Failures

Naturally we are all ready to trumpet our successes but we can learn from our failures as well, even if it's to say 'never again'. The vegetable beds were at their most productive this year, with lots of interplanting, careful succession sowing and plenty of water thanks to the rains but very little heat to bring things on.

Parsnip Hollow Crown - 100% germination failure! The wet spring wasn't kind to them but the Tender & True, sown at the same time in the same bed, came through. I've tried one already, long, creamy colour, no canker like last year but again a fairly woody core. The first frost is predicted so hopefully they'll get even sweeter.

Windsor Broad Bean - the ultimate aphid hotel. Never again! Stick to Aquadulce Claudia, earlier, tasty and hardly touched by aphids.

Celeriac - 28 planted as plugs. When I got back to the allotment a week later all had been eaten. Slugs or mice I reckon.

Sweet Corn - 85% germination and I did get about two weeks worth of eating but the ears were small and not as sweet as last year. I blame the wet summer and lack of heat.

Butternut Squash - well I have (tiny)  fruits but they're hardly going to ripen at this time of year. This was the first year trying them and I sowed the seed in situ. I think next year I'll bring them on in pots and plugs and try getting them in the ground a little earlier.

Grellos / Turnip Tops - a hit and miss affair. Poor germination on the allotment and those that did soon became slug food. The garden sown seeds did fine (sown around mid August). I should have sown more in September but with half a mind to the end of the season I never got around to it. A pity really as there is a lot of ground that could have been used for spring greens. But then there is only so much spring greens you can take.

And  for next year? More, lots more peas, Norli and Alderman especially. More interplanting, worked well this year squeezing more productivity out of the same space, more parsley as I'm now enjoying the frozen blocks of pesto. Wild rocket in preference to the hotter cultivated rocket. More onions (everything we cook seems to start with an onion and some garlic (of which I'll have plenty thanks to Bifuracted Carrots). And dare I say it, a few less potatoes but some early varieties to start the season off.

New crops? Well because I may have less veg space I'll try shallots for their multiplier effect, bush beans and I'd like to try blueberries in pots.And if I remember I'll sow more greens at the back end of the season and overwinter crops like chard/perpetual spinach.

Comments

[Patrick]

I'm growing a really nice shallot right now called Greeley Bunching Onion. I don't have enough to send you a really nice plantings worth, because I am still trying to grow out what I got last year, but I could send you 1 or 2 if you wanted to make a small trial planting.

I also have a number of peas left over from last year. Rebsie tried the Taiwan Snow Pea, and really liked it. Have you grown Capucijners, the dry soup pea? That one is also nice. I don't know a lot about my other peas, because I mostly grew them out for seeds and didn't eat them (I ate a lot of peas that year!). I can send you any you're interested in. Have a look at my seeds offered list if you're interested.

---Thanks Patrick. I was thinking of shallots this year but hold on to yours as I'm not at all sure of the growing conditions I'll have so I wouldn't want to waste them.

[miss hathorn]

Ditto on the sweetcorn and I think all that wet diluted the flavour of the few tomatoes I got as well. Alas, my parsnips show some signs of canker so I'll be looking for a more resistant variety next year. Although my celeriacs are the biggest I've ever managed, on close inspection the carrot root fly has been there ahead of me. Sigh.

----Ah! Didn't realise that carrot root fly attacks celeriac. I suppose you could protect them with a barrier but I never seem to get around to that or have enough material to hand to cover a full row. Must get better organised!

[lilymarlene]

I read that butternut squash is really better off in a greenhouse in our climate. I too have had poor results outside so that is my next project....in the tunnel next year.