Eggasperated Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Just been looking at what I've cropped from my vegetable garden and all in all it's been a better crop than the last couple of years albeit lots of things are a bit late. Things that have done well: Cucumbers, tomatoes (bit late starting to ripen), chillies (ditto tomatos), broad beans, French beans, runner beans, beetroot, spinach, carrots (winter ones also coming along nicely), potatoes (first year in ages not got blight by mid-August), garlic (but always seems to do well) and shallots. So-so crops: Peas (but a bit shaded by hedge) and courgettes (although they appear to be getting going now). Poor crops: Onions (don't understand this, half of them don't seem to be much bigger than the sets I put in ), spring onions, turnips (loads gone to seed) and parsnips (only half a dozen or so germinated). Plus absolutely tons of strawberries and a good crop of blackcurrants and gooseberries. Also lots of brassicas coming along nicely for the winter and masses of apples on the trees. How has everyone else done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'm really pleased with my veg growing since I lost my veg patch and had to set up a new one. It's small but perfectly formed . Rhubarb, lettuce (shouldn't have planted so much at once though ), mange tout and peas, courgettes and purple sprouting broccoli. Also got some little round carrots in pots (not picked any yet though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartacus2003 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 My tomoatoes have been good, courgettes were a total fail. Onions and Leeks I grew from seed from the first time were quite good.... However I've had to lose my raised beds etc to make room for getting some chickens... However, I am getting an allotment shortly so can go mad down there with veg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, chard and rhubarb - the fennel was a disappointment though, second year running I have had lovely feathery tops but no bulb developing And my carrots didn't come up. I have a tiny veg plot, and I'm never going to be self-sufficient but I love the spirit of taking money away from the supermarket, even if it's only one or two meals a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 We've had a great year so far with only failures being broad beans which got killed off by massive black fly explosion, fennel which bolted, and book choi which also bolted. We have the best sweet corn in years, have had loads of lovely salad stuff including good spring onions which is a first. Masses of huge cauliflowers and cabbages. Turnips are also huge but still tender. Tonight we had a vegetable curry with 10 different veg in it all but the aubergines were grown by us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Cucumbers not bad, 3 toms ripened and suspect others might ripen by Xmas onions various sizes, excellent strawberries, currants and rhubarb. Garlic a dead loss. Courgettes slow And the winter caulis have blossomed this summer - god knows why - somewhat miffed as i wanted winter ones. Potatoes also slow. I love my allotment but at times wonder - is it worth the effort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 That's interesting about your caulis Ali as my daughter has just grown them for the first time and said she has a lovely crop of football size caulis all ready now, which she wasn't expecting; looks like I might have to help her eat them . I love my allotment but at times wonder - is it worth the effort? I always try and think of my veg garden as a free gym with bonuses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Yup either I misread the label but I purchased Brocolli and sprout plants (I hope!!) as well or the label was wrong, or wrong seeds. It was from a lovely garden centre in Measham - East midlands and the plants were superb. I will have to live on cauliflower cheese and send one to my dad as he was with me. Interesting someone else has early caulis. What was also amazing is that I purchased 30 of each and when I came to planting there was 2 in most plugs. As I have had little success in the past I bunged them in and covered from pesky pigeons I may not regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Cucumbers not bad, 3 toms ripened and suspect others might ripen by Xmas onions various sizes, excellent strawberries, currants and rhubarb. Garlic a dead loss. Courgettes slow And the winter caulis have blossomed this summer - god knows why - somewhat miffed as i wanted winter ones. it's a cauliflower year I've had two or three good ones like yours winter ones and We had some of the best cauli's I've seen for a while at the Sandwell show this week end Potatoes also slow. I love my allotment but at times wonder - is it worth the effort? spuds aren't technical slow this year it's just that for the last 5 or 6 years they've been early due to warm early springs so they got planted early the problem will be if we get wet humid weather between now and early October as that will bring on late blight and late blight is the main cause of tuber blight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Despite all my careful netting, something's been nibbling my broccoli . I've found quite a few small caterpillars (which Layla enjoyed ) but don't know quite how anything got in there in the first place . