[Flowertot]

Last year was an excellent spud year for me (lots of rain) but I had the worst year yet for courgettes/squashes. This year my spuds are not great even despite watering, but I already have squashes forming and picked 10 courgettes from 3 plants the other day. What is different for you so far this year?

[mumofstig]

I've got good spuds (watered now and again) and slow courgettes/squashes  Couldn't make it up could you?

[New shoot]

My spuds are fine and I haven't watered - there are upsides to clay soil after all 

My squashes, courgettes and cukes were all slow, but I was at the plot yesterday and they have that gleam in their eye.   You know the one when you just know you will go back in a few days to be lassoed by tendrils     

The overwintered shallots, onions and garlic have been poor though.  Some garlic harvested at a decent size, but most of the shallots are pretty puny looking.  The onions bolted weeks ago but the guy next door has just lifted a fantastic crop.  They were there drying yesterday for me to feel jealous over    Oh well 

[victoria park]

My onions have been a disaster for the first time ever, from seed germination to set performance, with 3 sowings and one group of spring sets an absolute write off. I will be very lucky if I have enough to last after the new year. Not really as a result of the weather.
Yet, my caulis and carrots, that have always been a bit of a problem for me are proving to be absolutely first class, excellent.
I think sometimes I take some crops for granted, don't take so much care in small ways as one should, and then reap a poor harvest. It doesn't take much.

[JayG]

Dug my first Lady Christl spuds yesterday - can't speak for the rest of them but the crop seems to be matching the excellent top growth they put on this year.
Although I watered them during the dry spells I can't really explain why they have done better than in most previous years.

Courgettes starting to get into their stride after a late start due to poor germination of the Green Bush (only got two plants after several attempts so had to buy and sow some Black Beauty seeds just in case, so could well be overwhelmed with courgettes this year!)

Generally, the hot and dry, then cool and wet conditions seem to have averaged out, so most crops are at about the same stage now as in other years.

[Growster...]

Runners are not doing at all well... Planted a new lot for some sort of continuity, but it was slug damage rather than weather methinks.

Spuds looked dried-up and awful, until I dug the first Pentland Javelins this morning, and got 3lb2oz from one plant, which is a record for me!

[mumofstig]

Yes, I agree, PJs have been really good this year 

[Growster...]

Yes, I agree, PJs have been really good this year 

It's funny that, isn't it Mum.

Normally, our PJs have been neither here nor there, but we had a favourite uncle who swore by them, and they were absolutely fabulous when he grew them...

So we keep trying to get them like he nurtured them, and this year just might be the year when we say 'Hey, Uncle Ken - you were spot on, you lovely old boy - and give our love to Auntie Nip while you're up there please x'!

It's what we all do when gardening, I still 'ask' loads of past friends and relations what they'd do in any circumstances in the garden or down on 'The Patch'...

It's important.

[ptarmigan]

Hardly anything that I direct sowed at the allotment has done well - I think that really dry spell did for most things as I didn't water anything.

Just getting signs from peas and beans where I tried a second sowing.

Carrots - carefully nurtured them till I realised they were actually nigella seedlings - self sown from last year.  God knows where the carrots went!

Potatoes have been fabulous after a poor start last year and the currants are amazing.

[chillimummy]

Potatoes looking healthy and were good crop last year.
French beans have barely grown since planted them weeks ago and a few are just stalks 
Last year had a ridiculous crop of them. Couldn't keep on top of picking them
Have had to sow second lot of peas as only few germinated, nothing at all from mange tout. Last year had great crops.
Better this year are squash, pumpkins and courgettes. Last year had the plants constantly eaten by slugs.
Barely had any plants that survived and had a total crop of one pumpkin and two butternut squash 
Lots of my direct sown seeds last year failed to germinate but this year they are so far germinating, spinach and turnips looking ok, hopefully others sown this week will be fine.
Seem to have spent most of this year digging and weeding the new half of my allotment       

[AlaninCarlisle]

Courgettes are fine, as are broad beans, soft fruit, celeriac, leek, spinach, calabrese, sweetcorn and sprouts.
It took four sowings of parsnip before I started to get a crop.
Strange thing is the French beans. The growth is rampant and if the wigwams had been 30ft tall they'd have reached the top, but not a sign of any beans yet!

[Aidy]

but I already have squashes forming and picked 10 courgettes from 3 plants the other day. What is different for you so far this year?

WHY on earth have you got 3 courgette plants     

So far spuds (charlotte) have been spot on, too early for the mains yet and as for the courgettes, well the seed is still in the packet in the shop 

[I Love Spuds]

Win Some; Rocket spuds have all died back and been eating them for 6 or so weeks now. Got excellent returns, very pleased and worth the extra effort of starting them really early and protecting them from jack frost. Brassicas have also performed excellently.

Loose some;I don't know why, but I cant grow spring onions this year! (I can hear you all laughing from here!) They get to about Ø2mm and that's it. They just stop growing.  I don't have my greenhouse up yet (they've done well under glass for me in the past), as have recently moved, but surely they should grow outside this time of year!

[mumofstig]

It has been very dry, try giving them a few liquid feeds.

[Christine]

The parsnips took ages to show their faces and there aren't as many as the seeds I sowed but we have some. Peas have been odd - put the last healthy looking lot out of the trays into the ground and they died on me for the first time in ten years. First couple of lots have done better than expected but it's not my best pea year. However the broad beans seem to be better than last year and are producing well.

Courgettes are on the go slow after we had so many last year we couldn't eat them or give them away (that's unusual here - don't usually let things get out of control). Raspberries are riotous and strawberries are slow as I moved the bed last autumn (last year I put new raspberries from runners in so it was riotous strawberries and very few raspberries).

All the spuds are on the new to me second allotment, are main crop and not yet ready to lift. If the roots are as good as the top growth it'll be spuds all year. Onions have suffered from the weather (hot and dry at the wrong time so early seed heads) but we are using them. Poor garlic as it got rust and was lifted early. Salad crops not bad at all.

I'll hold on the pumpkins as the wind snapped two of them off  but the others look hopeful. But then I'm always a mournful gardener and we always get plenty enough to eat.