[waterbuffalofarmer]

I am just wanting to scream, shout and jump up and down atm, I haven't been able to grow a single thing in the garden this year! The weather was really lovely at the beginning of the year and now we're just getting rain and wind and not a huge amount of warmth, plus the lambs got into the garden and trashed everything. I have a backup garden but I was letting it rest this year, but it looks as if i will have to use it as it is more sheltered from the elements. It looks as if the only early crop will be tomatoes which I have grown, plus a few courgettes, no beans till much later, and no squash or pumpkins. Can this be any worse?! Set back by so much this year and then this, it beggars belief sometimes. How is everyone getting on with their gardens this year? Soz for the rant, but I felt I had to vent it somewhere and my family have heard enough of my rants

[UPoneacre]

You've got my sympathies - same area/same problem!  .

Our ground has been too wet and cold to get things going and we're now a good three to four weeks behind in the veg garden. Brassicas are way behind; out of all the broad beans I sowed only one germinated; carrots have been re-seeded twice and still no signs of germination so will have another go, and anything a bit tender is a write off. Against that spuds are doing ok, so are shallots and one variety of onions (Hercules) but the other isn't (Bedforshire Champion). My pea plants are now fully six inches high and beginning to flower but any more rain won't do them much good - they might get to a foot high yet

On the fruit front - not a greengage to be seen but a good crop of Victoria plums developing; very few apples on the trees tho'; even our rhubarb is looking poorly.

All in all not a promising year this year, and at the same time I've got an outbuilding to re-roof because I'm running out of buckets for the leaks.

Ho hum! Anyone for a dull moment?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

sorry to hear that [member=30132]UPoneacre[/member] it sounds dreadful, I hope things get better soon!

[UPoneacre]

Likewise - keep smiling!

[Fleecewife]

Is it worth investing in a large polytunnel?  This is what we had to do here in the south of Scotland, at 1000' on a windy hillside.  very little of 'normal' veg will grow outside well here.  Beans become gnarled and blackened in the wind and cold, if they grow at all; it's just too cold for any cucurbits, so cucumbers, courgettes, squashes etc are grown in the tunnel, as are the beans;  sweet corn stops growing at about a foot above the ground - sorry - 30cms; even winter brassicas and leeks can be demolished by heavy snow; I don't even try to grow tomatoes, peppers, chillies or aubergines outdoors, in fact the peppers, chillies and aubergines are grown in the greenhouse, which is inside the tunnel!
You can cut down wind by having a tunnel of windbreak fabric, but it still lets the cold rain in, and most of the wind.  A polythene tunnel really pays its way in just a few years.  You have to watch out for pests and be ready to deal with them promptly, and you have to keep on top of watering, or have an automatic eg gravity fed irrigation system 

[Lesley Silvester]

We're not that far from Llanidloes - just over the border in Shropshire - but everything is doing well in my garden. It's amazing what difference a few miles can make. Hope we have a good summer to give you both a chance to catch up.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Is it worth investing in a large polytunnel?  This is what we had to do here in the south of Scotland, at 1000' on a windy hillside.  very little of 'normal' veg will grow outside well here.  Beans become gnarled and blackened in the wind and cold, if they grow at all; it's just too cold for any cucurbits, so cucumbers, courgettes, squashes etc are grown in the tunnel, as are the beans;  sweet corn stops growing at about a foot above the ground - sorry - 30cms; even winter brassicas and leeks can be demolished by heavy snow; I don't even try to grow tomatoes, peppers, chillies or aubergines outdoors, in fact the peppers, chillies and aubergines are grown in the greenhouse, which is inside the tunnel!
You can cut down wind by having a tunnel of windbreak fabric, but it still lets the cold rain in, and most of the wind.  A polythene tunnel really pays its way in just a few years.  You have to watch out for pests and be ready to deal with them promptly, and you have to keep on top of watering, or have an automatic eg gravity fed irrigation system 

I was wanting to invest in a polytunnel, but would need my landladies permission to do so. The other question is where to put it?

[Caroline1]

I'm doing ok and the tomatoes in my greenhouse are starting to overtake it along with the weeds. Hope your patch gets underway soon.

My biggest fight is with Pigeons eating my brassicas so I have netting everywhere and trying to stop dreaming of Pigeon Pie! 

[benkt]

Our brassicas have been dreadful so far this year - more due to slugs than anything else. Most of the rest is doing OKish after a slow start, loads of broad beans at the moment and looks like the courgette glut is about to start!

[Blondie]

Really hit and miss over here in gateshead. Think it's just been a pants year for veg growing but there is still time!

Broad beans were doing super until the last couple of days and they have all been battered by the wind and rain and will have to all be picked in the next couple of days. The courgettes are romping away along with purple broccoli. My billions of pansies i grew from seed are flowering and drawing in the bees.

Everything in the greenhouse (toms, chilli, Cucs) have been very slow and only in the last couple of days have really got going.

French beans have been slugged. Radishes got cabbage fly rot, too many leafy things have bolted, beetroot have leaf miner, chard have leaf miner.

[Lesley Silvester]

My biggest fight is with Pigeons eating my brassicas so I have netting everywhere and trying to stop dreaming of Pigeon Pie! 

Pigeons!  Not only do we have loads of wild ones but there are people round her who keep racing pigeons and let them out to fly. They all head straight to my garden. 

[Louise Gaunt]

Everything is very slow here in South Devon. It is still getting cold at night where we are and we have had a lot of dark, drizzly days which is slowing growth in the veg patch. My broad beans are stunted and have rust, the potatoes seem to be showing a pot crop, and the deer and rabbits are eating anything else that is growing! I think I shall just have to accept there won't be much produce this year!

[Fleecewife]

But next year is another year and a fresh start.  I think it's great how optimistic we gardeners are and always ready to try again 
Here's hoping we all get some kind of a crop, even if it's not what we dreamed of 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

But next year is another year and a fresh start.  I think it's great how optimistic we gardeners are and always ready to try again 
Here's hoping we all get some kind of a crop, even if it's not what we dreamed of 

Thanks for that [member=4333]Fleecewife[/member]  I really appreciate it you have really cheered me up

[pgkevet]

I don't see the problem.. a superb year for docks and nettles