2009 Veg Growers successes and failures thread.

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Thought it might be helpful for us to say how things are going and any varieties that you've found to be particularly successful/unsuccessful so far, we can update it later in the year. Mine are :

Sucesses

Tomatoes - Red Alert are brilliant though none ripe yet. Gardeners Pearl I'm not so impressed with, a lot of flower drop. Have had one ripe one so far which was good but not fantastic. Principe Borghese and Golden Queen just at flowering stage so a bit behind.

Peas & Mangetout - kelevdon wonder, great but need many more next year. Mangetout as been very easy and definitely to repeat.

Strawberries - Year 3 for some of these plants and not as good as last year, though have had a fair few off them (DH's strawberry icecream is delicious !)

Parsnips - looking very healthy and very pleased so far.

Peppers & Chilli - DH's department. He has a couple of pretty impressive pepper plants with lots of baby peppers on. Chilli plants not quite so healthy looking but he does now have 3 green chillis.

Melon - donated by a friend and grown under a cloche. Looks as if I do have one baby melon, hopfully more to come.

Sweetcorn - growing fairly slowly as not as much sun as should be but am hopeful.

Courgette - one large plant going great guns, smaller one just started flowering.

Rocket - done well but has bolted

Spinach - as above

Spring onions - slow but fine I think

Pumpkin - think I can see first baby pumpkin.

Raspberries - DH's again, looking good.

Failures

Beans - slugs have eaten most of my climbing french ones and the dwarf ones.

Aubergines - have very healthy looking plants which have just started flowering but flowers are just falling off.

Thai basil - went yellow and died.

Chives - can't get them to germinate to save my life.

Blackcurrants - first year of no flowers and fruit at all.

Not sure if success of failure

Cucumber - germinated one from seed (Cucumber Perfection), in plastic greenhouse with two bought from market. Unfortunately not sure which type the market ones are so not sure if should be taking male flowers off. Shame as have a lovely looking cucumber growing ! Other cucumber plant has tiny one on that doesn't seem to be doing much.

Beetroot - not quite sure about these, might be OK.

Carrots - most of the sown directly in the ground got munched.

Blueberries - their first year, are in pots looks like there will be some but not huge amount.

[bronze]

most of our stuff has grown (except spinach) but none is looking fantastic

[EccentricaGallumbits]

In the greenhouse

Cucumbers - brilliant. just like real ones from waitrose

tomatoes. first one is ripe today. loads of others just turning

Peppers - lots of flowers, no fruits yet

chillies - ditto

outside

peas - first ones fab, then they got eaten by something

salad - leaves and rocket - loads of it, some caterpillars though

Butternut squash - loads of leaves, just starting to flower

sweetcorn - no cobs yet

parsnips - loads of leaves but no idea what's happening underneath

Carrots - total failure

[bronze]

{grin} @ real ones

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Real one is how I feel about my baby cucumber, will be gutted if it is bitter because I've done it all wrong !

[Bettymum]

Successes:
Green and red frilly lettuces
Broad beans
Radishes
Courgettes - I have green and yellow plants, they are lovely particularly the yellow ones
Broad beans
Chilis - took a while to get going and the flowers were falling off till I put them outside in the sun, I did have them on the kitchen windowsill.
Carrots! Doing well despite being quite a few weeds in their bit of the bed. Still small but we've been eating the thinnings, lovely

Still waiting:
Squash - although lots of flowers
Sweetcorn - getting taller and taller but no cobs

Being eaten by pigeons:
Rocket
Borlotti beans - a few flowers but not many
Runner beans - first pods starting to form, lots of flowers though

Being eaten by ladybirds:
All the aphids on my broad beans

[wiggletastic]

Succeses:

Salad leaves - various - growing like mad
Spinach - lots
Basil

Still waiting but look like doing well:

Tomatoes - in the greenhouse, one small tomato has appeared, nothing yet on the other plants but lots of flowers
Beetroot
Carrots
Peas
Salad Onions
Cabbage

Disasters:

Cucumbers
Squash

All the seedlings died.

This is our first year and we started late but we are quite pleased so far. We are up in Scotland so the season is a bit later here I think. Its a bit of a steep learning curve!

[wiggletastic]

Sorry, can't remember the varieties.

[Lilyloo]

Doing well
carrots - only small though as growing in pots
chives doing great
lettuce doing well
mint / corriander both doing well
pepper - one small pepper growing on plant

not sure
tomatoes - at flower stage who knows
cucumber - growing well but nothing produced yet

dwarf beans really struggling

not sure about others yet....

[slng]

Can I join? We only have a few:

success:

chilli (fantastic little ones with a fierce kick)
pea shoots
kale
basil
mint
bay, rosemary and thyme

failure:

cucumber (snail food)

awaiting:
sweet corn
leek
tomato (regenerated after snail attack. I want to give it a medal)

just sown today (has anyone ever grown these with any success?):
kailan
choy sum
chives
lemon grass
land cress

Lilyloo how do you grow coriander?

[Lilyloo]

I grew mine from seed.
It is in quite a deep pot now , had couple of flowers which i removed and it's still doing well.
It is in sun most of the day but in shade late afternoon.
Luck of the draw though , my first try this year !!

[slng]

Lilyloo I love coriander but all my attempts died at about 2 inches high. Perhaps I'll try again. Did you just get the seeds from the garden centre?

