[Sadgit]

Went to the plot for the 1st time in a week and weeds have taken over (more than before), as I am finding it hard to get there much lately. Won't make much difference if I was there every day as the stuff I am getting is terrible.

Spuds - from 5 rows of 7m, perhaps 3-4 carrier bags of golf ball and marble sized spuds. Mainly due I think of the slugs getting to the seed spuds before I put down the nemaslug. totally gutted about them. none to store at all. The Desiree I craved for my jacket spuds are well useless..

french climbing beans - something is taking the tops off them even though they are already climbing nicely and have stopped now they are 4ft due to something..... no pic as I didn't have a camera with me.

Asparagus - looks like all 30 are dead as I dug one up to check on them as I saw nothing since I planted the 1 year crowns last year.

peas - maggots in the last of the crop so they are useless now.

Toms - one at the plot have died

garlic and onions - even though I got a decent crop I still lost a load thanks to the dodo weather as they rotted.

carrots - terrible, rabbits and slugs thanks guys..

Parsnips - gave up last year due to terrible forking.

Fennel - bolting like there is no tomorrow.

Broc - slugs and some critter has wiped out half my crop.

Cost - costing so much on stuff like nemaslug, slug pellets, etc etc isn't making it very viable.

Beginning to think is it really worth the hassle? I really love the whole idea of it all and getting good crops. Even after last years awful summer I was more hopeful for this year, only to have it totally dashed once more.

Am I being a cry baby and need to get a grip and get over it?

[Christine]

It's easy to feel downbeat after a couple of non summers like we have had.

We did absolutely nothing in the way of production last year (clay soil and wet) and spent most of the year with areas under green manure, getting rid of weeds and adding goodness to the soil. It cost far more than really was sensible what with putting in herbs and fruit and the cost of bringing in top up goodies for the soil. This year we have crops but due to the summer it's not as plentiful as it could be.

If you are short of time, an allotment can be very hard work. It also takes about five years from starting to get the soil how you want it - no-one ever tells you what has been done by previous gardeners. This means you have no idea what has been grown where so you can't do crop rotation and you have no idea if there are been compost or manure applied. This of course could explain the lack of crops. I fear a digging in of "stuff" is required over winter. Slugs and snails happen. A dry summer would reduce the population no end.

There is no cheer for a gardener after two wet summers. Two normal summers would make you a lot happier as you would do better.

[SnooziSuzi]

If OH was at work this week he'd have brought in a few cabbages for you - I'm overrun with them  :roll:

Much of my stuff hasn't performed as well as I'd have liked - spuds are small with scab (first year i have grown in that particular spot so, as christine says, not sure what was in the soil before hand), didn't get GH#2 built in time to get toms in so only have one plant stalwartly growing some plum toms, didn't get any leeks in - not sure if it's too late or not, and I just plain didn't like the broad beans I'd planted (never tried them before).

all in all I seem to have missed 2 whole months of potential sowings and growings all because (despite what he's told you) I haven't got #2 bed sorted yet and it's going to take ages 'cos I need to get the wood for the sides first.  Hope my bonus comes in this month  :?

[mumsflowerpot]

It may be a lucky break, but I have had some success in rescuing plants from slug damage by surrounding them with bran.  Apparently they eat the bran first and suffer dire consequences, it is not too expensive either!

[kezlou]

Know how you feel, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage all gone to flower or the slugs have got them. I swear they getting bigger.
Storms killed most of my tom, sweet peppers, cucumbers and chillies first time growing them was going really well. Now just keeling over so unimpressed. Carrots all foliage not root, so pulling them out as soon as it stops raining.
Can't get over the plot because of all the rain, just a mud bath, its just awful.Just hoping the peas and squashes are surviving over there in they own.

Hopefully next year will be slightly better.

