Worst year I can remember................

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AlaninCarlisle

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Worst year I can remember................
« on: August 22, 2024, 11:27 »
............in the 53 years since we came north to Cumbria
Just to list a few:
Out of 15 tomato plants in my greenhouse, I've dumped 8 due to blight
My late crop of broad beans are flat on the ground with canes and twine blown over due to last night's gales
Ditto my Runner and French beans
Birds beat me to my currant bushes
Again due to last night's gales, half my apple crop from six trees are on the ground and unripened

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vikingraider

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2024, 13:53 »
Gives gales again early morning Alan. My 13ft and growing sunflower snapped :-(

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mumofstig

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2024, 16:04 »
It has certainly been a weird year weather-wise  ::)

I can remember a few others, so don't think it is anything new, climate-wise.... just a PITA!!

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New shoot

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2024, 17:18 »
It is so disheartening when you see crops come to nothing like that. 

I think I am actually doing better this year than in the previous two, but I am down the other end of the country.  The current storms are not really getting down as far as us.  It is just windy and raining on and off.

We had the silly heat of 2022 that meant constant watering and even then yields were way down.  Then last year constant rain and cloud which also caused a lot of things to just stop growing. 

I’ve had a few failures this year, especially fruit as the rhubarb, apples and gooseberries were all hit by the wrong weather at the wrong time.  Some veg has been a dead loss as well, but a lot is actually OK so far and I’ve been bringing home a lot of harvests. 

There are still question marks over whether the plot tomatoes and squashes will get to actually ripen though.  I’m hoping for a decent autumn or they are going to run out of time.


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Potty Plotty Lotty

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2024, 18:34 »
It's been a mixed year here.

Things that liked the wet and cool e.g. peas/sugarsnaps were amazing, but generally I'm getting a small harvest on each visit but nothing like the glut I would be expecting by now except in blackberries.

There are some unexpected surprises like my 3rd proper size aubergine so far off 1 plant (don't ask about the rest!) and the sweetcorn looks good (and tastes it!)

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Aidy

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2024, 18:39 »
Sorry to hear it Alan
We have to adapt and not do the same thing year after year!
Last year for instance, I lost my toms in July due to heavy rain and flooding, over winter I built a raised bed and use ring culture in the greenhouses and this year absolutely too many toms.
Not every year is the same, so think about how to quickly adapt if need be.

Or move to Tropical Blackpool ;)
Punk isn't dead...it's underground where it belongs. If it comes to the surface it's no longer punk...it's Green Day!

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Hampshire Hog

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2024, 20:53 »
I’d endorse your view it’s been a tough year.
My beetroot didn’t really get going and my beans have been destroyed by slugs.
Fingers crossed my tomatoes at the plot ripen along with some other late sowing  and planting. Mind you just had a very tasty sweet corn cob hopefully next weeks promised sunshine will ripen a few more.
Keep digging

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Learnerlady

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2024, 22:23 »
Main problem has been with slugs eating about 90% of my brassicas, courgette, melon and squash plants, first lot of beetroot small, figs not ripened yet, only had 4 so far. Rasberries and strawberries and  particularly blackberries been good but blueberrys few and some still not ripened. Picked whole crop of pears last week - 5, not really ripe but didn't want to risk critters getting them, theyre in the garage hopefully ripening. Rhubarb not very good either. 3 sowings of parsnip and not got one. Plum tree had blossom but no plums.  Broadbeans, sugarsnap and climbing french beans all ok. Cucumbers only 1 from about 6 plants, some planted in greenhouse and others outside. Aubergine v small and deformed and greenhouse toms good but plum variety got blossom end rot. Roll on next year ......

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Snow

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2024, 08:39 »
Yes, I've only had my allotment for 15 years but it's easily been the worst, by an order of magnitude.

I start the vast majority of my plants in module trays of 60 and I so I have far too many plants when it comes to actually planting them out. But even so, out of 40 brassicas I planted in early April I got 3 cabbages from. My entire June planting of lettuce and endives got eaten twice, that's over 80 plants with nothing to show for it. For my squash I planted over 20 plants, just for them to be eaten over and over, I have four plants remaining. The courgettes have produced two from over eight plants planted and eaten by slugs, only three survive but it's too cold for them to produce. My redcurrants produced nothing for some reason, same with the plum which hasn't produced anything for two years now.

Some things have worked, for example I've never had so many weeds as I have this year
 It's extraordinary how they grow so well, but perhaps understandable as it simply hasn't been dry enough to hoe for 14 months now.

The potatoes did well, blueberries did well, for some reason outside tomatoes have done well!!! Leeks look good, later plantings of brassicas have loved the wet cool weather so I should have loads of sprouts and PSB. Beetroot has done well. Still potential for the celeriac to do good as well. So it's not all doom and gloom. I should probably face charges in the Hague for the number of slugs I've killed but there are mitigating circumstances  ::)

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missmoneypenny

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2024, 10:35 »
Not been too bad here but I’m in London, I feel for allotmenteers up north and in Scotland. Everything a bit late for example my Swift sweetcorn, an “ early” variety is only just getting ripe now. Stuff that needs lots of rain has done well eg berries, damsons, apple tree. My garlic was tiny.

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AlaninCarlisle

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2024, 11:21 »
A couple of members mentioned rhubarb. Despite all the other failures I've got the best crop ever. Must be all the rain plus the fact that slugs leave it alone

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New shoot

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2024, 12:19 »
I’m glad something did well for you Alan  :)

Mine was OK at the start of the season, but then we had some hot, dry spells and it just collapsed in a heap. It looks much better now, but I’m leaving it alone to build up for next year.

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Richard Yates

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Re: Worst year I can remember................
« Reply #12 on: August 24, 2024, 14:57 »
Yes. Many bean seeds rotted in the ground or in their propagators, about 90% lost early on, cold/soggy. Everything went in late. Seeds germinated and were then instantly dried so died. Discovered a good wheeze with beetroot seeds:- pin down black pallet wrap over the rows, this keeps the soil from drying out and the germinating seeds being fried. As soon as any seedlings appear, remove the pallet wrap and water as normal, or they'll go all leggy.

Slugs have not been to bad a pest here. The new form of slug  pellets (e.g. Sluxx HP (approved for organic farming operations)) is excellent, apart from the fact that jackdaws seem to like them (a few deposits of blue jackdaw droppings by/on fence posts). I hope they get gizzard-ache, of course they're unharmed by pasta and ferric phosphate.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2024, 14:58 by Richard Yates »


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