What will you do different next year?

[Tomato Head]

1. Plan what I want to grow and sow/plant accordingly - this year has been more about just chucking seeds in compost and then getting excited when they germinate!

2. Remember that tomato seedlings might not take up much room but fully grown tomato plants do

3. Don't worry about things going wrong - I can always sow again

4. Pray for better weather

[Thelma Sanders]

I will not waste seeds, money for compost, time and effort in growing Aubergines! I've grown some this year - which is a first, but value for money that are not!
I must remember to either sow in modules at home, or cover any direct sowings of beans, cos either birds or mice keep taking the seeds

To remember the snug pellets!

[PyreneesPlot]

Not slavishly follow my sowing schedule - its for guidance. So don't sow French beans at the same time as last year when the soil is too cold this year.
Be hard hearted and NOT plant out all the courgettes that germinate.
Sow fewer tomatoes and use more armpits. But as I also want more varieties this may not be possible!
Stop hoping the rhubarb will suddenly like growing in unshaded clay down here (two plants, four leaves in two years) and use the space for something more suitable.

[WillyNelson]

Fewer tomatoes.
Not to bother with peas.
Start leeks and sweetcorn earlier.
Pot winter veg on earlier.
Yes, it is blight.
More carrots.
Mulch properly.

[Gemmalaveen]

I will delay sowing seeds until the soil is warm enough... I started sowing beetroot, chard & spring onions a bit too early so they didn't do well... I thought my soil was the problem but later sowings have been a triumph (the ones that survived the slug invasion).

Grow more carrots and cabbages.

[dominic10]

I started well this year keeping a diary but it fell by the wayside as we didn't get out allotment until the beginning of April. It was a question of just trying to get things growing this year - need to plan better for next year. Failed with sweetcorn this year so will try harder next year. Will not grow so many potatoes but will try different varieties. Will try and grow peas again - the mice ate 94 out of 100 pea seeds sown directly in the ground. Maybe grow at home like the mange tout.

[Two_Sheds]

I did something different this year, and will be doing it again next year (and ever after):

- chop all vegetation and non-seeding weeds directly onto the soil as a mulch -

It's brilliant: rots down quicker than a compost heap, keeps moisture in the soil, deters some weeds from germinating, and rots down quick enough not to become a slug harbour

[Pa Snips]

I won't be growing anything directly into my raised bed, instead it will be cleared of compost to make way for 48 Morrison's flower buckets, each of which will reside in its own fine-mesh netting bag.
Reason 1) If slugs and snails cannot get through the netting - they cannot eat my food!
Reason 2) I've found pots and containers to be generally more manageable than raised beds.

The layout inside my greenhouse will be arranged differently to make better use of the space, paying particular attention to the height to which each type of plant tends to grow i.e. tomatoes will live in MFB's on the ground to allow for their height, rather than on staging. My strawberries will have a couple of sets of staging (the type you get in blow-aways) all to their selves.

Not much else will change. I've been very happy with how well everything has done in this, my first year.

[binley100]

I'm not sure if I will do things differently ......you can't guarantee what the weather will be like .

[Urban]

Don't think I will bother growing my toms from seeds next year (started em 1st feb this year)

Will be buying grafted toms and aubergines, and think I will try and overwinter some of my chilles

Also will get climbing French beans rather than dwarf, not had a single bean yet this year

[Ananke]

I will definately cover my paths, my plot wouldn't look too bad at all right now if it weren't for the weeds on the paths. We've started covering them with shed roofing felt, probably an expensive way to go about it though.

My plot neighbour is renewing his fencing this winter and has offered me his old fencing, I will make beds from this and hopefully that will make things easier.

As for crops, I will cover my fruit on time, plant more leeks and medicinal herbs and remember that successional sowing is very important.

[Samurailord]

I will start everything earlier this year - by the time I was ready for planting out the good weather would normally have been half way over.

Fortunately for me this year has been lousy weather-wise.

I will plant potatoes in buckets at the allotment, and not into the ground - much easier to manage and harvest.

I will get my netting cloches prepared before the plants are in the ground and needing the protection.

Andy

[Kaiya]

Only grow French beans, and grow lots of them, of different types. I do not like broad beans or runners, and mangetout and peas are too time sensitive at harvest for the weekend allotmentalist.

Start carrots and parsnips in roottrainers/deep plugs. I know it's not great for forking, but of approximately 1000 seeds sown this year I have 3 carrots and no nips. I fail at direct sowing.

Net the brassicas from the birds. Got away with it in 2011, not so lucky in 2012 (unless it was the slugs...)

Commence slug armageddon before they eat everything. Revenge is a dish that doesn't have a brassica side course.

Two mini-greenhouses is not enough space for successional sowing. Dismay parents by obtaining more mini-greenhouses/open shelves to grow things on.

[PMW]

Grow runner beans again - just not so many plants. I didn't realise how many beans I would be getting from just 10 plants. Only been harvesting a few weeks, but already had runner bean curry/stir-fries/pasta as well as a simple side veg and giving away a bag and they don't look like slowing down anytime soon!

Buy some fairy lights chilli seeds. This year I used seeds collected from a plant I bought at a chilli festival last year and have produced a few interesting plants, but none seem quite the same as the original.

[hamesy]

First year at gyo, but my main changes I want to make next year are:

1. Make more beds. The beds I've got now are too big for me, I want to cut them down into small manageable chunks. I'm going to be making a start on this over the weekend by dividing what was my potato bed into four sections; two cold frames and two salad beds for next year.

2. Less lettuce and radish. For some reason I sown loads of lettuce and radish and now that's all I'm eating at the moment. Next year I will be trying a wider variety of veg.

3. Get some seating down there