[FCG]

And what happened this year?

Give us an account of what happened for you this year and what are your plans for the next one?

For me my harvests have been utterly small, I've not thinned enough to be honest. My Jalepeno's have given me a great crop after mercilessly being chopped back by the chickens. Next year I'm going to have a growbag on my windowsill for plants, not small pots. Spuds for the first time next year as well, along with some onions.

I'll try leeks again, but in a different location. But no way am i going to even attempt a pumpkin. Not a chance in hell.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Carrots and peas did well for the first time. Potatoes a disaster. Courgettes still going strong and still clinging to the hope that my solitary pumpkin might get a bit bigger than the 4" diameter it is currently. Tomatoes a washout except for those in the hanging basket!

Next year:
More peas!!!
Potatoes in tubs
All my tomatoes in hanging baskets
More spinach
Try beetroot again.

[richyrich7]

I completely forgot peas this year  :oops:  year before the pigeons did for them, I've prepared the ground for garlic, Jap onions and broad beans. I've decided where the runners are going and dug the trenches for them filled them full of grass clippings, gonna add a bag of poultry poo to that. Just trying to decide where to grow the spuds next year and so on.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Oh yes, I forgot garlic and runners which both did well this year

[sheridal]

This is our first year and we were really pleased with the results

success: onions, potatoes, sweetcorn, beans, spinach, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, butternut squash, leeks

disappointments: peas, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, brassicas (now sprayed and looking better)

Next year plan to do all success, with more potatoes, onions and corn. Also want to try parsnips, chillies/peppers

[Lemon]

So disappointed with courgette & squashes this year!     6 plants in, I think 2 each of courgette (pale green one) patty pan squash and butternut squash.  Ok, one plant trampled by chickens, but the others have given me nothing but male flowers?!?!?  It's crazy?!?!  Only one has female fruiting flowers and that's the patty pan in the flower bed?  
Tried a hanging basket tom - didn't take off, same with aubergines, chillies and peppers.  Oh and no joy with cabbage either.

Will try Gartenperle tom again, and aubergine as well as courgettes/squashes, chillies/peppers, cabbage, broccoli, onions, sweetcorn spuds, herbs.... ohmigod, my list goes on!!  I only have two 1mx2m veg beds?!?!?

[Lemon]

.....oh, what did we harvest?
Charlotte potatoes (smooth skinned and pebble shaped) Arran Pilot potatoes that sprung up from no-where? (didn't clear bed properly last year!) spring onions have been fab, climbing flat beans have been ok (will try a Munty Frame nxt yr   ) Sugar snaps have been ok, pak choi was good (did this in early season before butterflies about) sweetcorn bit late this year but still going, little gem has been good and carrots ok.
OoooH!  And we had some peppers from plants I started from seed last Aug.  The seed was from supermarket peppers and lived on kitchen windowsill throughout winter!

What was your best harvest?

[mother hen]

1st full season - happy with Potatoes, overwinter onions white, peas, mangetout , nantes carrots, lovely swedes, yellow ball courgettes, beetroot, rainbow chard, cauliflowers, rocket and salad bowl, herbs galore inc chervil which is lovely, tomatoes, rhubarb, red and black currants. really chuffed to find first 2 cucumbers yesterday! patience is a virtue.

 :evil: Not so happy wormery which is a disgusting fly infested cess pit with disobedient worms in it! bolting red onions, puny giselle shallots, lacy cabbages, radishes no one ate, french beans that were nibbled and dissapeared and which I'll grow in greenhose next year in place of strawberries which mostly rotted on raised growbag, raspberries - never enough to feed 4 at once, but will be better next year, blueberries which birds collected before me every time - must net. garlic small side but using anyway. new fruit trees, only 3 bramleys getting fat.
 
  still to try purple sprouting brocolli - just budding, sprouts for all yorkshire, more potatoes, borlotti beans, parsnips, celery, sweetcorn.
Next year to thin more, ban dwarf varieties - sorry :oops: , prep beds more.  hubby says more peas!

sorry list so long but you did ask!

