What lessons have you learnt from this years growing

[perkin]

When you're trimming dead and dying foliage and vines off your cucumber plants, make sure that you don't cut the vine OFF the main stem BEFORE checking that there isn't a perfectly healthy cucumber growing on it

Ditto on the butternut squash front - I was gutted
Keep up with the successional sowing of salad leaves - I did it this year and haven't bought bagged leaves since early May. Still sowing and have cloches at the ready for when the weather turns.
Cultivate your neighbours - they'll be invaluable for watering the greenhouse when you want to go on a two week holiday in the middle of a UK heatwave
There is not room in a 6'x3' greenhouse for 79 tomato, chilli and pepper plants.
Melon plants are not my forte
I can grow carrots - I just needed to find the right variety for my soil
Start planning your winter veg in spring

[Thelma Sanders]

That corn & squash can't share a bed if the corn is only planted a foot apart like the packet says
That I need to put netting over my peas before the sparrers peck'em half to death
That I have onion white rot on my plot
That even 2 courgette plants is too many LOL
That I don't like turnip tops yuk! but the roots are nice when small

[northepaul]

How strange!!
I posted a reply here, but it seems to have disappeared!
I just said I probably would not be growing squashes, as I have had two years of disasters with them and would rather use the growing space for something else.

[Calvados]

I have come to the conclusion, the soil in my veg plot must be dead or lacking in various nutriments. Beetroot, carrots, spring onions and cabbage are all dwarfed. Runner beans and broad beans were late and my red cabbage is not balling up. Leeks and onions seem to be doing well, as are potatoes. Any idea what might be wrong and what should I use to bring the soil back to life. It is a rich black looking soil at least 30 cm t0 60 cm deep.
HELP
Calvados

[cptncrackoff]

I learnt that if we dont actually eat the toms there is no point growing them! - no toms next year (well maybe just one small tub of cherry)
Its well worth me growing shallots, garlic and onions, grow more next year!!
It was a great idea growing carrots in a small space in the greenhouse-no fly, no slugs, no waste! , next year, grow a larger variety, rather than the fly resistant nantes types.
The jury is still out on this years potato crop, i'm not sure the amount we saved in not buying potato has been outweighed by the amount we spent on compost/water/fert/seed tatties. (it is nice to ahve very very fresh new potatoes though!!)
We never eat chilli - stop growing chilli!!
Sutton dwarf broad beans were very good, kept a couple of hundred for next years crop - not sure if i can autumn sow them!?
Two large pots of hestia dwarf runners was more than enough, although they are sooo tasty i will be buying another large tub to fill next year!
Two courgette plants are enough, remember to keep an eye on them, i much prefer them small.
I cant grow parsnips, the bugs get them every time - for now give up.
spring onions, radish, lettuce, grow fine, nice and easy but we dont really go mad for them - perhaps leave them out next year.
cucumber- small ones that i cant remember the name of - lovely, take up alot of room tho, maybe just one or two plants next year!

Apart from that the sprouts are looking lovely...do i need to wait for a frost!?

jon

[ukfapower]

Careful with the three sisters: the poor sweetcorn has been totally over run by the beans - they've broken several sweetcorn stems and pulled the others together into one great mess.

The squash in the arrangement has gone totally wild and grown all over a young apple tree and I can't get to the apples.

Beans and squash / sweetcorn and squash seem to have got on well with each other.

[Two_Sheds]

the soil in my veg plot must be dead ...Leeks and onions seem to be doing well, as are potatoes.

Can't be then, spuds are greedy beggars

[The Large One]

This year I learnt

I plant too many courgette plants, there's only 2 of us and I don't like them so why plant 4 of em
I must sort black fly out before it ruins the broad beans
We have clubroot on the second plot
And I must get a proper greenhouse installed at home before the next years chilli growing season

[Newbie]

That i need to be organised & keep up my motivation throughout the year - not just the start and end!
That three Courgette plants are two too many.
That i always grow far too many Chilli plants - one is sufficient for our needs.
That i always grow too few Sweetcorn plants.
That my Tomato growing skills are not up to scratch.
That we don't really eat Chard.
That I need to remember to successional sow.
That my Garlic bulbs are better than my MIL's every year

[Jelliebabe]

Home grown peas are AMAY - ZING! I need to grow more than one serving!
I also need to grow more beans of all varieties - I found them soooooo easy to grow they really looked after themselves!
No one really needs over 40 tomato plants.... I need to start binning the sideshoots... (I cant help it i feel like a murderer if I dont plant them up!)

[snakeshack]

:net every brassica or buy a shotgun and a 24 hr guard
:dont grow carrots on unimproved soil or freshly manured soil
:most importantly don't order a delivery of a skipload of manure (180 barrowloads)for a wet sunday morning at 08:00 when everyone you know has other important things to do.
:no family can eat a 40 kilo pumpkin
:courgettes -see above
:marrows -ditto
:if you must grow 32 runner bean plants ,make sure it's not just you prepping them
:nematodes are a relatively cost effective way of controlling slugs ...YAY
:if you use just nematodes your snail population will soar
:finally - if you can't take a joke don't get an allotment

[VirginVegGrower]

Sutton dwarf broad beans were very good, kept a couple of hundred for next years crop - not sure if i can autumn sow them

jon

Aquadulce yes. Sutton no.

[VirginVegGrower]

what's wrong with chard

Nothing if you're a chicken or like tasteless slop. First and last time

[Nik]

Grow MORE chard! Delish in a cheese sauce.
Don't grow peas - too much hassle to shell and I always get grubs.
Successional sow - I ran out of edible lettuce half way through August as my vast lettuce bed all bolted.
Don't put all tomato plants together - you're just giving blight a free ride
Don't bother with cauliflower - every time I see the sorry, brown, narled little lumps lurking in the veg patch at the end of the seas my heart breaks a little.

[shona_b]

the main lesson I will take into next year - never, repeat never plant seeds from a mixed squash packet! Only named and clearly labelled seeds for me next year oh and remember I don't have enough recipes for all the cabbages!