Bigger and Better

[tootles]

This year I am hoping to make everything bigger and better than last year. Last year was my first proper year at the veg growing lark. I want this year to be an improvement. Last year I manured everything in sight (dur - even carrot beds, lesson 1) I spaced things a little too closely (lesson 2) and got carried away with quantity rather than quality (lesson 3).

What I can't work out is how to make my veg bigger and better. I had lots of spuds, but they were all small (water more??), My onions were microscopic and bolted, none of my marmande toms got anything like the size they should have and my leeks look more like spring onions.
Courgettes, calabrese, cabbage, cauli's, aubergines, cue's, and cherry toms were all fab, but the veg plot will be twice the size this year and I want to get the most out of it (thanks to that nice, competant Mr Brown).

I am building a hotbed to start things off sooner but what else can I do??

Any advice please.......




p.s. I know that size isn't everything, but it is always nice!

[Two_Sheds]

I don't know!
My spuds were huge, and I don't feed them. I mulch them, but I give them water only if it's really hot for days on end.

---------
As for my onions, half the crop (those that didn't get White Rot) were tiny and puny and half were big and fat. The big fat ones followed my spuds ... which weren't fed anything except grass clippings. go figure!

[bridget mc laughlin]

I would try mulching your spuds with grass clippings and you cant go wrong with a hot bed ,just make sure and let it rest for long enough

[kitchengardner]

This year I am hoping to make everything bigger and better than last year. Last year was my first proper year at the veg growing lark. I want this year to be an improvement. Last year I manured everything in sight (dur - even carrot beds, lesson 1) I spaced things a little too closely (lesson 2) and got carried away with quantity rather than quality (lesson 3).

What I can't work out is how to make my veg bigger and better. I had lots of spuds, but they were all small (water more??), My onions were microscopic and bolted, none of my marmande toms got anything like the size they should have and my leeks look more like spring onions.
Courgettes, calabrese, cabbage, cauli's, aubergines, cue's, and cherry toms were all fab, but the veg plot will be twice the size this year and I want to get the most out of it (thanks to that nice, competant Mr Brown).

I am building a hotbed to start things off sooner but what else can I do??

Any advice please.......




p.s. I know that size isn't everything, but it is always nice!

Sounds like watering would have helped but I'd also check your soil pH and maybe think about feeding the plants more. Your manure would have helped leaf veg but root & fruit have other needs. Good soil is a must but a bit of specific feeding always helps - fruit benefits from comfrey tea or a tomato feed, whereas roots repond well to potash

Regards

Kitchen gardener

[allaboutliverpool]

Last year was not a good year and many vegetables suffered, I think from lack of sunshine.

Was your manure/compost well rotted?, was there too much? (believe it or not that is possible).

Also some compost is not very nutritious, what was it made of?

I see you are in France, is it a dry area?

Finally it was your first year and things can only get better with experience!

[jacob marley]

One rule of thumb that i use if you want bigger crop's give the stuff plenty of room to grow don't over crowd do a lot of furkeling between the plant's hoe or three pronged thingy and good look....jacob

[Two_Sheds]

do a lot of furkeling between the plant's hoe

yes, do that

[maytreefrannie]

Last year my only triumph were the carrots grown in a bin - got very poor returns from everything else grown in the garden.

This year can only get better I think. Best of luck.

[Tam]

Bigger isn't always better. Commercially grown vegetables are pumped up with water and nitrogen to give greater weight, but they certainly lose on flavour.

[nerobot]

Well last year was my first year growing anything more than a few tomatoes (due to moving to a house with a nice big garden), but many things went wrong for me

Carrots, parsnips, leeks, runner beans, sweetcorn, pumpkins, and a few other things went really wrong. Didn't grow much past a feet tall/long. But was very busy, so didn't have much time to look after garden. Also, didn't check pH till too late, which was a big mistake since it turns out I have quite accidic soil. And I don't compost/manure the patch, and then didn't put enough fertaliser on. And finally, because was so busy last year, I ended up planting things too late, so my tomatoes were just starting to get nice when they were killed off from cold weather!

So, your not the only person who made a few mistakes with the patch Hopefully this year will be better for the both of use. Going to spend more time on patch, and have some of my own compost to use. Also going to get some seaweed from close by and hope that this will work great.

Hope yours goes better next year.

Steven

[Kayt]

do a lot of furkeling between the plant's hoe or three pronged thingy and good look....jacob

Sorry to be dim but what is furkeling?