so you are more critical about what's happening in whatever this year is

[Tripmeup]

been said before, but those spammers really know how to resurrect and restart threads!!

[Bigmallly]

I'm so glad I quoted............proof that I'm not losing the plot..........