What has had/is having it's last chance? What are you giving up growing next year?

[greenishfing]

I have already decided I'm not growing melons again as they take too much space in the greenhouse for the paltry few melons I manage to grow. I was going to give up on carrots until I saw someone on tv who had grown a rainbow mix which had not been attacked by carrot fly (maybe one last chance).
In the past I have given up on various veg because I didn't actually like them (Jerusalem artichokes and cucamelons to name two). Trench celery I gave up on as I was just feeding the slugs.
I just wondered if anyone else had any veg or fruit in the last chance saloon.

[MelanieSW]

No broad beans next year, I can't bear the horror of the blackfly anymore. This year I got about 3 single meals out of my 20 plants before they were killed off.

And sweet peppers and aubergines seem to require a lot of pampering for middling results. (But then I see a fellow allotmenteer's row after row of beautiful white and purple aubergines with huge fruits, all grown outside, and think that it must be possible...)

[burnie]

Sweet peppers for me also, I love them but they don't seem to like me, dreadful tummy ache, I hoped after having my Gall bladder removed the problems would be gone. Potatoes take up more room than I have got for a relatively poor return from, same with brassicas. With more space under cover for next year, maybe more exotic stuff will be grow, like some more fancy strawberries

[bramble]

I wont grow sweetcorn again for the poor return that I got from the plants.
Also wont be growing squash, just got two, one from each plant.
I will concentrate more on salad crops and flowers.

[ameno]

Won't be growing broadbeans or swede again. Broadbeans aren't worth the effort, what with trying to combat the blackfly and then having to pod and skin them all before eating them. And swede just don't grow for me.

I may well not grow tomatilloes again, either. Turns out I don't really like them. I'm going to try making some jam out of them and see if I like that, so if that turns out really well I may grow them again, but otherwise I shan't.

[annie8]

Wasn’t as experimental this year, tending to stick to usual favourites because I’m doing more non edibles now. Was debating stopping strawberries because the squirrels kept eating them but have come up with a covering for the bed that has stopped them. Planning to do a few different types of tomatoes next year (stopping sungold and gardeners delight) and my gooseberries got eaten by birds so will need to protect them next year. Other main thing is to be better prepared for sequencing the beds I had a rough but missed the opportunity to buy things to put in late summer before the stocks ran out.

[Penellype]

Every year I decide not to grow cabbages, but end up with the odd one because my friend likes them and I have a few spares. I gave up on swedes this year because they never grow well and the slugs get them. Most of the rest of what I grow has been carefully selected over the years, but I may ditch the winter spinach, which tends to grow very small, tough, leathery leaves that get eaten by slugs, so I may just wait for the spring sown crop.

[Right Shed Fred]

Definitely grow squash again, but saffron has its last chance this year.

[Plot70]

I am going to do turban pumpkins again.
They come up like sweet potato around the outside that can be dug out and mixed with any meat dish you choose and put back into the shell that acts like a single use casserole dish that is obviously compostable after you are finished.
You just grow them like pumpkins.
Kale works quite well but needed a lot of manure as my plot was wrecked before I took it on last December. The topsoil had all been pushed to one side for some strange reason leaving clay and bind weed for me to sort out.
Rhubarb has taken off with a shovel full of manure in the sub soil. it is going to do well.
Butternuts only produced two fruits per plant on a raised bed with a foot of pickled couch grass roots and manure while marrows have cropped very well in the same bed.

[Nicos]

It’s been a very strange year weather wise. I did grow about 10 watermelon plants but got absolutely nothing off them. They took waaay too much watering too.
Deffo not worth the effort for me.

[SimpleSimon]

I wont grow sweetcorn again for the poor return that I got from the plants.
Also wont be growing squash, just got two, one from each plant.
I will concentrate more on salad crops and flowers.

Which sweetcorn did you grow? I find it minimal fuss. This year I grew 16 in a 4x4 grid and got 2 massive full cobs on each plant. Didn't really prep the ground much. Just some chicken manure pellets. Planted them very close to each other. It was Early Extra Sweet Northen F1 from premier seeds. Was pretty impressed.

Giving up on aubergines myself. I should give up on water melons too since I got not a single one but I'll likely cave in on that.

[RedRuth]

Which sweetcorn did you grow? I find it minimal fuss. This year I grew 16 in a 4x4 grid and got 2 massive full cobs on each plant. Didn't really prep the ground much. Just some chicken manure pellets. Planted them very close to each other. It was Early Extra Sweet Northen F1 from premier seeds. Was pretty impressed.

Giving up on aubergines myself. I should give up on water melons too since I got not a single one but I'll likely cave in on that.

I grow my Sweetcorn in the same way and although I got a good crop I've never been able to get two good cobs from one plant. Do you think it's the chicken manure pellets? I usually manure (delivered from a dairy farm) in the autumn and leave it at that. I usually grow Swift or Lark.

[ameno]

I grow my Sweetcorn in the same way and although I got a good crop I've never been able to get two good cobs from one plant. Do you think it's the chicken manure pellets? I usually manure (delivered from a dairy farm) in the autumn and leave it at that. I usually grow Swift or Lark.

Fertiliser may be a factor, but spacing it usually the biggest factor in number of cobs per plants.
If you space wider, you're more likely to get two decent cobs. Although personally, I prefer to just plant more plants closer together, and get one cob from each.

[annie8]

Just pulled out my outdoor tomatoes as they had signs of blight. That’s decided it. No outdoor tomatoes next year. My greenhouse tomatoes grow well and give me loads.

[Bonjour]

Turnips will never be grown by me again. I've done it every year, thought to myself "I've got a bit of space for something quick growing" and sowed turnips. Up they come, no problem, nice and quick, then they just sit there because there are far better things to eat and the wife isn't keen on them, so they end up in the compost bin.

Aubergines were on their last chance this year because they are soooooo slow, and most years yield have been disappointing. However, after starting my Black Beauty plants off, I bought three grafted Scorpio plants from someone who had over-ordered. What incredible performers they've been! We picked our first aubergine at the beginning of August and have picked over a dozen good-sized ones since then. the plants still have lots of fruit coming and some new blooms too. By comparison, we have picked just one Black Beauty in the 3rd week of August. There are very few others that have set. So, for the many of you who seem to be giving up on the aubergines, the advice is, lash out and get some grafted Scorpios. They aren't cheap, but they are brilliant.

Outdoor watermelon was a failed experiment this year, but I think I might give them one more try with a different variety.