[Honey65]

We've had our allotment since late May.  It was over grown we got it but thankfully the previous person had put carpets and plastic in some areas.  We both work full time and have 2 kids (10 and 8 years) but through hard work we managed to get about 3/4 of the plot dug and planted.  We even went to the effort of creating paths out of pallet slats which the girls painted bright pink and blue. 

We have heavy clay soil.  Stewart did the hard work creating 3 dug beds, all with well rotted manure, weeded and rotorvated.  I created 1 deep mulch bed and created 4 towers from used tyres filled with soil mixed with compost. 

Several of our neighbours gave high praise for the progress we'd made.  I'd agree it looks great but I still feel quite disappointed with what we managed to grow.  Here is a summary

Success
Courgettes - brilliant (in deep mulch bed)
Radishes - excellent but then not exactly hard 
Mange tout peas - brilliant (deep mulch)
French beans - ok but VERY slow to get going (deep mulch)
Onions - good (dug bed)
Savoy cabbages - surprising ok despite massive caterpillar destruction  (dug bed)

Rubbish
Borlotti beans - virtually no pods (tried all beds)
Edamame - don't even get me started on this failure... 
Sprouts - blown (in tyre towers)
Leeks - too woody / went to seed (dug bed)
carrots - didn't really grow (dug bed)

Mediocre but low yield
Potatoes - Ok (dug beds) - but fell a bit too much on cooking
Sweetcorn - (dug bed)
Turnips - leaves with holes (?flea beetle) and very small (dug bed)

I think I watered too much but interested to know if anyone else can see a pattern with these successes and failures.   Maybe its just an experience thing...

[blood]

It's been my first year too and I also have had successes and failures, try not to be too hard on yourself!! 

I have took this year as a massive learning curve (cliff)

sorry not much use on the advice front!!


Stephen

[agapanthus]

We are on heavy clay too...not nice Most of the raised beds fared quite well but the soil still needs lots of organic matter to improve it. This soil also has the disadvantage of being the dregs from the building of houses nearby. The houses were built quite a few years ago but the allotment field wasn't used very much. We had a donation of compost from Norfolk County Council, which has helped but it's going to be a long process before the soil is managable.

[azubah]

It looks to me that you have done very well for the first year.

Sprouts can be tricky.. best to buy F1 seeds.
Look on the net for the best variety of potatoes to suit your needs.
I find carrots very tricky as they either don't germinate or get eaten by carrot fly. They usually do best on raised beds.

The most important thing is to get out in the nice weather and enjoy what you are doing together as a family.

Next year will probably be even better.. That's what I always say..

[Totty]

Both the borlotti and edamame beans are low yielding so don't panic about it too much.
Sprouts much prefer really firm ground to stabilise themselves in. I suspect a tower of soil and compost is just too loose for them which can lead to blowing.
You didn't mention weather or not you grew everything from seed or bought plants. Leeks will often bolt if given a check to growth early on. If you bought plants in, it could be that they were stunted early on by either being under or over watered, or got too cold at some stage.
Potato yields vary hugely depending on variety and season. Your variety is probably not great for boiling, simple as that, not a problem with your soil.

On the whole it sounds like you have had success and failures, as we all do on here, but should be proud of what you have achieved in one season.

Totty

[New shoot]

Heavy clay is tough going to grow in until you have got some decent amounts of compost into it, so I also think you did well for a first year. 

Quite a few people struggled this year with sweetcorn and beans, so don't feel too bad about that.  I've never managed carrots on clay soil, so again, don't feel too bad.

If cougettes did well, then squash and pumpkins should do the same for you.  I grew these on my heavy clay soil from the start and they always cropped.  As for potatoes, I've had great success with Charlotte, Kestral and Anya on really heavy soil.  None of these will fall apart when you cook them.  Charlotte and Anya are great as salad potatoes and Kestral can be grown as an early main crop.

If you want a hardy source of greens that is pretty indestructable, perpetual spinach is very reliable 

[AnneB]

I agree with Totty.  I am not going to bother with Borlotti beans again.  Although lovely, you need to grow an awful lot to get a reasonable crop.   This partly explains why you can't buy them easily and when you can they are an exorbitant price.   For me, they just take up too much room for what you get.

[Honey65]

Thanks guys.  to be honest, typing it all up made me realise I'd actually done better than I thought.   

[shoozie]

to be honest, typing it all up made me realise I'd actually done better than I thought.   

Just what I was thinking    Well done !

What potatoes did you grow?  If they fell apart on cooking, then that's not about your clay - you'll get lots of advice here on that.

Carrots - you'll get good results if you can make a raised bed with a lighter soil or compost base.  Carrots like early Nantes and autumn king grow well in 'tamed' clay.

Sprouts - hats off to you for trying.  They'll grow well on clay, firm them in. but keep pests away by netting and keep slugs off.  Some of mine are like doilies just now. 

Sounds like you've got some good results and some things to work on next year 

[MalcW]

We took our plot on too late this year to do much with, other than clear it, so next year will be our first 'proper' year. If we do as well as you did I'll be happy. I'm mostly going to work on the 'copy everyone else' principle.

[Honey65]

We took our plot on too late this year to do much with, other than clear it, so next year will be our first 'proper' year. If we do as well as you did I'll be happy. I'm mostly going to work on the 'copy everyone else' principle.

My principle was 'do the minimum' whereas OH was 'only through hard slog will it succeed' . To be honest looking at the success list the deep mulch bed (VERY easy) was the best    Also, now I've dug it over for next season, the soil is fantastic.  I love being right....

[JohnB47]

As regards the spuds - I've had that problem from the beginning. Ive read that it's probably down to dry conditions at the spud forming stage. Ive got around it by buying a steamer and cook all of my spuds in that. Problem solved. They do roast well too though.

Personally, if I'd managed to try as many types of vegetables and had the sucesses youve had I'd be pretty chuffed. I tried carrots in my first year - miserable. Never again.

You'll do even better in future as you discover what works in your soil/conditions.