[ingles2]

successes
purple sprouting broccoli,
cavolo nero
red cabbage
savoy all going great guns underneath my polytunnel/net thingy
courgette/pumpkins/squash OMG I've got a million
lettuce / rocket of all sorts doing great
beetroot,
leeks
shallots looking good
jerusalem artichokes, going great above ground, who know what's underneath
I've eaten all the globe artichokes, gooseberries, strawberries,
I've got parsley coming out of my ears

not so good
tomatoes, well they're fine, but seem slow
peas and broad beans, my bloody chooks just won't leave them alone. They've been stripped regularly

[Lilyloo]

I actually got them from mil who grows them no probs too.
Will ask her where she get's them from and let you know!
Are you growing it in ground or pot ?
I think they grow best straight from seed to pot / soil as they suffer being transferred.
Mine likes the sun but is in shade in afternoon.
Good luck , worth another try. I am North so harsh weather.

[WizzyWoo]

Hi I'm very new to veg gardening but caught the bug this year. I'm growing a variety of veg but have a question about butternut squash, if anyone can help. I grew mine from seed and was really pleased with them (I'm not greenfingered at all, so the fact that I had any seedlings was a miracle in itself). When I planted the best ones out in my designated veg patch in the garden, most died and only 2 have survived.

My mum told me yesterday that she'd seen something with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall saying that most people make the mistake of watering the leaves of the squash plants and you should only water the roots.

Now it could be my pregnant hormones addling my brain or just my novice status confusing me here, but what about rain??? Obviously that isn't going to politely veer round the leaves and head directly for the roots. Should I have kept the plants in a greenhouse? Are my last hopes going to wither soon too?

I'd be really grateful for any advice and hopefully I won't be laughed too heartily out of this thread!

[slng]

Lilyloo - would appreciate it. I get mine from garden centres. I'm growing in pots but maybe kitchen window ledge is too sunny - my basils grow really well there. Will try them in the front room but must remember to water them ...

[fishie]

two squash alive is a miracle. i have got one and not sure whether it will make it.

i killed one of my borlotti beans by snapping it at the bottom. raspberries are useless.

alpine strawberries are fab. i have eaten two courgettes which is more than any ever.

[slng]

WizzyWoo - sorry don't know anything about butternut squash. Only started planting more this year myself. What fun it is.

[MrsMcCluskey]

FAIlure

Strawberries
Carrots - ants ate them all

Success
Peas
Lettuce

Awaiting but hopeful
tomaotes
sweetcorn
runnerbeans
cauliflower
courgettes
broccoli s
squash

[Lilyloo]

I think watering is essential , they don't like being dry.

What can i do to help my dwarf runner beans anyone ?

[GentleOtter]

Success- lettuce

Failure - just about everything else as the chickens did a ram-raid.

[slng]

Lilyloo - I do garbage enzyme on my mum's recommendation and it hasn't killed anything yet.

[liath]

slng, I've had great success with kailan as it seemed far less inclined to bolt than my choi sum or pak choi. Also it keeps growing well once you start cropping it (although it eventually got too stringy).

[moonmother]

Successes

Mangetout- 1st year of growing them and they went mad

Radishes- are on our 3 rd lot this year- we love radishes

Lettuces- grew 3 different varieties, have just planted on 2nd sowing

Potatoes- 1 st year of growing them, grown in Potato Bag- was really pleased

Pepper- actually sowed last year and overwintered my one and only plant on the kitchen windowsill, now tranferred to patio greenhouse and have 3 medium sized peppers and lots of little baby ones growing

Rhubarb- bought a small pot which has now turned into a monster

Herbs- all gone completely mad

Rocket- On second lot as first lot bolted


Still Waiting But doing well

Tomatoes- grown Moneymakers and a cherry variety, have lots of tomatoes growing on both

Runner Beans- Lots of flowers - so hopefully lots of beans

Sweetcorn- growing well but no cobs yet

Cucumbers- 1st year of growing and have lots of cucumbers growing

Butternut Squash- 1st year of growing have 2 plants growing well and just flowering, have just transplanted to the veggie patch.

Failure

Dwarf French Beans- slugs got them

[marjoriemayhem]

Can I plants seeds directly from a butternut squash bought in a supermarket?

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Great to see that things are going pretty well for everyone overall. I bought a greenhouse on Ebay last night which we'll pick up at the weekend, though goodness knows when it will actually be put up. Hopefully it will be sorted for next year ! It hailed here yesterday evening and everything was covered in slugs and snails when I went out later, revolting things.

Wizzywoo, I don't know much about butternut squash and but I guess they must be pretty similar to courgette coming from the same family. I've got a cut off water bottle in upside down next to the courgette so the water goes direct to the roots. I think with rain on the leaves, it's not as frequent as a daily watering and finer than if you just chuck water over it without a rose. But I haven't a clue really ! I'm pretty sure they don't need to be in a greenhouse though as a friend has them outside on her allotment and she had a tiny one on one of them weeks ago.

I do know that it takes up a lot of room though. My Joy Larkcom book suggests that you can train it round in a circle, pegging the leading shoot into the ground, with a stick in by the middle of the plant at the beginning so you know where to water. I've been doing this with my pumpkin and it seems to be going well.

Majorie, I think you can give it a go but with squash they often don't grow true from seed so you could end up with a slightly different squash. Could be totally wrong about though, maybe someone who has been doing it longer than me knows for sure ?