I am really struggling to understand the effects of the weather on crops.

For some reason we are still picking runner beans and the plants are lush
and showing little sign of stopping.
There are still plenty of new flowers, although not too many bees in
evidence so they are unlikely to end up on the dinner plate or in the
freezers..Normally they'd be on the compost heap and the sticks in storage,
but this year we've still got at least another couple of weeks of picking to
do.
The strawberries have put on a second crop of fruit which have made a decent
size but aren't going to ripen off.
The butternut squash crop has simply been absurd. We always plant these on
old compost heaps, and currently the surrounding willows and fence are full
of ripe fruit waiting to be picked and stored. We've probably had around 20
from each plant, and many have been "whoppers" because I left them longer
than normal.
We're still picking tomatoes which are ripening quite nicely in the
greenhouses.
The last of the sweetcorn were munched yesterday.
The raspberry canes are going bananas and, despite cutting back, are still
pushing through the fruit cage roof. (7 foot)

This is not a typical year at all - the brilliant sunny spring and saturated
summer seem to have suited the garden well.
Certainly the most productive year (by far) that we've ever had.

"Sue da Nimm" wrote
I am really struggling to understand the effects of the weather on crops.

For some reason we are still picking runner beans and the plants are lush
and showing little sign of stopping.
There are still plenty of new flowers, although not too many bees in
evidence so they are unlikely to end up on the dinner plate or in the
freezers..Normally they'd be on the compost heap and the sticks in
storage,
but this year we've still got at least another couple of weeks of picking
to
do.
The strawberries have put on a second crop of fruit which have made a
decent
size but aren't going to ripen off.
The butternut squash crop has simply been absurd. We always plant these on
old compost heaps, and currently the surrounding willows and fence are
full
of ripe fruit waiting to be picked and stored. We've probably had around
20
from each plant, and many have been "whoppers" because I left them longer
than normal.
We're still picking tomatoes which are ripening quite nicely in the
greenhouses.
The last of the sweetcorn were munched yesterday.
The raspberry canes are going bananas and, despite cutting back, are still
pushing through the fruit cage roof. (7 foot)

This is not a typical year at all - the brilliant sunny spring and
saturated
summer seem to have suited the garden well.
Certainly the most productive year (by far) that we've ever had.

Unusual I agree.
But not everything is good in the garden.
I've noticed quite a few onions going bad in storage already.
Our tomatoes (grown outside) were very late to start cropping, although they
have eventually produced a good crop without spraying with Bordeaux Mixture
so it looks like "Ferline" truly is resistant to blight.
Swedes are rotting in the ground.
Lettuce and broccoli seemed to "bolt" very quickly this season.
Spuds attacked by slugs as usual despite growing resistant varieties,
Kestrel, Romano, Golden Wonder (yes, some say it is Rod) We will grow the
first two again though.
Chillies took ages to start growing and there was only one red fruit on 9
plants when we pulled them up yesterday.
Winter cabbages/Savoy's are rather strange looking, tiny hearts amongst huge
flat leaves, goodness knows if they will come to anything.
The saving grace was that we have our biggest pumpkin ever by far and I
didn't water it daily.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Hello Bob how big was your pumpkin? I had my biggest this year at 19lbs - my
second year growing them.

The saving grace was that we have our biggest pumpkin ever by far and I
didn't water it daily.

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:17:12 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


Unusual I agree.
But not everything is good in the garden.
I've noticed quite a few onions going bad in storage already.
Our tomatoes (grown outside) were very late to start cropping, although they
have eventually produced a good crop without spraying with Bordeaux Mixture
so it looks like "Ferline" truly is resistant to blight.
Swedes are rotting in the ground.
Lettuce and broccoli seemed to "bolt" very quickly this season.
Spuds attacked by slugs as usual despite growing resistant varieties,
Kestrel, Romano, Golden Wonder (yes, some say it is Rod) We will grow the
first two again though.
Chillies took ages to start growing and there was only one red fruit on 9
plants when we pulled them up yesterday.
Winter cabbages/Savoy's are rather strange looking, tiny hearts amongst huge
flat leaves, goodness knows if they will come to anything.
The saving grace was that we have our biggest pumpkin ever by far and I
didn't water it daily.

Yes we had to rush to get the onions lifted when the deluge started -
they're small from the hot dry start and not keeping too well as a
result of the wet late summer. Picked the last of the runner beans
today - they had a rough start like a lot of other things they
suffered when it was hot and dry, and they got kept in pots too long
before planting when I was hors de combat in June and July. All of the
spuds badly affected by early drought, late slugs (I take back most of
my ramblings about slugproof varieties) + blight. Raspberries planted
last year are fantastic - the ones planted this year not too good but
we're still picking the autumn one 'Joan J', that's a big improvement
(quality & quantity) on the usual autumn suspects. Swedes and other
overwintering brassicas are poor for all of the above reasons though I
think I got going again in time to improve the wintering caulis and
purple sprouting. Superb leeks and garlic. First reasonable Florence
Fennel I've grown. Most Apples are good but some like Lord Lamborne
aren't as well coloured and flavoured as they should be. Discovery was
the best I've seen it and we've left loads of good Bramleys on the
trees so the Fieldfares will feed well this winter.
Camellias are budding well, hardy cyclamen are great as usual,
Eucryphias were a real picture. I've been adding new corms to the
Fritillaries in the big wet lawn and while I was doing it I kept
finding pea sized Frit corms so it looks like they are starting to
self sow and naturalise OK.
Just starting to see some autumn colour.
So it's been a fairly rich mixture here.
Now next year.............................................. ..........

