What will you do differently next season?

[WPG]

Next year I'm going to basics - growing a lot more veg which stores through the winter (potatoes, onions, garlic etc.) and also veg which is quite expensive to buy in the shops (especially broad beans and sprouting brocolli). Not going to bother faffing around with too much variety or anything exotic.

[noviceveggrower]

I am going to hold off planting my seeds so early next year, its going to be hard not to start.
I am hoping to do my usual potatoes and beans. I am hoping to give peas a bash again but also do squashes, courgettes, and garlic. Might even give pumpkins ago again. Going to give chillies a bash again as well. Hopefully then I can get some seeds put back into the VSP.
In two minds about toms next year as this year has been really bad. Not bothering with brassicas as they have been bad again for a second year and that's even buying plug plants.

[rary]

At the moment I intend to sow my tomatoes at the end of February, as this year I held off till end of April and did`t get any tomatoes till August although I am still pulling them at the end of October when usualy my tomato plants are composted by now, and if it is an other year like this year, I will cover all my crops with enviromesh, I only have five beds so wont cost too much to do, I had been thinking of dropping onions from my croping next year, but as we use a lot I want to ensure they are free of chemical spraying so onions will be in again, and no doubt grown from sets. I must try moolie radish again as I have been unsucsessful with this crop this year I will also sow small numbers of differant verities of cabbage to give successional cropping

[Ryleh]

Things I'm doing differently next year...

Firstly tomatoes, I'm trying out a lot more varieties next season, particularly interesting coloured ones such as Dancing with Smurfs or Snow White.

I'll be growing more potatoes too, this year was a bit of an experiment with me only planting in a fairly small bed but I was quite pleased with the outcome despite the amount I lost to various bugs but I did leave it a little late to lift them. I'll be better prepared for next season and more knowledgable.

I'm going to be trying out a couple of interesting fruits. I've got some seeds for Inca Berries which sound tasty and interesting to grow, I picked up a Goji berry plant cheap the other day and I'm hoping that the honeyberry that I planted this year will provide me with some tasty fruit. I also have some seeds for Passion fruit which I dont know how well they will do in the northern climate but I'm going to have a go anyway.

Lastly I've got a polytunnel now which I only picked up recently so didnt have this last season so I'll be looking to make the most of that, particularly to get things moving early or to keep things like the passion fruit or my chilli pepper plants nice and cosy.

Oh, and rhubarb, lots of rhubarb, including a couple of new varieties I've planted or will be planting shortly

[bario1]

I'll be testing any free horse manure I collect for weedkiller contamination before I use it all over my plot...

on second thoughts, I won't be collecting any free horse manure.

[Alison]

At the moment I intend to sow my tomatoes at the end of February, as this year I held off till end of April and did`t get any tomatoes till August although I am still pulling them at the end of October when usualy my tomato plants are composted by now

Everybody's toms were late this year, some years are just like that. Personally I think Feb us too early to sow more than a few toms, especially as far north as you. It's a long time to keep them protected without them getting leggy so I go for sowing between your extremes, March is a good time. With regards the back end of the season, it can be good to grow a variety of toms that crop over a longer length if time. If you're growing under cover then there us no reason why you can't crop until the end of Oct in almost any year. I do love fresh tommies

[ESBkevin]

I'm going to start things in my own seed compost which is not very rich and then pot on to my next concoction made of worm castings and leaf mold. That will be a first.
I will try not to do too much too soon (again). The aim is to grow food we like and food we can store out of season.
It will feature:
Tomatoes
Onions
Celery
Leeks
Shallots
Potatoes
Broad beans
Dwarf french beans
Runner beans
Peas
Sweetcorn
Parsnips
Carrots
Swede
Chilli
Pepper
Cucumber
Chard
Spinach
Cabbage
Broccoli
Brussels

And the fruit beds will remain
Gooseberry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Cherry
Apricot
Peach
Dessert Apple
Cooking apple
Pear
Plumb

I'm getting excited thinking about it now and I've hardly even started digging.

Still gathering compost materials (never seem to have enough). Getting ready to gather all the lovely leaves for mulching over the next few weeks. I have a source of fresh horse muck which I'm composting into the other green/brown vegetation and cardboard so it will be ready for digging in next Autumn.

[greenishfing]

Next year I will put in better stakes and supports for all my plants and do a better job of sideshooting and stopping the plants that require this. More order and less jungle.

[Tripmeup]

Next year I will not compare next year to this year...
When will we ever learn, no two years are the same...

[Penellype]

Next year I will put in better stakes and supports for all my plants and do a better job of sideshooting and stopping the plants that require this. More order and less jungle.

I say this every year and every year I fail miserably because I simply can't resist letting another shoot or 2 grow up from the bottom of the tomato plants. I've yet to find a support system that doesn't sag under the weight of a fully laden tomato plant.

[Basher]

I'll try to plant onion seed a bit earlier next year, hopefully January. Will do the same for the chilli plants. I'll also be deploying a bit more enviromesh as it has worked wonders on my main bed this year.

[rary]

Everybody's toms were late this year, some years are just like that. . If you're growing under cover then there us no reason why you can't crop until the end of Oct in almost any year. I do love fresh tommies

I appreciate what you are saying Alison but there are lots of reasons for not cropping till the end of October, like stopping them by the end of July to get them to ripen on the vine, frost being another, this year the temperatures have been higher than usual for September , October, and I can protect young plants easier than mature ones and I will only be growing three or four plants next year.

[Alison]

Fair point Rary, there are no guarantees but I like to extend seasons whenever I can by growing different varieties. In a normal year this means I can be cropping fresh toms from July till October which is well worth it .

[rary]

Alison, there is one other point I should have mentioned, as it gets colder I get lazier.

[PyreneesPlot]

Next year I will not grow more of what did very well this year assuming it will do very well next year.
I will stake the sprouts and the kale because however deeply and firmly they go in they always fall over and the sprouts blow.
I'll grow the melons over the frame again as this year they were just left to scramble and the slugs had half a dozen,
I'll train the marmande a little bit - see melons, above.
I'm going to get that mole ...