[mickbrov]

If  you are relying on one like this
solar ph tester

please don't - they really are useless!

yes thats the one i use
it must be close though because ive only had 3 onions in 300 sets?

[mickbrov]

Is your solar pH tester designed for soil?

There is no way that your peas will be thriving if your pH is 1-2.

it says soil tester on the packet yorkie?

[mickbrov]

just ordered a botanica soil testing kit ,will let you know the results.

[Ian_A]

a disappointing year so far with some disasters, but all things considered still enjoying the challenges and reaping the benefits.

not to mention the significant savings on fruit and veg (and incomparable flavour and variety) from things that have already been harvested in mass loads, cooked with, preserved etc...: particularly cucumbers, strawberries, asparagus, lettuces, spuds, chillies, carrots, broad beans, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrant, garlic, shallots...

But it is fascinating, for wont of a better word, how every year something like blight on the tomatoes can create that dreaded pit in the stomach and prompt feelings of utter despair, and even temporarily forgetting the MANY other things that have worked.

[willnbirdie]

Hi

What a year at the plot.  Guess a lot of this will ring true with many of you but this year (it's our 5th season) has been the worst yet.

This year we have been battling

- more slugs and snails than an army of hedgehogs could eat
- bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies - the lottie association has even got some locals to have a wonder around with their guns in the morning, it's that bad
- pigeons
- the weather!!!

and now to top it all we have blight

Not sure what crops we are going to get of anything this year most stuff that has been eaten has recovered but is well behind and that which has not been eaten is just well behind due to the weather!!!

Some folks on our site have had enough and have shut their plots down for the year - we are still battling but what a nightmare - here's hoping next year is going to be better - couldn't get much worse unless the veggies start getting nicked like they did e years ago.

Moan over thanks for reading if you did and I sympathise with all those in the same or similar position

Birdie

[mickbrov]

just ordered a botanica soil testing kit ,will let you know the results.

here are my results           i tested  my soil and it was between 6-7 ph on the scale, now im really stuck as i dont know why my onion sets didnt grow, could this be that i followed straight on from failed sets the season before ? im so confused ?

[ilan]

Perhaps you cannot grow onions in your soil  ::)for several years I tried to grow them and usually only managed a hand full of tennis ball sized  ones  I move houses a couple of years ago and now a 3ins dia onion is a baby same sets same treatment I think they just need a good clay soil 

[mickbrov]

but the soil looks great ,my peas went higher than stated and a bumper crop too. ill explain whats happened in the last 3 years
 year 1 just dug over soil ans planted sets ,no manure . result no onions or they stayed basically the same size as i put them in .

year 2 loads of compost and manure ,  top of the plants went so high  but the onions stayed tiny .

year 3 more compost and well rotted manure and new type of onions sets (turbo)  .and not 1 onion in 96 white and 34 red .all the stems are about 12 inch high with the tiny onion under neath ,not growing ,im thinking of giving it all up im getting brain strain .lol.

[mickbrov]

or maybe plant something else in the beds where the onions where .also will peas grow where the did last year?

[JayG]

I can grow garlic, shallots and leeks quite successfully in my sandy soil without too much effort other than making sure they don't go hungry, but my second attempt at onions from seed (Sweet Spanish White) looks to be even more problematic than last year (harvested in October from an early March sowing!)

Doesn't really matter as there are only about a dozen of them, but they range from strong plants which will probably eventually bulb up nicely to a pickling-sized specimen with leaves like spring onions which probably won't!

Lack of water is unlikely to be the problem at least this year ( ), possibly even more feeding is required - undaunted I'm going to try Ailsa Craig next year...........

[Debz]

Like so many others, I can getting little pleasure from growing my own this year.  Things are so slow and so far behind, I don't know that they will get the chance to catch up.  It's nearly August and I haven't had a single tomato or courgette from my plants.  I am tempted to pull the whole lot up but then my stubborn streak kicks in and they get to stay another day.  The only good thing recently has been the pots of beautiful potatoes that I harvested the other day.  Perfect Charlottes and not a blemish on their pale skins.  This year, it's definately all about the little victories and I am so glad, I do it for fun and not commercial gain.

[sunshineband]

Don't forget that maincrop onoins don't start bulbing up until after the shortest day, so if they are still mainly leaf, or with a small bulb that is quite normal

[mobilekat]

This year I am concentrating on the good points..
So ignoring the radishes that have no roots, and the garlic that thinks its spring onions, and the micro-leeks and instead enjoying the

Cut and come again lettuce- yum very fresh, and at least it seems to germinate this year!
Pea shoots- bless Batchelors Bigga dried peas- 95% germination and cracking in salads and risotto
chive plants looking good- first time ever, and Rosemarys doing well
rocket still doing well to- just keep forgetting to plant more!
Blueberries- over 2lb from 1 bush

OK I wont feed my OH and I all winter, but even small victories are heaven!

[mickbrov]

can i plant carrots where my onions where ?

can i plant peas de prevance where my last ones where?

think im gonna give up on the onions .
this is getting me down because i like to cook and finding a decent onion in the shops is a mare.

[Yorkie]

can i plant carrots where my onions where ?  YES

can i plant peas de prevance where my last ones where?  PERSONALLY I WOULDN'T BUT YOU MIGHT GET AWAY WITH IT FOR ONE SEASON

think im gonna give up on the onions .
this is getting me down because i like to cook and finding a decent onion in the shops is a mare.

See answers in the quote, and sorry to hear about the onions