[jack russell]

Well This year I am just about ran out of spuds so more of them needed next year

Have just about ran out of peas so more next year  

Most of my cabbage has been fed to the chooks once burst so plant at different times next year  

Radish to many all at once plant at different times next year

Swede done very well so am busy grating cooking and freezing in family sized portions

Onions done really well should last a good while  

Leeks have been good planted at different times so have got the balance ok  

tomatoes too many plants chooks love them not so many next year  

sweet peppers not harvested any yet still growing :cry:  start earlier next year

Broccoli not worth the growing space IMO not bother next year

Sweet corn doing very well have planted at different times but have a load in freezer already so still plenty to come maybee more next year  

lettuce planted too many out all at once need to stagger growing for next year

I put garlic cloves in bought from the shops and they did not work so will try to get some proper ones now to put in for next year if not to late

Strawberry's done very well and have lots of new ones from runners they are very sweet so will be ok for next year

Raspberries done very well will have to transplant from one lotty to another as giving up one before March next year

sprouts still growing strong

carrots still growing first lot failed miserably  

Parsnips failed miserably also will look at soil conditions required for next year  

spring onions from seed failed miserably will plant earlier next year

gooseberries, black currant, white currant,  tayberry all first year plants so may see some results next year

I think that's it

what i would like is an extra pair of hands in the garden next year

[BazTheGardener]

1st full year on my garden patch.
 Success with Onions, Peas, beetroot, strawberry’s and carrots (big surprise with carrots as just through seed down before going on hols in a small spare patch and raked in harvested 5Lbs of carrots last week that I thought had done nothing.

Disasters
Cabbage, caulis and lettuce (slugs)
Toms and spuds (blight)
Radish (me)

Will be trying Toms in baskets to give me more room in greenhouse for chilli’s and what ever ideas I come up with over winter. Maybe even a chicken or two

Can’t wait.

BTG.

[crowndale]

This is my first full year with an allottment but have grown bits and pieces in the garden before that.  

so, successes: peas though a little low in production were very tasty, much more next year- or at least better planting so I'll do more plants than sown direct.
sweetcorn, huge success, more next year
toms- gone wild, less next year (but they're very tasty)
garlic and onions- all grew really well about teh right number of these.
broad beans- did well, very tasty jus tthe right amount.
rhubarb (inherited with plot) superb and prolific!
Courgettes just the right amount
french beans climbing, very good but too many so less next year
dwarf beans, just the right amount but too much faff with all the bending to harvest so climbing only next year!
Leeks, looking good but haven't tasted them yet!
raspberries, yummy and loads
blackberries, ditto to raspberries
asparagus, not for eating yet but at least its all ferned up so is alive!!

disasters:
all the brassicas.  left them in their pots too long before planting out (hadn't prepped the ground, then too wet followed by too dry) every last one bolted!
cape goosberries, didn't ripen and decided they were too much faff to deal with, will not grow next year (except as weeds!)
standard gooseberries, didn't grow at all but will leave them in another year just to see.
potatoes, grew well but really weren't good eating and were full of worm damage (those little tiny white wiry worms)
butternut squash, didn't germinate, will grow in pots next year and plant out rather than direct sow.

Got a lot of plot prep to do for next year and beyond, won't be planting as much on the plot next year because I really think the plot will benefit more from a good dose of manure, rotavation and weed control rather than crops, but will definitely grow more sweetcorn and peas, anything else will ahve to fit into the garden beds and if it doesn't wont get grown!

[crowndale]

This is my first full year with an allottment but have grown bits and pieces in the garden before that.  

so, successes: peas though a little low in production were very tasty, much more next year- or at least better planting so I'll do more plants than sown direct.
sweetcorn, huge success, more next year
toms- gone wild, less next year (but they're very tasty)
garlic and onions- all grew really well about teh right number of these.
broad beans- did well, very tasty jus tthe right amount.
rhubarb (inherited with plot) superb and prolific!
Courgettes just the right amount
french beans climbing, very good but too many so less next year
dwarf beans, just the right amount but too much faff with all the bending to harvest so climbing only next year!
Leeks, looking good but haven't tasted them yet!
raspberries, yummy and loads
blackberries, ditto to raspberries
asparagus, not for eating yet but at least its all ferned up so is alive!!