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

"MallowKat" wrote
Hello Bob how big was your pumpkin? I had my biggest this year at 19lbs -
my
second year growing them.

It took two of us to lift it on a tarpaulin and it was heavy so I guess
100lbs+ at least. Nothing to weigh it on.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 20:01:41 +0100, Rod
wrote:

~On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:17:12 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
~wrote:
~
~
~Unusual I agree.
~But not everything is good in the garden.
~I've noticed quite a few onions going bad in storage already.
~Our tomatoes (grown outside) were very late to start cropping, although they
~have eventually produced a good crop without spraying with Bordeaux Mixture
~so it looks like "Ferline" truly is resistant to blight.
~Swedes are rotting in the ground.
~Lettuce and broccoli seemed to "bolt" very quickly this season.
~Spuds attacked by slugs as usual despite growing resistant varieties,
~Kestrel, Romano, Golden Wonder (yes, some say it is Rod) We will grow the
~first two again though.
~Chillies took ages to start growing and there was only one red fruit on 9
~plants when we pulled them up yesterday.
~Winter cabbages/Savoy's are rather strange looking, tiny hearts amongst huge
~flat leaves, goodness knows if they will come to anything.
~The saving grace was that we have our biggest pumpkin ever by far and I
~didn't water it daily.
~
~Yes we had to rush to get the onions lifted when the deluge started -
~they're small from the hot dry start and not keeping too well as a
~result of the wet late summer.

Same here. Last year I had lots of huge cricketballs but this year -
all are only about 2" across.

~Picked the last of the runner beans
~today - they had a rough start like a lot of other things they
~suffered when it was hot and dry, and they got kept in pots too long
~before planting when I was hors de combat in June and July. All of the
~spuds badly affected by early drought, late slugs (I take back most of
~my ramblings about slugproof varieties) + blight.
My runners went over in the wind a month ago but I'd had so many off
them, I wasn't too worried. Freezer already full of them! I grew
Painted Lady this year instead of Enorma; they are a lot shorter and
get fat incredibly fast, but at 6" long and slim they are quite simply
lovely beans. And prolific.

Spuds were ok - not brilliant, and my Mimi's got totally slugged. But
I still haven't dug up the Sarpo blight-resistant maincrop ones as the
foliage is still happily green! Must do this before we get the first
bad frost...

~Raspberries planted
~last year are fantastic - the ones planted this year not too good but
~we're still picking the autumn one 'Joan J', that's a big improvement
~(quality & quantity) on the usual autumn suspects.

Seconded again. I planted my Joan J in January 2003; they gave a
handful last year and this year have gone a bit potty. Have got lots
of jam as a result! And they are quite different in taste to summer
raspberries, if anyone's thinking of giving them a go. Richer, deeper
taste in my opinion!

~Swedes and other
~overwintering brassicas are poor for all of the above reasons though I
~think I got going again in time to improve the wintering caulis and
~purple sprouting.
My summer cabbages have been lousy. They haven't hearted at all,
whereas last year I was pcking them in July. They were planted at the
same time both years. Win some, lose some. I've left them in as
they're gradually getting bigger, though no homemade coleslaw this
year

~Superb leeks and garlic.
Seconded.

~First reasonable Florence
~Fennel I've grown. Most Apples are good but some like Lord Lamborne
~aren't as well coloured and flavoured as they should be. Discovery was
~the best I've seen it and we've left loads of good Bramleys on the
~trees so the Fieldfares will feed well this winter.
My Bramley is covered - I knocked off a lot to get bigger fruit but it
didn't really help - still have hundreds of tiddlers. I keep turning
them into apple and sage jelly.

Nobody's mentioned carrots. I have had fantastic success with my 6"
deep trowel tranches filled with compost, with seeds sown on the top.
On those rows I have not had a forked one - just beautiful
carrot-shaped carrots rather than the novelty shapes I get from the
bare stony soil. And they are clean (thanks I presume to enviromesh
keeping off the carrot fly). And they taste fantastic!

I can't seem to get carrot and onion to both do well in a given year -
perhaps their favourite conditions are mutually exclusive.

~Camellias are budding well, hardy cyclamen are great as usual,
~Eucryphias were a real picture. I've been adding new corms to the
~Fritillaries in the big wet lawn and while I was doing it I kept
~finding pea sized Frit corms so it looks like they are starting to
~self sow and naturalise OK.
~Just starting to see some autumn colour.
~So it's been a fairly rich mixture here.
~Now next year.............................................. ..........

Next year I wont be planning and organising a wedding so with luck
I'll be able to give the poor lottie a bit more tlc!
(2 weeks to go... eep)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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