Autumn.

wayland · Autumn.

Here at Waylands we have had a mixed year. Some crops have had an exceptional year while others have been a spectacular failure. I have been paranoid about potato blight and sprayed religiously only to get blight again Evil or Very Mad

. Runner beans have done very well and the freezer is nigh on full of them. The collies have done well also but the sprouts are looking abysmal. Spring and summer cabbages did very well and we got a second flush from them. The peas did well to start with but they obviously did not like the wet summer and the remaining pods just did not fill. The carrots did not germinate and needed resowing. Time will tell what the late sowing can do. The parsnips are ok by the look of them but the swedes look a bit under par. For the winter we have good looking Jan kings and Xmas drum head cabbages. The curly kale looks stunted but what is there looks healthy enough. Courgettes were good as was the onions but the garlic was very poor. The poly tunnel is our saviour. Great spring cabbages in march. Early spuds in June and all the toms we can eat and freeze. We broadcast some flower seeds on a spare piece of ground and have been surprised with the resultant crop which were sold easily sold at the local mart. As I said. A mixed year thus far in the veg plot. We finally did well with the goat meat and have almost sold out. Our hens continue to lay enough eggs to sell the surplus at the mart. That's about it but big plans for next year which includes taking in more grazing land so fingers grossed. Wink

phil

We had a good crop of early potatoes and peas all the other veg was disappointing,no fruit on the trees at all but we did have a bumper crop of blackcurrants.

wayland

Taking stock, we have not done so bad despite the weather. The sprouts have recovered enough to give us a feed at Xmas. Half the winter cabbages bolted, as did the sprouting broccoli. Half the spuds are bad due to blight Evil or Very Mad

. Parsnips are ok, well what germinated are. The freezer is full of peas, beans, collies, brccoli, tomatoes, currents etc. So we wont go hungry this winter. The failures were. Gooseberries. plumbs, pears, raspberries. in fact all the fruit except black and red currents. I do have some apples stored, but most were spoiled by a horrible mold on the skins. Peal this off and the fruit is ok but not of saleable quality. To say we wont go hungry this winter is fine but I had planted just about all of my 3/4 acre veg plot with the view of selling the surplus at the mart. There will be very little left to sell me thinks. So how did you guys get on ?

MrsL

Fruit has been excellent here, and I took the first crop of pears too, so pelased about that. Still picking autumn raspberries, and the medlars are almost ready too. Peas did well,a nd climbing beans, pumpkins, potatoes, chillies, tomatoes were OK; leeks looking good, carrots were excellent, and cabbages. Garlic and winter onions now in, lots of chard to pick soon, and Jerusalem artichokes. In the mian, very pleased, but need to do more..........

wayland

Well go to the top of the class MrsL. Well done Very Happy

MrsL

More like "Could do better" I think Laughing

Ah well, there's always next year............... Cool

dizandstell

We've had a good year as well and I'm especially pleased as it has been our first year at growing veg. I have the assistance of a polytunnel, which has been the best investment we have ever made. We got started late, but even though we got blight on the potaotoes outside we had a good crop. Must grow more next year. Leeks have been amazing, they are about 3 foot high and as thick as a can of guiness and are so tasty! Courgettes were crazy and we got sick of finding things to make out of them so the livestock got to enjoy them. I even made some jam and wine from them and they still kept growing. The one and only pumpkin that grew has just been used for Halloween and the flesh turned into soup, which was really good. Beans have been productive, I've only just put it on the compost and the freezer is full of beans for winter. Sprout plants are 5 foot, but we are not overly fussed on this variety. Carrots are still growing, I planted some in late Aug and they are coming on a treat should keep us going over winter. Fruit wasn't so successful, but they are only young plants so I am hoping they will do better next year. The fig planted in the polytunnel even managed to produce a few ripe fruit which were delicious. Onions and garlic are in and growing ready for spring and the purple sprouting brocolli is also looking hopeful for spring. A definate hit was the sweetcorn, So sweet it could be eaten raw straight from the plant, more space is being made for it next year.
Only problem I'm experiencing is the damn rain and not being able to dig the outside gardens ready for the spuds. Might just chuck on some manure and do it next year, let the worms do their thing.
The good thing about it all is we haven't had to buy any veg since April and it's saved us a fortune.
Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty proud.

sir. porky · polly tunnal best way to grow veg

we also had agood year for veg in the polly tunnal, a reasonable spring ment we dug early spuds in april, strawberrys harvested well as did early cabage we were suprised with a good harvest of grapes (now all in demijohn,s) and we now hope for a grop of early spuds for xmas lunch! Yes set early spuds in late august ready for xmas its abit of a chance but 9 out of 10 times it works,all depends on frost (polly tunnal will resist -4 oc) out side was not good spud were only fit for the pigs to dig out and
eat,o well more bacon! not bought veg for 5 years and still learning
Sir porky.

wayland

Good stuff lads Very Happy

. Sorry MrsL but over here you too would be a lad Laughing

. I shall try growing main crop spuds in the poly tunnel next year and get them in really early, perhaps over a hot bed!. Out side I will just grow the earlies and hope to get them out before the blight comes. Dizandstell, Whats your soil like? must be in very good shape me thinks.

Good luck.

MrsL

My sprouts are ready I think - much sprouty excitment here Laughing

I don't mind being called a lad - it's a lot better than some of the things I get called Rolling Eyes

dizandstell

Soil is the delightful clay stuff, difficult and sticky. I have added a good dose of well rotted horse muck, free from a neighbour, and everything grown in that has done very well. I had some garden with and some without and there was a definate difference. I did two sets of oinion crops, some in horse muck and some not, the ones in it were huge! I am trying to get some more veg garden outside prepared and will be adding plenty of horse muck and will let the worms do their stuff and then grow early spuds to try and beat the blight. I will also grow some earlier spuds in the polytunnel in bags, I tried it last year but didn't water them enough so they were small.
The soil in the polytunnel was originally part of the field, so the top layer was scrapped off and then rotavated, thats when it some got horse muck, and some didn't. In comparison the outside garden had some sub soil added that was dug out of the hole for the water tanks and plants in there have been very small.
As we have a ton of chicken manure mixed with wood chip from their bedding, I am going to add some of that to the cabbage patch as I understand it should be good for them. Got to get rid of it some how, so I'm hoping it will work?!?!
It's all a learning curve, hard work but fantastic when our guests comment on how wonderful the veg is and the kids (who don't normally eat veg) tuck in whole heartedly. Makes me feel warm inside. One of the many rewards of living self sufficiently me thinks.
Stell.

wayland

Nice one Stell. So you have none of that many square miles of peat that I noticed when last in Co Roscommon. I could do with a few ton of that dug in my thin soil. Its all a learning curve of course, and despite a few failures, we have had the best veg ever. I have to keep the soil in good hart and so like you, plenty of compost. Good luck.

Autumn.

polly tunnal best way to grow veg