[iwantanallotment]

I s'pose I'm lucky, being new to it all and having no 'successful season' to compare with, so it's easy to write off the things that have gone to seed - pak choi, fennel - and the things ruined by pests - cabbages - the things that have just died for no apparent reason - gooseberry, cucumber and the things that aren't thriving as they should - sprouts. Not to even mention weeds, which after a spell away are prolific.
It must be really difficult for those of you who are accustomed to good crops and are being beaten by things beyond control, ie the weather and shortage of time.
Don't give up, SG. I'm sorry you've had such a dodo season, but hopefully next year will be better re slugs with the nemaslug and maybe it won't be as wet?
We can but hope, and you know it is worth it really, despite the disappointments  

[compostqueen]

It's always worth it but you have to take the long view.  For every crop that bites the dust something will come good.  My lotty neighbour was moaning about brassicas the other day that he'd not checked properly and there was a beautiful cauli just sitting there looking gorgeous. he was so busy moaning he'd overlooked it    

Oh well you can always give it up and go back to buying the blemish-free stuff from the supermarket. Much less hassle as you say

No me though, I'd rather have lotty hassle than any other  

[luckypurplebutterfly]

I know the feeling, I got back 2 potatoes for each one I planted, it would have been cheaper to buy them.

I've also been over run by poppies due to a lack of time to get to the plot. I'm trying to treat this year as a time for learning and hopefully next year I'll have a better idea about what to do when. I definately need to feed my soil up.

As for slugs, there is an organic killer by 'Growing Success' which doesn't kill thrushes/hedgehogs etc. It is iron based and makes the slugs feel full so they crawl off and starve rather than being poisoned. It seems to have helped my pots at home but I haven't used it on the plot yet.

[sharky]

Had the same problem. I've gave up on the plot as the only thing it grows perfectly is weeds. It is ridiculous and makes me half mad when I think about it. I dug that plot 4 times to remove the perennial roots but now it is covered in them.

Will try glycophosphate and give it a rest next year as the weeds are so bad, they have even started to grow on the lawn cose by so I would not be surprised if that will even kill them.

These are the weeds and a thread I started about them early in the year (apparently called 'self heal'):
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=14214&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[nothinghasdiedyet]

For gods sake no one link a gun shop in this thread

[iwantanallotment]

     

[fletch]

SG, I know exactly how you feel, I can't believe I posted this pic in early June...........



It took me 14 months of bl@@dy hard work and not a few quid to get to that point and if I took a picture today (if it ever stopped raining) it is unrecognisable. Weeds like you wouldn't believe, everything has bolted, blighted spuds and no pumpkins or squashes as it was too cold to get them going. My plot is less than a minute from my house, so it's not for want of trying, it just never stops raining  :evil: and the soil is totally waterlogged.

As soon as it dries out a bit I'm just ripping the lot out and covering it up for next year because as people have said, maybe next year will be better.

I wouldn't give up though, there's a reason why you started it all in the first place so just try and keep focusing on that, although I appreciate that is easier said than done.

[yummy]

Ooh Fletch that looks lovely. I wish I lived in Tod. My Uncle does (at the bottom of Stoodley Pike)

This is only our second year so not alot to compare with really. Last year was rubbish due to flooding. We haven't had much so far this year because we both have back injuries and were out of action earlier this year. I'm feeling a bit more positive about it in general because we are gradually getting on top of it all. If we keep on top of it all (and we don't get washed away again) then we should be eating some nice salad, sweetcorn, pumpkins, runner beans, mange tout and brocolli in the next couple of months. We have plans to over winter some stuff and we are getting spaces ready for that at the moment.

We have spent quite a bit of money building raised beds (to stop flooding and minimise weeding) and we got some worm compost delivered to fill them in. Compost was full of weed seeds. Have spent more time on hands and knees pulling out thousands of the little gits, than I would have done hoeing what was there before.

Arrived to find 1/4 of the plot waterlogged this morning though  :roll:

Cheer up SG. It will be ok.

[richyrich7]

Chin up SG times always a factor, I've had a real lack of time this year and its amazing ( frightening) how quickly weeds take control. :shock: I've resigned myself to just harvesting at the mo, 3 weeks and the kids are back at school and the weedkillers coming out. The weather this year as last has been strange which don't help. Keep at it mate  

[mrs bouquet]

Having read all your posts, maybe you can have some sympathy with farmers  !!  Mrs Bouquet