[Beetroot queen]

Our first year and I cant even grow a cabbage so chin up, and keep going, the secret to looking like you have sussed it is .....................

Only post pics of the good stuff. LOL dont give up a plot is on its way.

On our site and with our local council the boys tend to get what they want more than us girls. The OB's brag about how much soap they give the lady at the council and they get away with murder, got to love em but they also make you look to heaven and laugh 

[alwayshopeful]

Thanks for all the encouragement, makes me feel much better - guess I was just having a bad day 

[Jakell]

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 

 Are you doing any better or worse than others on your site. This is probably the best comparison to make rather than living up to an ideal, if your doing worse then them then you might get some local tips as to their success.

 I always grow potatoes, they're nearly always a guaranteed cropper, assuming that if you spot blight you dig them up immediately.

 You might just be stuck with bad soil. I am often amazed at what some of the previous generation considered to be gardening ie no proper rotation leading to onion rot clubroot etc just throw chemicals at everything, and also no concept whatsoever of maintaining fertility by putting compost or manure into the soil, just chemical fertilsers.

[Iain j]

All I can say is DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!

I have only had mine since May, and it is well over grown but I am not going to give up

[Trillium]

What you could always try is to go to your expected allotment site and start hanging around with a few of the older, experienced gardeners and start asking them questions and OBSERVE. See what they're doing or not doing and ask about it. Most older people are glad to pass on information, even if a bit outdated at times, but the bulk will be very useful to you. Perhaps, as others found, an older gardener can't manage his/her full plot and will gladly take on a helper to share work and produce. It's a fantastic way to learn and gain at the same time.

[DIGGER]

I laughed,i know i should;nt, but there was a lady at the allotment yesterday looking at her weeds.
She was crying and screaming,I cant cope i did'nt think it would be like this.

I know thats no help what so ever,but she was back today with her hoe and a bored looking husband.

Keep your chin up

[Stree]

Things could be worse.......... So far this year I have lost 3 lots of sweetpea sowing, all were doing really well.
a row of cabbages and broccoli  that were looking really healthy, 2 different sowings of lettuce that were almost full size, a dozen out of 30 spud plants that were just coming into flpwer, these were the "heritage" spuds and cost a fortune..
2 bowls of Paris Market cherry carrots that were doing great, a couple of rows of "ordinary" carrots that were just taking off nicely, a container of salad nasturtiums,  five tomato plants that were just coming into flower. a row of sugarsnap peas.............
Yes, there is a downside to keeping a goose and a gander...........
as for usual pests diseases and blights, not so much a one slug nibble..........

Sigh.................

[mumofstig]

You need goose proof fencing really badley

[joyfull]

yes but then the slugs would get it all  and you cant eat slug eggs 

[gorymorph]

Re an allotment or land to grow on. Have you tried the landshare web site. Its through the chanel 4 tv station, and was started by "Hugh Fernley Whitingstall", thats how i got mine, i share with someone else. The idea of the site is, you sign up as a grower and it matches people that want to grow with people that have land available weather that be to share with somone or have  a plot of your own.     try this link  http://landshare.channel4.com/listings/

[barney rubble]

Re an allotment or land to grow on. Have you tried the landshare web site. Its through the chanel 4 tv station, and was started by "Hugh Fernley Whitingstall", thats how i got mine, i share with someone else. The idea of the site is, you sign up as a grower and it matches people that want to grow with people that have land available weather that be to share with somone or have  a plot of your own.     try this link  http://landshare.channel4.com/listings/

thanks for this reference gorymorph

[lucylike]

I'm sure you are feeling better now - even I do.

As previously said, we all have our problems. All my strawberry plants are dying of black root rot and all my garlic has been brought down by grey mold 

My courgettes are devolping some funny yellow leaves and I don't know yet what to make of it...

I think cabbages are not an easy crop to grow, at least I didn't find it easy and have given up on them after a year. I'm growing lots of other things instead.

I'm sharing an allotment with three friends so I think it's worth to check on your local allotment if someone wants to share.

Whatever happens - DON'T GIVE UP 

[GrannieAnnie]

Even after being in this house for almost 7 years now, the garden is a tangle of weeds, most of my veg plants are still in the greenhouse waiting to go out and I can't seem to keep on top of the weeds that are drowning my carrots and parsnips, but that's because looking after my chooks seems to take forever, and they must come first.

Now Brian is even talking about moving my veg patch to an even smaller area and putting up chicken houses on it and even to taking down my polytunnel!!!!

We all have good and bad days, and I hope your good days come soon!!!!