[Catherine]

Just come back from the Somme - sorry my plot.  :roll:  This year I have lost all my tomatoes (about 16 plants) to blight, my broad beans got chocolate spot, two of my cabbages got root fly, my late planting broad beans got taken out by slugs one night when I forgot to put slug pellets down,  :oops:  the wind caught a stem of my aubergine in the polytunnel and broke it off and blew over my courgette plant (managed to save that one) hardly any of my peas germinated and the ones that did were very poor, today I found my curly kale has caterpillars on and to top it all my carrots have got root fly today as well.  I think tonight I am going to take to the bottle and drown my sorrows. :cry:

BUT looking on the bright side I have three courgette plants in the PT and been getting two courgettes some times three a day for weeks (yellow type Parador and Aurelia F1 I think), I have three tomatoe plants in the PT which at the moment are looking okay and three aubergines which I am wondering might be too late to flower. We have had pounds of broadbeans, runner beans, dwarf beans, cannelini beans, borlotti beans and my sunflowers are just starting to show their faces)  I have got two pumpkin and one butternut squash, three pattypans, a green courgette plant which is just starting to send out flowers and the one thing I was not bothered about a gourd plant which was planted by accident and has about 15 gourds on! :shock:  I have also got about 15 sweet corn plants with various amounts of cobs on, about 15 different sorts of cabbages, about thirty celery plants and about 90 leeks which I hope will start to pick up. Oh and some chard Bright Lights, (which my OH has decided that he does not think he likes when cooked)  So I shouldnt be sad, next year I will try harder and be more organised with protection for the carrots, which, because of my OH's accident earlier in the season, did not get put  up.  First year we have not done it so it serves us right.And I still have my health. So I am thankful for that and am not complaining much  How is everyone else faring?

[mrs bouquet]

Hi Catherine, its a bit like saying is my glass half full or half empty, because although you have had some disasters, you've also got some really good stuff going on there.  If you are interested I have just found a recipe for Courgette Loaf which has also got walnuts in it.  I haven't made it as I'm not a courgette fan, but everything else I made from this book is pretty good.  I have to say you've done much better than me and I expect tonight your glass will be completely empty, you deserve it  
Mrs Bouquet

[Trillium]

It's a sad reality of gardening that some seasons are better and some poorer than others. Gardeners can only go with the flow and learn; that's what makes a great future gardener. Next year will probably turn out much better.

[SnooziSuzi]

good on you for not complaining and packing it all in!  

we all have sucesses and failures and that's what keeps it interesting  

[Knoblauch]

My broad beans are riddled with the spot too, reading up on it it thrives in damp conditions only.  Pity as the few I've had off them so far have been just so delicious, like nothing else I've had before.  Just hope for an Indian summer so the rest of the stuff gets a chance.

[green fingers]

In spite of all the setbacks, disappointments, highs and lows, battles with a whole variety of pests (including human ones too) gardening is an exciting hobby.  Each day full of surprises - Joe public doesnt know what he is missing - it's a living soap
Hope springs eternal - next year could be the best ever :!:

[matron]

We can all live in hope that we have an Indian summer, that spring will be a good one, that next summer will be lovely and warm ...........
I shall be starting my seeds off in hope again. I do think that this year was a little bit better than last year so hopefully next year will be a bit better than this year.  :?
I know what I mean.

[titch]

i too have not had the most sucessful start - but totally addicted to this gardening lark - if it fails - there's alwasy next year, some better protection and some stuff learned - its all so exciting

[alwayshopeful]

Although it's fustrating, I'm quite glad to know I'm not the only one who is suffering!!  I only have a small garden plot at the moment, and so far nearly everything has got powdery mildew!!  Lost my peas to it, my swede are struggling but seem to be keeping it contained, and my courgette is just a lost cause.  My runner beans were doing really well, then got anthracnasomething, so those had to go, only three onions actually grew, even though I had planted about 50! And I have only got one pumpkin which I'm not sure will be ripe enough for halloween which was the main reason for growing it.  Oh and my tomatoes are still green.  

Better luck next year everyone!!

[compostqueen]

I've not been to my plot for a couple of weeks so dread to think what the courgettes will be like. It works out that way sometimes that work gets in the way and best laid plans get thwarted

I'm going round to my plot later and know it will be a mess but there will be veg there for the picking.  I'll just have to shrug my shoulders and start again. The shed roof will be a good place as it's been leaking like a colander. Hey ho   :roll:

[gus]

I love the uncertainty of the allotment.   You get let down with the weather  but then along comes a nice weekend   and your hopes rise that your tomatoes will ripen and you will get that bumper crop you are hoping for. I have had good harvests of garlick, onions and peas but i can't see my sweetcorn being ripe if the weather doesn't buck up. :!:  Think positively and if all else fails theres always next year.