[alwayshopeful]

Help, I feel like chucking it all in    Need some encouragement.

This is my third year at gardening, still not got lottie but am on the list, but do have quite a good sized plot at the top of garden.  So far summer cabbages have failed to heart up and a few have gone to flower (have used as greens but are actually quite tasteless!)  Broccoli seemed to put all its effort into growing one huge leaf - more leaves sprouting from bottom, so have cut off large leaves but so far nothing happening.  All of my onions attacked by eel worm, seed tapes used for growing carrots have only half worked (about 10 carrots in two rows!), beat leaf miner attacking beetroot, something attacking pumpkins, tomatoes not growing (still less than 1 meter high and showing no signs of flowering).

What am I doing wrong, expected poor harvesting last year because of weather, but thought I might have better luck this year 

[mumofstig]

When did you sow your summer cabbage ...were you expecting them to heart too early

Suttons seeds:Summer cabbage is grown from seeds sown as early as January, the plants put out in late spring and the crop picked in July or August.

Same question for broccoli...it can take 3 or so months to head up if it's calabrese or not till next spring if it's the early sprouting type. I wouldn't prune anymore off them as that'll weaken them.
Leaf miner doesn't usully do too much harm...plants grow on to make roots. Pumpkins usually te same..they can take a bit of damage and pull through.
My tomatoes are less than a mt tall but do have first signs of a flower truss, i will admit...but the chilly weather isn't helping them
Bad luck with the onions though, and I personally don't like the seed tapes didn't work for me either
It doesn't sound to me as if you are any different to the rest of us...so chin up we all have different problems to cope with each year...you get a feel for what's coming the longer you grow veg. I'm sure you will get harvest this year but be patient

[Debz]

These things can happen anyone.  Only 5 of my peas germinated this year and I am running out of time to get some more in.  My tomatoes are probably not even 1/2 a metre yet and only just starting to show buds.  I am now only eating the cabbages that I overwintered and they don't have hearts but I think they are maybe spring greens and not that way inclined.  My overwintered PSB grew beautifully but never ever sprouted so the hens got to eat it instead.  None of these issues are stopping me from trying again and I am just doing what I can in the garden and in pots.  Chin up and be patient.

[peterjf]

i was on my councils waiting list for 5 yrs ,

i went down the allotment site every sunday , eventually after 5 months i shared an old guys plot with him , because his plot was getting too much for him,

all those hours sat in the plot shop paid off for me , ive now got a double plot , 500 sq yrds , 

[lisa80]

it is worth going down to ur local allotment to see if anyone wants to share, alot of people do on ours . i think you need to just sit back and see what happens with your plants mine all looked like they were dying a few weeks ago but a week of good rain has sped things up no end and all is looking good now.

[diggerjoe]

My toms no where near flowering, they just sit there - i've got that pyrilid stuff on some of  my pots so I can sympathise - but dont chuck it in  even if it takes forever you always seem to get somewhere eventually and its always worth it

[andreadon]

now,now,  the prize for worst and most useless veg grower in the world goes to me: stop trying to steal my crown!! 

can't give any advice: but usually it works that if it's the way i've done it, then do it another way cos i'll have done it wrongly!
 

[peapod]

The first couple of years are hard, theres no denying it...plants fail, unexpected things get in the way and take time away, you seem to be in a never-ending battle against creatures, weather is never good enough for a long push to get your plants doing what they should.  Its hard and can be demoralising.  My cabbages suck too! But look at your successes. not everything fails, theres always something to keep your chin up
And its only June...plenty of time for more to go in.  Keep going, its worth it all when you you finally achieved that first target you set yourself

[barney rubble]

Don't get disheatened alwayshopeful

[Mitsy]

I too am having problems.....lost all my radish to root fly and just lost a cuke to greenfly and trying to save rest as well as pumpkins. Slugs are an endless battle. Keep plodding on though cos it'll all be worth it in the end 

[compostqueen]

it's the same for everyone, we all face the same pests and variable weather conditions which seem to conspire against us. There's always going to be something that does well - honestly    I've not got any pumpkins in at all yet as I've been very busy but I plan to get them in this weekend.  I think it helps to have a positive outlook, sort of glass half full type of approach 

[SnooziSuzi]

Sorry Alwayshopeful...  I would like to reassure you and make everything OK, and will probably get flamed for this frank reply (kudos on everyone else for giving some positive support), but this is what gardening and GYO is all about...  some things work and some don't.

I don't want to kick you when you're down but everyone has failures, even the old boys who have gardened for their whole lives - difference is they have learned what works and what doesn't and they realise that if it doesn't work this year then there's always next year.

My plot doesn't have soil as such... instead it's just shale and ash from when the land was used as a dump.  I keep digging up whole concrete slabs, wire, buried clothes plastic bags and other things dumped by previous allotment holders.  it gets me down because the soil isn't fertile and is probably harmfull.  As a result a lot of my crops need extra care to make sure I get the most out of them.   

The recent dry spell meant I ran out of water for my plants and lost some of my seedlings and had to start again.  weeds are invading my paths dispite me hoeing them every weekend...  if the hens get out they decimate my salad stuff.

My point is that it is an ongoing battle against things that constantly fail but you have to make the best of it, learn from your mistakes and find ways to minimise the problems you have had in previous years.

Sorry, not very good at motivational speeches

[peapod]

Seemed pretty good to me Suzi! Nail on the head there 

[compostqueen]

It's all character forming isn't it - strength out of adversity. When you sit down to a plate of beetroot or spuds you forget all the dodo you've had to put up with 

[BigPaddy]

I would suggest alwayshopeful that you do visit allotment sites and make yourself known. This way you will hear when plots are not being used. Second I would make best friends with the council person in charge.

The site told me what plots were not being used, my best friend contacted those plot owners and asked them their intentions. Result I got a plot. Just one year on I have two plots and another person has let me use half their plot. Sounds great, but I did let my sister and brother-in-law in too so I am not quite so greddy as i might appear.

Stick in there it will happen and once in it is easier.

p.s. only the half plot was in any state to use first off so even getting an allotment is not the end of the trail.