[hubballi]

I don't know what it is but I always find this time of year quite dire in the garden. Things are getting leggy, dying and of course the usual non summer with slow tomatoes which I have yet to still have a single ripe one from all three variety's, despite being in a greenhouse. It feels cold and wet as if October. My outdoor tomatoes have been withering with a dark mottling on the stems which result in withering, slimy vines. French beans are small and curly with pale yellow leaves. Raspberry's are being accessed by small baby snails (again). How on earth do they climb thorns ? My leafy brassicas are either being eaten by caterpillar, slug or the leaf miner (very bad this year) Some of my courgettes are rotting at the ends and the leaves are getting mildew.

So there you go. Another ruined summer because of the wet, lack of warmth and sun. After sewing and nuturing in early spring with excited expectations. It's this global warming isn't it (yeah right)

[purplejaguar]

It seems to have been a bad year for sooooo many people, its disheartening when you put so much work and love into it  . I don't know why but so far my outdoor toms are doing well, but maybe this could change, I can hope they will be fine can't I lol  .

Here they are, pic taken today.


The beans have been terrible this year at the allotment but my borlotti beans are doing well so far in the garden??  :blink:.


I have also had one or two courgettes that have gone soft and horrible at the ends before they are ready??  .
A good'n!  .

[DD.]

Don't know why you're having such a bad time, hubballi, the only thing dragging their heels for me is the tomatoes.

Beans are now coming in by the bucket load, cougettes out of me ears and already got a dozen decent sized pumpkins on the 3 plants.

Autumn Bliss raspberries just kicking in with no slug problem, picked a pound this morning with tons to come.

50 Cauliflowers despatched already & another row well on their way.

[purplejaguar]

Would it depend on what part of the country people are in DD?

[Kate and her Ducks]

This has been a better year for me than last, think that month of good weather definately made a huge difference. Maybe I am just getting a bit more experienced and making less mistakes too. Toms slow but think they will get there. Beans, spinach, courgettes and carrots doing well. Spagetti squash has only 2 squash on 2 plants and onions and garlic have been a real disappointment after a good year last year.

Where are you?

[Lardman]

I have to echo hubballi's thoughts. Its almost as if someone pressed a stop button outside a fortnight ago, with the exception of the runners which are going mad. Even my courgettes are struggling. I've not even got flowers on the pumpkin or BNS let alone fruit.  Everything else is being massacred by slugs and snails. Some of it is down to my poor preparation - I was late getting things in.  But it is turning into a poor year again.

[DD.]

Would it depend on what part of the country people are in DD?

My latitude is about the same as Lardman's yet he's having problems. My curcubits are going great guns in this weather.

Whereabouts are you hubballi? - it's useful to put this in your profile.

[Kimberley04]

My courgettes aren't looking very healthy.  I'm thinking of taking them up and being done with them.

Something took a massive bite out of the last good looking one on there yesterday too, which was very disheartening !

[mumofstig]

Same as everybody with green tomatoes........but i got my first really ripe one today.....i think because i've gone back to all but closing the greenhouse up at night........we've had a few quite chilly nights lately
Beans are doing well in the rain and winter brassicas coming along nicely..........sweetcorn needs a bit of sun to ripen PLEASE Gherkins curled up their toes, but have 2 sunshine pumpkins ripe (one is for roasting tomorrow YUM)..........no more of them have set but more flowers, and i have loads of baby butternuts this year...so hope they ripen fingers crossed. O and 2 Thelma Sanders sweet potato squash set and more flowers.
So with a bit of luck during august/september this year will be much better than last year

[home made pie]

It's frustrating but we are stuck with it (unless you emigrate).  My OH must be sick of me moaning about the rain but it really did my head in when I realised it had rained vertually every day throughout July.

August has arrived so lets hope we get a bit more sun    so far so good today, OH has gone to a car boot for the first time in weeks

[Cazzy]

Eww sounds like everyone is having a typical Scottish summer 

[siandc]

We've had a pretty dry summer, outdoor tomatos are beginning to ripen now, courgettes and marrows have slowed down but that's a blessing of sorts to be honest. Because it's been so dry and hot we've had a lot of trouble with broccoli, caulis, pak choi, fennel mixed salad and some others bolting, we also had a fair bit of onion white rot on the garlic and white onions but the red ones have been excellent!

[SAMANTHA MOLLY]

I've got a DG greenhouse, heaps of toms peppers and chillis so far.

Lets face it english summers suck, build something to beat them 

[hubballi]

Still no sign of red on the toms 

[crowndale]

my toms are still mostly flowers!  the sweetcorn is a good size but not ripe yet, peas were ok but lost about half to maggots and my squash plants, while growing and producing flowers haven't done much more than that. 

think next eyar I shall give up on brocolli coz it all comes in at once and has now bolted (don't like it frozen), I shall pace the peas, one new row every two weeks so I have time to harvest them! I am undecided on the sweetcorn til I harvest it but it looks good and if it freezes well then I'll be lots of that again!  onions have done well as did the garlic but I'm giving up on main crop spuds and sticking to earlies coz the main crop this year are really scabby and pretty tasteless, the earlies were gorgeous.  think i'll be planting more fruit too, strawberries and raspberries on the lottie in the full sun, the ones at home have done very little so far.