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Overview of the summer season- How has your's been?

Hi All,

Thought I would post an overview of the summer growing season now that it's at an end.

Quite frankly, this has probably been the worst year in the last 8 or so, image

  • lettuces destroyed by butterfly...(completely annihilated)
  • beans not up to their usual vigour (it's been a surprisingly dry summer where I live in Berkshire)
  • Cucumbers were ok
  • Early spuds not great although mains crop were good
  • Tomatoes were ok
  • Chillies have been great image

How has everyone else's summer held up? Hopefully better than mine!

Win some, you lose some!

 

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Posts

  • Well CC, my Carrots, Potatoes, Shallots, Cucumber, Onions, Raspberries, Strawberries and Lettuce have all been fab- Tomatoes have been awful, and my Dwarf Beans not good either.

    Looking forward to getting going next year though!image

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    not great here, not helped by the dodgy knee.

    Lovely warm, hot even, April, then rubbish.

    Devon.
  • pr1mr0sepr1mr0se Posts: 1,193

    How odd!  I think you're only a few miles away from me, Philippa (I'm in Porlock) and I have had a rubbish season for parsley - the plants have barely managed a new leaf or two.  The tomatoes were fabulous (and I'm still ripening the last ones indoors).  French and runner beans were embarrassingly prolific, as were the redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries.  Still picking chillies, and sweet peppers were pretty good - except they got nobbled by a burrowing caterpillar! (Not wanting anything to go to waste, I cut our the nibbled bits and used the rest).

     

  • Apples ( 3 trees) , pears ( 2 trees), very good and v.tasty. Plums ( 3) only one fruited well, thornless blackberries not bad considering its 1st year, grapes hopeless( my fault),cherries not bad but enjoyed by the birds! Melon disastrous ( my fault), courgettes just didn't get going but the aubergines weren't bad for a 1st attempt and are very tasty. Flowers still  blooming all around the garden......so all in all not a bad season for us.

     

  • Glad to hear some people had a better summer than we did!

    I'm most surprised about the beans to be honest, they usually grow like weeds, yet this year just "sat" there for the entire of august, then decided to wake up in September!!

    Anyone else from Berkshire had a disappointing crop? Up until 12 days ago our rain butts have been very low....I will blame it on climate change image 

  • Courgette Bonanza this year. I did plant them in the borders this year and not in the veg garden,

    Lost Cucumbers to blight in the greenhouse and Melons too.  Will try outside next year

    Tomatoes, Ok, but nothing to write home about.

    Horseradish, done very well

    Late Raspberry, heavy cropping just going over now

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    A mixed year here in central Norfolk.

    Best year for a long time for outdoor toms here, despite a late start. 

    Poorest year ever for courgettes, but we're still getting the occasional one. 

    Great crop of autumn-sown broad beans - it was hard to keep up with them.

    Runner beans - so so, have had better years.

    Chillies - outdoor - a better crop than last year.

    Autumn raspberries (Polka) fantastic crop

    First bunches of grapes on a three year old outdoor vine Boskoop Glory - delish

    Figs (Brown Turkey) were late to get going and most won't ripen now.

    Gooseberry (Hinnomaki yellow) a good crop on a three-year old bush.

    Rhubarb - fantastic crop - third year of picking.

    Purple sprouting broccoli was really good this spring.  Next spring's crop looks promising as the plants are growing away well, no caterpillar damage and they're netted against the pigeons - fingers are very crossed.

    Early salad stuff was good but the later stuff just didn't perform well.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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  • chris 172chris 172 Posts: 403

    Hi all

    what a year it has been great with few losses to the dreaded slugs and other but apart from a few caullis running the following has been the best to date five years

    potatoes, Charlotte, rocket, nadine, Picasso, desire and cara brilliant

    brassacas, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts,  brockali, 3types cale brilliant and have still got an abundance to pick.

    beetroot amazing, courgettes unreal picked last today, onions, shallots, leeks,spring onions, runner and green beans, lettuce three type, celery, pumpkin, tomatoes, cucumber and chilli

    strawberries, rhubarb, summer and autumn raspberries amazing and I am sure I have forgotten others I have planted but fingers crossed for a bumper harvest again next year

    happy gardening and see my pictures there is still plenty of picking left

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