everything comes up small

[chicken-plucker]

hi
can anyone help I have a large plot and grow lots of different veg which all grow but only to about half the size you see in the shops,is it down to pests(i've had white fly and flea beetle this year)or is it something missing in the soil.

[Lesley Jay]

It could be various things. What type of vegetables are not growing to full size and what variety are they? It could be that the varieties are naturally small. It could be down to the poor summer or lack of water. Watering properly on a regular basis does make a big difference. Infestations don't help with the growth either. Have you been feeding the vegetables while they were growing? We use Miracle Grow on the vegetables and a liquid tomato feed on the tomatoes. Tell us what you have or haven't been doing and then we can put you on the right track.

[Jaxom]

As Lesley said earlier tell us what you are growing and where and perhaps we will be able to help.
All plants need three things to produce growth. Sunlight, food and water. If any of the three are left out then growth slows down.
What type of soil are you growing on?
Jax

[chicken-plucker]

Thanks Lesley. We are growing a variety of veg - it is only our second year. I think that we may have been growing too many brassicas without a break. What would be the best veg to grow on a heavily used brassica patch? Or would it be better to leave it fallow or green manure the site for a while? We have been reading about green manure but are not too sure where to start.

Many thanks for your help

[chicken-plucker]

Many thanks Jax. It is quite a fertile soil but if you go down a few inches it can tend to clay a little. We have a west facing garden with a hedge along one side. The ground it prone to damp / clogging near the hedge. Also I think we do not fertilise as often as we should. We have tended to used dry, pellet style fertiliser although we do use our own chicken manure once it has composted.