top growth
 

Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few vegs
on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my onions and
potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc have made lots
of top growth but there is nothing underneath them. Also I have brussel
plants about 3 foot tall but no brussells as such on them. My collies made
plenty of top but only very small hearts some of which went a funny colour.
Could someone please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my veg
growing.

Thanks in advance

Lofty

top growth
 

On 15/09/09 11:57, Lofty wrote:
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few vegs
on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my onions and
potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc have made lots
of top growth but there is nothing underneath them. Also I have brussel
plants about 3 foot tall but no brussells as such on them. My collies made
plenty of top but only very small hearts some of which went a funny colour.
Could someone please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my veg
growing.

Thanks in advance

Lofty


How deep you dig your soil? What's it like?

Ed

top growth
 

"Lofty" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a
few vegs
on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my
onions and
potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc have
made lots
of top growth but there is nothing underneath them. Also I have
brussel
plants about 3 foot tall but no brussells as such on them. My collies
made
plenty of top but only very small hearts some of which went a funny
colour.
Could someone please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my
veg
growing.

Thanks in advance

Lofty

I am interested as to whether you have been too liberal with manure as
too much nitrogen produces top growth rather than root growth. This
site http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/beginner/feed_plants.asp explains
that quite well. If you have been over generous with manure then next
year should be good providing, of course, that you do not repeat the
fault.

top growth
 

Lofty writes
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few vegs
on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my onions and
potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc have made lots
of top growth but there is nothing underneath them.

Don't give up on the radish and beetroot until they either die down or
produce a flower shoot. The way the radish grows, for example, is to
produce lots of leaves the first year to manufacture food for the plant.
Over winter the leaves die down, so all that food is stored in a swollen
stem base (the radish), so that next year the plant can push up a flower
stem and produce seeds, which is what it was aiming at all along.

Radish need a continuous water supply, so they're easier to grow in the
early part of the season, before the summer gets too dry. The slower
they grow, the hotter and more woody they become. Home grown radishes
are hotter than supermarket ones, but also far tastier.

Beetroot aren't such a problem if they take a long time. But if all else
fails, you can eat the leaves like spinach, or add the very young leaves
in the centre to salads.

--
Kay

top growth
 

"K" wrote in message
...
Lofty writes
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few
vegs
on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my onions
and
potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc have made
lots
of top growth but there is nothing underneath them.

Don't give up on the radish and beetroot until they either die down or
produce a flower shoot. The way the radish grows, for example, is to
produce lots of leaves the first year to manufacture food for the plant.
Over winter the leaves die down, so all that food is stored in a swollen
stem base (the radish), so that next year the plant can push up a flower
stem and produce seeds, which is what it was aiming at all along.

Radish need a continuous water supply, so they're easier to grow in the
early part of the season, before the summer gets too dry. The slower they
grow, the hotter and more woody they become. Home grown radishes are
hotter than supermarket ones, but also far tastier.

Beetroot aren't such a problem if they take a long time. But if all else
fails, you can eat the leaves like spinach, or add the very young leaves
in the centre to salads.

--
Kay

Hi,
I havn't put any manure on, but I have given a couple of liquid feeds with
Wilko's all purpose feed (looks like miracle grow).
the soil is a bit on the sandy type and hasn't grown veg on it for a few
years, so I was a bit dissapointed but will try again, I haven't tried the
beetroot
leaves in the ways suggested before, will give it a go.

Thanks
Lofty

top growth
 

"Lofty" wrote
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few
vegs on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my
onions and potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc
have made lots of top growth but there is nothing underneath them. Also I
have brussel plants about 3 foot tall but no brussells as such on them. My
collies made plenty of top but only very small hearts some of which went a
funny colour.
Could someone please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my veg
growing.

If the land hasn't grown much before then it should be fertile and it sounds
like it gets enough sunshine too. The only other thing that could cause a
problem is watering.

Radish and beetroot, when did you plant them?
Brussels Sprout are a winter crop, check out the seed packet for cropping
months, our's aren't showing sprouts yet and the earliest I've seen crop is
in October/November.
Collis hate any shortage of water or other check to growth, they do make big
plants too, some say they are difficult. Summer ones do tend to get
discoloured with the sunshine and eaten by the caterpillars so we also grow
the winter ones..Walcheren Winter Armardo (whatever) which always produce
nice big clean heads in the early spring.
You can tell when Collis start to heart up, the leaves will start to curl
round at the base slightly instead of growing straight up. Bend/break the
leaves over the curds to keep them covered if they aren't ready, or you
aren't going to cut them immediately, to ensure they stay white.They all
tend to go over quite quickly if not cut and with F1 seed they do all come
at once.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

top growth
 

"Lofty" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a few
vegs on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and whilst my
onions and potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish, beetroot etc
have made lots of top growth but there is nothing underneath them. Also I
have brussel plants about 3 foot tall but no brussells as such on them. My
collies made plenty of top but only very small hearts some of which went a
funny colour.
Could someone please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my veg
growing.

Brussel sprouts take some time to produce anything, you may not have any
sprouts until Xmas!

Alan


Thanks in advance

Lofty

top growth
 

Lofty wrote:
Hi All,
I'm new here and to gardening, but this year I have tried growing a
few vegs on a small piece of land, which gets nice sunshine, and
whilst my onions and potatoes havn't done to bad, things like radish,
beetroot etc have made lots of top growth but there is nothing
underneath them. Also I have brussel plants about 3 foot tall but no
brussells as such on them. My collies made plenty of top but only
very small hearts some of which went a funny colour. Could someone
please tell me what or where I am going wrong with my veg growing.

Thanks in advance

Lofty
My sprouts are just forming. I'm watering well and feeding fortnightly.
(correction to watering.........it's p*ssing down)
--
Pete C
London UK