Is this the most trying season to date

**sewer rat** · 25-05-2010, 08:27 PM

Although I am growing much less than in the previous three seasons, my veg plants still number in the thousands and although each of the last three seasons has brought it's own difficulties, I think that we are all suffering from the longest cold spell I can ever remember - we have a ground frost forecast for tonight !! This cold spell coupled with a very unseasonal mshortage of rain has meant a lot of plants are either very slow to get going or just give up the ghost.
I have had an additional problem - an invasion of field mice in my tunnel meant I lost almost my entire first sowing of brassicas - about 1000 in all. So my brassicas are a wee bit behiind schedule - but it'll all come right in the end, just you wait and see

**Tractor Boys** · 25-05-2010, 08:33 PM

A 1,000 !!! brasicas puts my loss of 16 beans into total Insignificance walks into a quiet corner and looks embarassed.

**sewer rat** · 25-05-2010, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by Tractor Boys View Post

A 1,000 !!! brasicas puts my loss of 16 beans into total Insignificance walks into a quiet corner and looks embarassed.

Don't do that - I would be upset at the loss of 16 beans too

**Jeanied** · 25-05-2010, 08:49 PM

I've just started off my runner bean row with some volunteer seeds that have sprouted up in the old bean row!!! So much for all the snow and frost they must have been through! And this year seems to be a brilliant blossom year - I wonder if it will turn into a good fruit year?

**Nicos** · 25-05-2010, 08:51 PM

Well...we were only saying this evening that 12 weeks ago we had temps as low as -15C at night and today- only 12 weeks on - it was 34C this afternoon.
( thats 49C difference

- no wonder the plants don't know what to do!!)
No rain in all that time either

Bet it's almost as bad as trying to garden on the Moon!

**Helgalush** · 25-05-2010, 10:12 PM

This is my first year growing veggies but I have had a lot of stressful things going on around me so in a way I have been quite grateful that things have been slow to start since it means that I am not so far behind everyone else as I might have been had the weather been better.

The main frustration at the moment is that I have some things I want to take out of the blowaway and plant up in to their final pots but darent yet as this week is getting colder. I will wait until June then everything that can come out, will!

**rogesse** · 25-05-2010, 11:15 PM

This year does seem bad - my tomatoes are suffering and every other food plant seems to have a personal grudge against me! On the sort of plus side, I may have lost over 40 bean plants (my stalwart lottie neighbours lost more)and my Kiwi is toast but my bulbs and iris' are singing as are other perennials - the garden has never looked better. The fruit trees are also going for it and I hope for a good Jam summer!

**NewbieGardenerRow** · 25-05-2010, 11:20 PM

I've chanced it and re potted everything but my cabbage,cauli and broccolli seedlings (which are still only about 2" tall) and its all in my blow away greenhouse.
Its fit to burst.
Then I also put up my grow house and planted my cucs in there. Tonight its covered in a blanket (yes the greenhouse and the grow house) I usually use old threadbare sheets for shade but tonight its as a coat.
I'm on my second lot of beans after planting mine in a cold greenhouse first time and losing the lot and this time they have gone mad (24 plants) and are so ready to be planted out but I'm glad I held back or tonights cold snap would probably have got them.
I keep reading my allotment guide and it tells me what to plant out this month but it does say to make sure that the risk of frosts have passed before planting out!!!
That would be August then????

**taff** · 26-05-2010, 05:44 AM

I'velost nearly all the beans I planted to rot this year, which is unheard of, usually, it's poke them in,leave them a week,hey presto, beans.This year....I had one runner out of a sowing of 15, 2 frenchs out of a sowing of 20, the only ones that all germinated were yellow runners from franchi. One out of all cucumber/squash/melon have sprouted, no carrots, and half a row of beetroot.
The aubergines have sprouted but done nothing since, and the tomatoes are half the size

It'll all happen eventually.

**zazen999** · 26-05-2010, 05:45 AM

Originally posted by Jeanied View Post

I've just started off my runner bean row with some volunteer seeds that have sprouted up in the old bean row!!! So much for all the snow and frost they must have been through! And this year seems to be a brilliant blossom year - I wonder if it will turn into a good fruit year?

MR Z called me over to the old sweetcorn bed a the weekend [what a schmoozer]...I had left them where they stood for the insects to hibernate in and some cobs fell to the ground and the corn has germinated and I have about 30 new plants. And they are better than the ones I have tended in the greenhouse.

**lottie dolly** · 26-05-2010, 08:25 AM

this season is definatley having lots of unpredicted happennings lol,seems most peeps have had rotting seeds,and slow germination,me to,i sowed some more beens and they have comeing through as normal now,
i hope things regulate themselves,and the season is just a late starter,says she,

**Flummery** · 26-05-2010, 09:08 AM

Wierd weather. Down to 1.3 here last night. Me beans and courgettes are still inside!

**Tractor Boys** · 26-05-2010, 09:13 AM

I thought it was just me and I had lost my touch previously sown beans and the have sprouted all over the place it seems that we are all in the same boat but if it was easy all the time where would the challenge be.

**Welsh Wizard** · 26-05-2010, 09:23 PM

It is a weird year isnt it? I have had numerous setbacks: the late frosts being the worst of all. Some things roaring away: Clearly going to be a bumper lettuce/rocket year here. Others not so good: many many bean and corn seeds have fallen in battle....

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