Had a bad year

[Workslave]

Has anybody else had a bad year?
I have seen plenty say they had a good year but mine has been awful
didn't get enough water on the plot, wasn't able to feed enough and the weather didn't really play nice
All in all Ive had a few dozen decent toms and the same from cukes
my peppers were useless and the aubergines never even flowered, watermelons eaten by slugs, got one average size underripe pumpkin, which was tasty
If this was survival Id be dead

Just when I was thinking I was getting somewhere, nature reminded me shes in control, this is a reason Im still growing standard heirloom varieties, Im not competent enough with known good genetics nevermind new stuff

this turned into a rant more than a question, sorry

Sincerely
Steve

[ameno]

I didn't have a great year for squash, as the first lot got massacred by slugs, and the replacements went in a bit late, so most didn't ripen properly in the end.
My cherry crop was also non-existant this year. The tree is massive, and too much work for what it's worth. Thinking of pollarding it next year.
Chinese cabbage, which I tried for the first time this year, were an utter failure, too. All bolted.

Otherwise, it's been fairly good, though.

[Bren In Pots]

Steve its been an odd year most of my crops were late, Spinach went to seed early on and so did most of the lettuce, we then had 3 inch of hail stone fall and that made the rest of the lettuce looked like I'd been over it with a mower. it wasn't a good day.
My toms, and cucs were fine in the GH and I had a bumper crop of courgettes out in the garden so it wasn't all bad, plus theres always next year to look forward to so I hope you have better luck then.

[Babru]

A good reminder, nature is always in control! This was the year of the greenfly for me. Reappeared as fast as I could squash them, even though lots of ladybirds showed up after a bit.

Next year it won't be greenfly, it'll be something else .

[chillithyme]

I am already planning and imagining all the things that I will improve on next year, if nature permits me to do so that is. This year has been a good year for the slugs and wildlife enjoying my unkempt little growing spot, not so much for me.
My squash, courgettes, pumpkins etc totally failed. More than half of my tomatoes got blight very early on. Some things went well, but I wasn't able to keep on top of everything this year, but there is always next year

[Small pumpkin]

You’re not alone Steve. I’ve not had a good year either. Like you my tomatoes, cucumber & squash have produced very little. The only difference is I can’t blame Mother Nature. It was all my own doing. Lack of bed preparation & trying to save money by not buying compost. But I learnt a lot from the experience.
It is very disheartening but don’t give up. I’m a great believer in the very well know gardeners saying....... there’s always next year
Also it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t a good harvest. If you enjoyed the whole process from choosing which seeds to grow, sowing them, watching them germinate, transplanting them , watching them grow. If you enjoyed all that and learnt something from it, then the harvest is just an added bonus.

[muck lover]

I had mostly a good year. Disaster in a small cheap polytunnel though. I had beautiful tomato plants but the polythene disintegrated and showered the beds with little squares of plastic. I thought it was ok and would just give me a bit of ventilation but blight got in and my lovely tomatoes were ruined.
Still I’ve learned my lesson and won’t be buying another little polytunnel like that. The cover didn’t last two years. I’m thinking what to do with the frame which seems strong. Maybe a fruit cage if I can get net over it all.
Another year, another lesson learned I suppose.

[greenishfing]

My growing year improved as it went along I think. I got no plums or cherries this year despite a bumper crop last year but apples and pears were very good. My perpetual strawberries did nothing early on but just as I was considering composting them they decided they would have a go. My garlic was great, particularly compared to last years and onions did very well. Tomatoes, peppers,aubergines and melons were about average but I had cucumbers coming out of my ears. My brassicas were awful though (2 attempts) and I ended up buying in small plants. I thought the sweetcorn were going to be a let down as they didn't grow as tall as usual but they were fine, just as many cobs as usual.
Every year some things are good and others do nothing. Pests, diseases, the weather and my own incompetence always get in the way. I just try and grow as wide a variety of crops as possible so that something does well.

[bikermike]

Hi Steve

Sorry to hear you had a bad year, it happens.

I have had a good year. Some of it is weather and luck.

The things that I have done this year under my control
1) gone no-dig and grown all the new beds in 4" or so of compost
2) really gone all-out to generate compost (I take people's green bins and get coffee grounds from a café), and bought a lot too
3) made the effort to feed my crops with liquid feed every week (I have put all the weeds I don't want in compost in the weed tea bin to extract nutrients from them).
4) planted more seeds (I put two everywhere the recommendation is 1) to give more cover in case I lose one to pests.

I did have to replace my beans entirely as some little animal ate them, and I had three goes at courgettes, so it's not been all plain sailing.

The thing I have drawn from this year is "look after your soil". I kind of knew that anyway, as I'd had reduced yields year-on-year, but this is the first time I did something properly about it. You can never have too much compost.

[Nicos]

At least you're not the only one having a rubbish year growing your own. Much the same for me too.
I live in an apple orchard area and of my 5 established trees(all different varieties), not one apple. Well there was one(which I named Pip)...but that came to nothing in the end. No plums, no pears, no cherries either. Pathetic!

[Workslave]

I didnt mean to be so negative. I have had some successes too, pumpkin, potatoes, sunflowers for the chickens all did well. Tobacco are still flowering!! (second wind)
Most of my pollinator flowers have done really well especially borage.

had a great year harvesting seeds, nuts and fruit also. Got a load of hazelnuts, apples have been coming out of our ears. a few pears and cherries, the plums were exceptional and even got some raspberries and blackberries.

All around not terrible but polytunnel was a loss, its my fault I messed up in the polytunnel
as said there is always next year.

Im sorry to hear of others failure but also glad in a way that its not just me.

Sincerely
Steve

[Nicos]

Every year is different!
That's why I grow a large selection of fruit and veg...something is bound to do well!
Good to hear about your successes too...especially the apples and plums

[Chestnut]

You win some, you lose some.
This year parsnips,peas, carrots and celery were hopeless. Lost several pumpkins to slugs, but some survived - my best crop yet, previous PB was 2 cricket ball sized off 8 plants.... . Runner beans died through inadequate support.
Onions, leeks, peppers and apples were my best yet, and some artichokes, cardoons and asparagus from seed are full of future potential.

Best of all, I don’t need to worry if some stuff doesn’t grow because I have professional back up (farmers and shops), so I can enjoy growing my own without fear of failure. Most years I grow a fair amount of veg, but it’s a different mixture every time!

[lolie]

Every year is different for me. I can't think of any year recently when everything has done well.

This year my tomatoes seem to be struggling, which is unheard of. And yet my spring onions are doing well so far - I can't normally grow spring onions to save my life. I will need to sow more leeks. The first lot have died off in the pot without growing big enough to transplant. The pak choi seeds were also a total loss but the bok choi is somehow doing OK.

I just try to plant a wide enough variety of crops that something is bound to grow well and I make sure to include some short harvest crops because it's demoralising to have long harvest crops fail at the last moment.

[SarrissUK]

Yeah, no two years are the same! Last year my cucumbers were relentless in producing cuces for me. This year, not a single one! Toms were very fruitful this year, not very good last year.

So yes.. just plant more of more types of fruit and veg next year