Worst growing season ever

[kingkano]

I feel for you mate. I felt this way last year, albeit it was my first year with the raised beds. Had small potatoes, tomatoes all got blight, couple of broad beans per plant. Everything was tiny and rubbish. But have to agree with everyone here, there is still lots of season left you can get things in and learn from your troubles. Also next year is a whole new thing!

This year for me has been 100x better, havent bought any veg in for over a month. Only disappointment has been the new greenhouse so I need to learn there!

[Two_Sheds]

Only disappointment has been the new greenhouse so I need to learn there!

If you'd like to expand on that, I'm sure we could help

[Comfreyfan]

Some years are like that and after your first year, your expectations may have been higher! If I've learnt anything over the years, it's that nothing seems to grow the same every year! Just take note of the lessons learned and apply next time, still doing that after plenty of years of growing!

[King Carrot]

Apart from the incursion of a rabbit, my only real disaster has been the long carrots I've tried to grow for exhibition.
I'm, singing "don't worry, be happy" to myself now. na na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na na na na na.

Result - how did you cook it?

[Wren]

It's been the best year ever for me too!. Gorgeous big heads o broccoli and masses of sprouting broccoli too. Swedes have been stunning, good size onions and masses of Strawberries, the Mangetout are going to keep me sorted until next summer and its hard to keep on top of them. Only let downs is the Tomatoes and Carrots as i tried a new variety this year and they are not such good plants as last year. it's early days yet though and i got the netting out from the start.
Growing the veg is the easy bit, it's stopping everything else from eating it first thats the real challenge.

Wren

[kingkano]

If you'd like to expand on that, I'm sure we could help

Just seem really far behind. My first trusses of Toms are only just setting (tho the 3rd sets of flowers are open) When I planted out they all seemed to just stop dead for a good few weeks. Not sure why - maybe they got a chill? I think I might also have over watered and they just didnt get settled.

It's ok. It's all a learning experience. Next time I will start things off earlier (some january peppers and tomatoes I think lol) and not plant out till the first truss appears.

[Garden_Chris]

I must admit, I've done fantastically well with my tomatoes, couldn't have asked for better. The first little green balls have certainly taken hold and are about 2cm in Diameter (just under an inch for those who prefer Imperial measurements )

[Potstubsdustbins]

Whilst on the whole its been a strange year for weather as I said apart from spring onions everything else is going well and in somecases very early. I harvested my first PSB today.

Colin

[LittleShamrock]

It's been a terrible year for me too, the weather has been AWFUL here, nothing but clouds and rain. Sun is sparse and usually in the morning or evening when it's not strong enough or near enough my plants. None of my tomatoes are more than 10inches high, theer are a few flowers but no fruit, swiss chard has done decently but I've heard that's impossible to kill! Anything that hasn't suffered the bad weather has succumed to the pests

[Ricardo]

I'm glad (well not actually glad but reassured perhaps) that others are having a poor year. I only started last year and simly dug over a grassed area, got some raised beds and some hanging baskets and everything (apart from fennel) seemed to come up really well. Last winter I dug in stable manure, fish blod & bone, chicken poo, you name it.
Everythings poor.
Me tumbling toms haven't (tumbled) the gardeners delight still haven't set many trusses, me spuds are an embarrassment, snails got me runner beans and french beans, and me broad beans are just huge empty pods. Foxes dug up me carrots and fennel and the replacement sowing isn't great. Beetroot is well behind and leeks are still really skinny.
But - I do have loads of basil in the gh along with a couple of healthy looking cucumbers.
It is really disheartening and you do wonder if you've done something fundamentally wrong and/or whether its all worth it sometimes.
I suppose we are not out of time yet, but some pointers on good ways to prepare for next season would be appreciated.

[mrpaulbradley]

I too have had a really strange year. We've not had any sun to speak of and loads of rain. The pests have loved it, and whatever has managed to grow. Thing is to just keep the head up I reckon. It's part of the experience. Kinda humbling though when you consider that the vast majority of us on here do it for fun. Think of the poor souls that grow to survive and feed families.
Woah! Sorry folks, came over all Sunday-preachy! Not like me
Anyway. As someone famous once said " Keep calm. Carry on"

[TallGirl]

Owww... that was me last year. The year before (first year on the plot) was great, last year was pants; this year is much more promising. I hope it's like that for you too. Hang in there!