[Chiswickian]

I have just returned from a two week break and surveyed the plot this eveing.....seemed awfully fry and much of my stuff seems weeks behind last year's efforts. W're just not getting any rain in West London and it's showing badly. Tomatoes doing ok nut poss signs of blight on the leves. Beets good but the celeriac and corn are absolutely pathetic. Ditto the rasps and strawbs. Even the brassicas are paltry. Potatoes wer gorgeous though few and far between and had scab. Had my best ever harvest of goosegogs and currants though!!

anyone else having a weird success rate??

[Yorkie]

Yep, peas only 8" tall but flowering, beans not being particularly co-operative or tender.  Lowish spud yield.

Think corn and courgettes will be OK but we'll see about the rest.

It's the bonkers weather and not being diligent enough about watering during dry spells for me, I think

[Paul Plots]

Sweet peas on the plot have gone to seed early and didn't obscure the windows this year as they usually do.... more frequent watering needed.

On the other hand: My dad's sweet peas (all from the same stock) have been wonderful - he has drowned watered his every day! 

[Christine]

Nope I'm having a peculiar year. The weather hasn't read the seasons - and not even the forecast some days. The crops haven't read the text books I read this year, nor even the seed packets they come in and the pests are re-writing the rules if you ask me.

But the peas, strawberries, salad and raspberries have paid for themselves plus some.

[solway cropper]

It's been OK up here although yields of some things are down. We've been picking all manner of fresh fruit and veg since early June. Plum tree only has 5 fruit on it but to compensate I picked 11lbs of blackcurrants from one bush. Peas have been cropping continually but they are coming to an end now just as the French/runner beans are filling out. I think the main reason for my success has been the copious amounts of compost dug into the ground which has help to hold any moisture there has been.

[mumofstig]

the pea crop on my new lottie has not been good, but it is sandy soil and lack of water
Pollination on the sweetcorn wasn't great ..I think it was cos it turned very windy just as the tassels opened and blew the pollen away

I think I need to be adding lots of compost and manure over the next few years to help with that.

On the plus side it looks to be a bumper year for squash and pumpkins, and the spuds have managed to grow fair yields, with the occasional good watering, and all the beans seem to be doing fine at last

[HilaryG]

It's only my 3rd year but yes it's been pretty weird. Lost 1st Earlies, runners, greengages, pears, apples and some strawbs in the frost. Everything else is okish. Fantastic sweetcorn, courgettes and beans in the 3 sisters bed to make up for it though.
We've only had 2 or 3 decent bits of rain in 2 or 3 months.  Going away on hol now.....dread to think what'll be there when I get back!! 

[sunshineband]

Mainly veg at the plot is good, but weirdly this year tomatoes int he rgeenhouse at home ar rubbish and cucumbers superb.

Last year it was the other way around.,

Aubergines still useless again, despite tuition   

[TheSpartacat]

My tomatoes are not as tall as they should be. Nicely heavy with fruit but short!!! Some of the lower trusses are insisting on sitting on the ground... feeding like crazy but they're not playing along!

Potato crop wasnt great either.... either in the grow bags (very poor offering from the first earlies)- am waiting on the second earlies as they went in a bit late... but had a little nosey around under one of the haulms and only see a couple marbles :-(
Blaming the lack of rain on that front.

Peas had a so-so crop, but the plants fried a bit in the sun- looking a bit crispy now. Tempted to pull them and give the space to my cabbages but theres still a few half formed peas on there... and i lurve me peas :-)

French beans did great.

My plot neighbours cucumbers are growing out the top of the greenhouse so it seems a good year for cukes!!! :-)

[Chiswickian]

thanks for the replies.
My sweetcorn is pathetic. Only about 6" high despite sowing in peat pots and transplanting 6 weeks ago. I know that my 10 day holiday hasn't helped but I thought that the warm weather would have helped sweetcorn. Tomatoes are doing ok (sungold is so gorgeous) and I saw a glimmer of hope on the cucumber front today (I am growing crystal lemon cucumbers for the first time)

Celeriac is my great love. The plants seem healthy enough but I see no sign of a useful swelling on the stem yet. I have soaked the bed tonight (as it were) and hope for the best

[Bizzi Lizzi]

I thought it was just me having a bad year.  Been gardening for years but only really veg growing for three or so and this is my poorest yet despite ploughing money, time and lots of patience into it all.

Small onions, peas a total washout, an iffy cucumber, unripening tomatoes, spring onions that won't fill out, very small crop of broad beans, poor carrots - need I go on?  However, lettuce magnificent and peppers too. 

So disheartened that I am very seriously thinking of not replacing my greenhouse as planned but grassing over.

[Ivah]

Bumper year here, running out of people to give things away to. Masses of soft fruit - Strawberries, Black Currants, Red Currants, Gooseberries, Blueberries - best Garlic ever, just starting Onions, wonderful Potatoes - 76Kg Charlotte from 33 seeds this week - French Beans, Runner Beans, Peas, Mangetout, gap in the Brassicas but we've eaten Cabbage, Cauliflower and Calabrese, overrun with roots as well, Carrots, massive Parsnips and Swedes developing, Beetroot, Squashes and Pumpkins developing, don't mention Courgettes - wife insisted on 10 plants! I dig deeply and use lots of compost, we are usually very high rainfall so I think the good preparation storing moisture deep down and dry warmth has really made things kick off.