disasters:
all the brassicas.  left them in their pots too long before planting out (hadn't prepped the ground, then too wet followed by too dry) every last one bolted!
cape goosberries, didn't ripen and decided they were too much faff to deal with, will not grow next year (except as weeds!)
standard gooseberries, didn't grow at all but will leave them in another year just to see.
potatoes, grew well but really weren't good eating and were full of worm damage (those little tiny white wiry worms)
butternut squash, didn't germinate, will grow in pots next year and plant out rather than direct sow.

Got a lot of plot prep to do for next year and beyond, won't be planting as much on the plot next year because I really think the plot will benefit more from a good dose of manure, rotavation and weed control rather than crops, but will definitely grow more sweetcorn and peas, anything else will ahve to fit into the garden beds and if it doesn't wont get grown!

[gregmcalister]

I've had a much better year than last year but then I've been feeding the soil with as much compost as I can get my hands on. Bonemeal seems to be doing the business for the root crops so I'll be getting plenty more for next year.

The best crops for me have been:
Beetroot
Swede
Carrots
Garlic
Potatoes
Courgettes
Chard
Globe Artichokes
Cabbages (sowed them a bit late but now coming good)
Kale

Slightly disappointing have been:
Onions (not enough of them. Overwintering ones were rubbish)
Shallots (overwintered and were too small)
Cauliflower (heads too small)
Peas and French Beans (not enough and took months to get going. My FBs are only just producing pods and that's near the end of the season)
Lettuce (sowed them too late although I should get a few before the end of the growing season)
PSB (sowed a bit late but they've been getting attacked by pigeons and caterpillars.
Parsnips (hardly any germinated. Might sow a bit later next year)

Hopefully next year I'll get a good crop of gooseberries, strawberries and blackcurrants as I planted most of the fruit bushes this year.  The weather has definitely caused problems and I've not had many pumpkins and the chillies have been quite slow.

Some of my ground has got quite waterlogged despite my plot being on a slope so I'm going to raise the level of the beds for next year and improve the drainage.  The main thing for me is to start piling on manure especially for next year's brassica beds. But despite the problems I've had this year it is still a huge improvement on last year and I'm sure next year will be even better. I'm not going to bother with overwintering onions and shallots this autumn and instead I'll concentrate on improving soil condition for the spring.

[wellingtons]

... partly down to restricted time on the plot and the weather.

I'm definitely going to get my greenhouse up for next summer and despite all my protestations otherwise I will plant tomatoes in it and hope for a blight free year.

I grew french breans over the path on arches from Argos, which have been such a success, and so easy to pick!!

I will plant broad beans overwinter again, a huge success as always.  I've managed not to plant my sprouts too close this year, so I'm going to follow suit for next year.

My salad bed really didn't produce as well this season, but that was a lot about lack of time and being unable to use crops before they went over.

I've going to keep a better eye on my fruit trees, bugs got a hold this year.

I need to find a control for slugs and snails that doesn't involve pellets or stamping on them.  Drowing the devils doesn't work.

My lavender bed has been a huge success.  It looks fantastic, it's continually buzzing with bees and I've noticed honey bees for the first time this year and I've also noticed they prefer one type of lavender above all others.    I've got bunches of dried lavender around the house and have given loads away.

Crops that did really well ... broad beans, raspberries, rhubarb, chillies, onions, charlotte potatoes, pink fir apple potatoes, runner beans, french beans, pea beans, borlotti beans, salad leaves, broccoli, sprouts (hope I don't speak to soon!!), carrots.

Disappointments ... tomatoes at the plot were hit with blight (ones at home, no more than half a mile away, are fine), peas (they're always pants), broccoli (until I realised I planted sprouting variety!!), beetroot (poor germination, but what I have are lovely), parsnips (poor germination over sucessive sowings, but have a reasonable number now), apples and pears (very little germination but a healthy bug population).

[penance]

1. Get a greenhouse.

2. Reemember which beds have clubroot :roll:

3. Plan better