[Bing]

Baptism by fire aka character building for allotment holders 

Just imagine, in a few year's time when you are talking to newbies at your site, you will be able to say, "oh, it's not a bad year for tomatoes, now 2012 was a really bad year for tomatoes...."

I start everything off in pots or modules, including spring onions planted in the same way as sunshineband describes as I have evil ninja slugs and their fellow warrior snails who eat everything and anything under an inch tall

The first year with our allotment, we got allium rust on our garlic, white rot on the onions, choc spot and blackfly on our broad beans, blight on our potatoes, flea beetle on our salads, greenfly on the chilis, peach leaf curl, blight on our tomatoes, wireworm on the early potatoes that didn't succumb to blight, woodlice in our beetroots and turnips, badgers attacking our ripe sweetcorn, mice eating our strawbs, halo virus on runner beans, pigeons eating our pak choi, slugs and snails eating everything else.

We laugh in the face of adversity    Exits in hysterical maniacal laughter.......

oh dear, did you take them to see a doctor?

[grendel]

well, what has been planted is growing well, except for the peas, and I got those in quickly between showers, but then had to wait 3 weeks for the next opportunity to put the poles and nets up, there are a few short stubby plants fighting the ravages of te birds. the thing that has really done well this year is the weeds, they have outshone all my crops leaving my two half plots an absolute mess. and I dont even get time to weed properly between the rainy days.
Grendel (2 visits in the last 6 weeks or so)

[Mrs Bee]

Baptism by fire aka character building for allotment holders  

Just imagine, in a few year's time when you are talking to newbies at your site, you will be able to say, "oh, it's not a bad year for tomatoes, now 2012 was a really bad year for tomatoes...."

I start everything off in pots or modules, including spring onions planted in the same way as sunshineband describes as I have evil ninja slugs and their fellow warrior snails who eat everything and anything under an inch tall

The first year with our allotment, we got allium rust on our garlic, white rot on the onions, choc spot and blackfly on our broad beans, blight on our potatoes, flea beetle on our salads, greenfly on the chilis, peach leaf curl, blight on our tomatoes, wireworm on the early potatoes that didn't succumb to blight, woodlice in our beetroots and turnips, badgers attacking our ripe sweetcorn, mice eating our strawbs, halo virus on runner beans, pigeons eating our pak choi, slugs and snails eating everything else.

We laugh in the face of adversity    Exits in hysterical maniacal laughter.......

And you haven't given up??   You are a tough cookie

It certainly is turning out to be a challenging year weatherwise.

A lot of fire fighting is being done here Getting the most pressing jobs done in between the rain and as time permits.

Didn't get round to putting up supports for the peas and they have grown through the netting used to stop the foxes and cats cr.pping on the beds So they will have to get on with it.

Some stuff is looking OK but I am reluctant to say what in case fate comes up behind me and bites me on the bum

You just have to recite the gardeners prayer........ Next year.............

[JayG]

Certainly been a tricky year so far for newbies and more experienced gardeners alike! 

Most of the crops we grow are so familiar to us that it's easy to think they are native to this country, but the vast majority originated in far warmer countries than Britain (even broccoli and cauliflower are believed to originate in the Mediterranean area, and peas from somewhere near Afghanistan!)

Most crops like plenty of moisture (within reason!  ) but the temperatures are too low at the moment for most summer crops to thrive - hopefully that will change in time to pull things round. 

[the4diggers]

Well, I am glad i am not the only one...

I have decided to go to the fruity side and for the most part my plot will be veg free.

Hopefully, next years problem will be deciding what to do with all the fruit!

[Mrs Bee]

Well, I am glad i am not the only one...

I have decided to go to the fruity side and for the most part my plot will be veg free.

Hopefully, next years problem will be deciding what to do with all the fruit!

That is never a problem

[angelavdavis]

Baptism by fire aka character building for allotment holders  

Just imagine, in a few year's time when you are talking to newbies at your site, you will be able to say, "oh, it's not a bad year for tomatoes, now 2012 was a really bad year for tomatoes...."

I start everything off in pots or modules, including spring onions planted in the same way as sunshineband describes as I have evil ninja slugs and their fellow warrior snails who eat everything and anything under an inch tall

The first year with our allotment, we got allium rust on our garlic, white rot on the onions, choc spot and blackfly on our broad beans, blight on our potatoes, flea beetle on our salads, greenfly on the chilis, peach leaf curl, blight on our tomatoes, wireworm on the early potatoes that didn't succumb to blight, woodlice in our beetroots and turnips, badgers attacking our ripe sweetcorn, mice eating our strawbs, halo virus on runner beans, pigeons eating our pak choi, slugs and snails eating everything else.

We laugh in the face of adversity    Exits in hysterical maniacal laughter.......

oh dear, did you take them to see a doctor?

Aah, never trust a doctor - doctor's bury their mistakes, gardeners merely compost theirs!

And you haven't given up??   You are a tough cookie

Well, on the bright side, we don't have rabbits or moles!  We did wonder whether we got all the issues simply because we cultivated a plot that hadn't been cultivated fully in living memory (ie we had literally dug up many of the issues).  Who knows!?!

[New shoot]

Well I am heading for the plot today to see what is still standing  

Going to plant out my leeks - leeks are tough and I'm sure they will survive.  Just got to check the courgettes, beans and sweetcorn are hanging in there  

Could be joining Angela with the hysterical maniacal laghter later  

It's about the most challenging year I've had so far with veg, so going to make the most of any crops I get and keep on planting in catch crops modules to fill gaps.  A bit of better weather late summer can yield some good  harvests of these  

[allotmentann]

Well, I think we are all in this together! My sweetcorn has been shredded by the pigeons. My french beans, both climbing and dwarf are nothing more than stalks and will not recover, my bulls blood lettuce, rocket and mizuna have severe flea beetle, the peas have not grown at all since planted and are ravaged by bean weevil, the outdoor tomatoes are suffering from the cold and look like they may be lost completely, the butternut squash, which were beautiful, big plants when planted out, are turning yellow, the slugs have also had the young globe artichokes, the borage, the basil, the parsley and the french sorrel, the rhubarb which was bought this year is dead or dying from something unknown, someones blow away greenhouse blew away and knocked over my new mulberry tree which i can not get to stand straight again (And it was a beautiful shape. It also bent one of the young branches up almost vertical so it will probably now grow in that deformed shape unless I can do something about it!). It is a good job that I love digging as that seems to be my only success! I don't have lush weeds everywhere! Just nothing much else either! Nice bare soil though - if you like that kind of thing!

[surbie100]

It is a good job that I love digging as that seems to be my only success! I don't have lush weeds everywhere! Just nothing much else either! Nice bare soil though - if you like that kind of thing!

  I tink my plot is going that way too!! My balcony plants are swimming - in my newness at this I didn't think to punch drainage holes in the planters....