Successes & failures so far this year

[fruit&vegvirgin]

I thought it would be kind of fun if we kept a diary of what we've done well and not so well with this year?

I'll start:
successes:
French beans Filao - dwarf variety, dead easy, loads of beans
Early spuds Vales Emerald - lovely creamy flavour, beautiful!
broccoli - delicious till the caterpillars got it
carrots Nantes - tiny because I sowed too thickly, but really sweet
strawbs - gorgeous straight from the plant
cut and come again salad - easy peasy and tasty
late spuds Desiree - good flavour, good size despite drought conditions
rocket - first batch fab

failures:
spinach - doesnt like me, sulks then produces 2 leaves and then runs to seed
broccoli - see above
rocket - second batch not happy in hot weather I think

verdict awaited:
sweetcorn - looks great
tomatoes Buffalo and Alicante - looking good but worried about some splitting and one with a black bottom
courgettes - eaten about 4, but havent had quite enough for a meal at once yet

[blackkitty]

So far mine looks like this,
successes:
All my beans, runner (no idea on exact type) the Prince dwarf french and blauhilde and necktar gold climbing.
Courgettes, round and yellow. Loads of fruit, already giving them away.
All types of lettuce, I think I've saved about £40 already.
Beetroot and carrots have done well
Lemon cucumbers are producing very prolifically
and gem squash, I've had about five off already and must have the same number again.

Looking optimistic - tomatoes, peppers, chillis and tomatillos.

Failures (or not so good)
Broad beans, I had a very meagre crop, but I think this was because it rained for two weeks solid while the flowers were open so they didn't get pollinated.
Rocket, my second batch also went straight to seed.
Turnips, they produced loads of leaves but only a few very fibrous turnips.

[GardenFan]

So far...

Successes

Beetroot
Lettuce
Garlic
Crystal Apple Cucumbers (love these)
Tiger Tom tomatoes (had about 6 ripen and were amazing)
Half Pint peas
Dwarf runner beans
Strawberries
Blackcurrent (huge crop off 1 bush)
Blueberries
Raspberries (just finished but cropped for 6 weeks)

Looking good - tomatoes still got lots to go, chillis, cabbage, sweetcorn, peppers and ground cherry/cape goosberry.

Failures
Gooseberry died (since replaced)
Sour cherrry died
Redcurrant (since replaced)
Oinion

oh and this post my 100th

[blackkitty]

Well done Gardenfan,
I think what you call crystal apple cucumbers and I call lemon cucumber are the same. Round, pale yellow fruits about 10 - 12cm diameter, quite green inside and very juicy. I agree, they're far easier to grow than the long ones and have a better flavour as well.

[Sunbeam]

Successes:
Peas
Cauli's
1 x Broccoli plant!
Toms - growing nicely
Sweetcorn - growing nicely
Carrots - the same
Herbs - all growing well
Potatoes - doing well, but foliage squashed by hot chickens looking for shade
Runners - lots of flowers

Failures:

Rocket - Flea beetle
11 X Broccoli plants (1st 6 eaten by chickens - next 6 LEAPT off shelf & only one survived)
Raspberry canes - flowered & fruited then forgot to water

In the balance:

A 10 inch walnut tree grown from nut - approx 3 yrs old, earlier this month all leaves all turned black and fell off - the trunk (stem?) is still very pliale, but no leaves to speak of...

[fruit&vegvirgin]

sunbeam - I planted 2 walnut trees this year, 1 is fab and the other is exactly as you describe... they are both in similar positions, had same treatement, etc. still trying to remain hopeful for the sickly one!

[plot 11 pam]

good and poor

dear all,
good were;broad beans, runner beans, french beans, mange tout, artichokes, courgettes, spring onion, carrotts, lettuce and mixed leaves, blueberries, sweet peas diamond wedding variety, potatoes lady christl and disiree and saxon.
Yet to come sweetcorn more beetroot more strawberries, potatoes, onions, squash, parsnip, turnip, brussel sprouts, more pots.
poor raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries,

[Shortie]

Hhmm...... feeling a tad defeated at the mo...

Good:

Butternut squash, but boy what a monster! Where did my garden dissappear to??!
Rhubharb, nothing's keeping that beast down
Tomatoes, whatever space the butternut have left, they've taken over

Not good:
Strawbs, but they are first year runners
Raspbs, but I did move them in March so maybe I'm lucky they survived at all
Runners - why oh why do I have no luck with them...??

So maybe next year I'll have a rethink what I grow and admit defeat with a begginers pack

[bramble]

Not doing too bad this year with the crops.
Successes were:-
Peas, a bumper crop.
White turnips, same and first time growing, so well pleased.
Onions, a great crop but a lot of thick necks.
Garloc, large cloves but lots of thick neck also.
all salad doing well.
A good crop of fruit from raspberries, blackcurrents and gooseberries.
Failures:-
Carrots, did'nt germinate outdoors but got a reasonable crop from Parmex grown indoors.
Brocolli, went to seed.
Parsnips only six germinated, but so far growing well.
Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and cucs coming along nicely so far.
Have to say overall am quite pleased as i did leave all for three and a half weeks holiday with no major casualties.

[voodoo veg]

Good......early potatoes, bright lights chard, perpetual spinach, lettuce, radish, onions

Still waiting to see........beetroot, sprouts(battling with the caterpillars), red and white cabbage(ditto), main crop potatoes, french beans, peas, carrots

DISASTER!!!!..........cauliflower(seeds germinated then immediately died), courgette(plants went all brown and died), tomatoes(ditto), chilis(lack of greenhouse seems to mean lack of chillis)


But not bad considering...and it keeps me sane!!!!!!

[andrewo]

Doing Good:
Huge crop off raspberries. strawberries, blueberries and cherry.
Greengage actually has gages on it this year about 10, fingers crossed.
Garlic did well, good heads and they split into cloves this year.
Courgette defender - my God! had mammoth ones to cute cuddly ones of this beast.
Pint pot peas, three pots and over 12 meals off them before replanting new ones.
Chillies, seem to being doing well and plenty forming.
Sungold tomato - these are beautiful, highly recommend them for outdoor growing, thick skin but tiny beautiful yellow tasting toms.
Celeriac - started out bad but now going strong.
Sweet peas (know they're not veg) for the first year have gone mad.
Rhubarb, can't keep up so have left them for ornamental value and to rot back down into the crown to make it stronger for next year.
Fennel - tasty and vigorous.
Borlotti going like the guns.
Dahlias grown from seed all doing well but alot of yellow ones!

Not so Good:
Tiny crop off blackcurrant.
Oregano and basil attacked. Never have any luck with basil.
First lot of Cara gave a small crop.
French beans have not been so good this year.

[Squirrel]

First year of growing veg so am happy with what I achieved.

Good

Mange tout Peas,
French Beans
Ice King Lettuce
Tomatoes - various all doing very well.
Salad leaves - various
Onions
Garlic
Green Peppers


Not so Good

Broad beans - not many beans off the plants
Brassicas - disasters
Carrots - mole problems
Beetroot - mole problems
Aubergine - planted too late

Still to come

Potatoes - shop bought havn't a clue what!
Butternut Squash - two tiny ones
Courgettes - just starting - had one off there!
Gem Squash - flowering but no sign of fruit

[fruit&vegvirgin]

Blackberries - planted last Oct/Nov, still knee high to bleeding grasshopper!!

[bramble]

Presume they are under the heading of "failure"

[SueA]

Blackcurrant - bush looks dead , cuttings seem to be thriving.
Harlequin potatoes - only about 2.5 lbs from the potato barrel but they tasted lovely