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Melons (supposedly ones that will mature and ripen in the UK) didn't even set fruit despite loads of flowers. Plenty of rhubarb, lots of salads and herbs and the quince tree is absolutely laden with fruit - if it all ripens I will have masses of preserves and quince brandy for Christmas . Beetroot were a great success and I wish I had sown more of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Melons (supposedly ones that will mature and ripen in the UK) didn't even set fruit despite loads of flowers. Plenty of rhubarb, lots of salads and herbs and the quince tree is absolutely laden with fruit - if it all ripens I will have masses of preserves and quince brandy for Christmas . Beetroot were a great success and I wish I had sown more of them. did they have any female flowers on them and did you have more than one plant of the squash family a lot of melons are self sterile and unlike modern cucumbers and courgettes need a pollination partner as long as it's from the squash family they aren't to fussy were the pollen comes from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have a water melon in my greenhouse that is slightly bigger than tennis ball, not sure that it has time to mature, but it is growing rapidly every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Melons (supposedly ones that will mature and ripen in the UK) didn't even set fruit despite loads of flowers. Plenty of rhubarb, lots of salads and herbs and the quince tree is absolutely laden with fruit - if it all ripens I will have masses of preserves and quince brandy for Christmas . Beetroot were a great success and I wish I had sown more of them. did they have any female flowers on them and did you have more than one plant of the squash family a lot of melons are self sterile and unlike modern cucumbers and courgettes need a pollination partner as long as it's from the squash family they aren't to fussy were the pollen comes from I had several melon plants, and there were female flowers but possibly no male ones... No other possible pollinators in my garden but my neighbours have courgettes - the melons are still flowering but I've written them off as a failed experiment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I am impressed. Where do you get the seed from out of interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 It was from a garden centre, one of the James Wong range of veg seeds. No melons for us this year but the huge k"Ooops, word censored!"bly French tomatoes are finally ripening - seed from Lidl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Finally got around to picking and freezing all of my black currants, lovely big fruits. I seem to have a freezer full of fruit for the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Oh lovely chickencam . Mine were only one year old bushes but I still had enough for some jam and a crumble. I've been freezing beans today, bit fed up with all the blanching now but I know it will be worth it in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 It's been a great year for climbing French beans on my allotment; I must have picked 7 kg! I've given loads away and have been freezing them, too. Last year I had virtually none at all - or much of anything else for that matter - apart from slugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 tell me about those monster 'slugs' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Well first year in our new garden, and after the late start sweetcorn, courgettes, squash, runner beans, peas, carrots all doing well. Lots of chillies too, but not as many tomatoes or potatoes as usual. The weather has been so different to what I'm used too as have only been veggie growing for 4 years and never had such a late start, however really pleased with what we've got this year as only got the veg beds ready in January. Inherited plum trees too and have a serious plum glut. Jam made last weekend, plum chutney planned for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 I will be awash with greengages too soon, I know you can make jam but we dont eat a lot of the stuff - can you make chutney from them anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Good: Tomatoes Gerkins Swedes Cabbages Salads Potatoes Sugarsnaps Fair: Beets Courgettes Carrots Parsnips Beans Disaster: Onions (I swear, there are smaller than th sets I put in) Garlic (tiny but useable) Strawberries (Forgot to lift the net during flowering) Currants (Think I cut back this years fruiting shoots by mistake) Cauliflowers (No clue... just "Ooops, word censored!") Apples (5 in total... bitter) Pears (none at all) Good but eaten by the birds (not chickens) Goosegogs Cherries Rasberries Second Salads All in all.. am a total novice and this is good for me. I think if we had had Spring when it was supposed to be here, things might have done better. There's always next year *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Went out to check my broccoli and despite picking loads of caterpillars off at the w/e and spraying the plants, there were loads more - and more holes than leaf . How the heck do you stop butterflies laying their eggs on the plants - they were really well netted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Cabbage white butterflies are a nightmare, they can get through, around and under anything. We use enviro mesh and still find the little horrors flying around under it, although it does help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
