Vegetable Growing 2024

You can see below Pete, I had a couple that did the same as yours. No idea why. The 2 in the photos were planted next door to each other. As for when to lift, mine are a pretty good size but you can see they still have quite a lot of green top growth.

 

Yes the splitting is not something I have had happen before, I use some of my own cloves for replanting each year so I can only think its weather related or maybe I planted then too early last October.

 

My cuces are doing ok. pumpkins are doing much better. cold weather no good!
Tomatoes are doing great but I lost the diagram telling me what they all were. Ah well...

Peppers growing so slowly. Physalis has over taken them considerably. My peas just finished and im tearing them down tommorow, maybe I can get a 2nd pea rotation or is this unlikely? IDK!

my kiwis are skyrocketing and have grown maybe 3 foot each. uh oh! the female kens red eveeyone says fruits in 3 years... itll be a monster then

 

Peppers are doing well enough, tomatoes beginning to ripen, but not enough to have any left to bring in after snacking and watering. A couple of cucumbers picked and more coming, the first melon is just forming.
Outside the sweetcorn is not looking too bad, garlic needs harvesting, squashes and courgettes only went out a few days ago and I daren't look at the climbing beansafter the ltest rain will have encouraged the slugs and may I have to start again or give up for this year.

 

@hailbopp
Witches Broom Garlic: What's Wrong with My Garlic?.

I had a couple do that to me this year too

 

Finally got some things to harvest. My first lot of broad beans failed due to blackfly too.
Foremost first early spuds, broad beans, courgettes (still very small), lollo Rosso and little gem lettuce.

 

At long last we have our first harvest of dwarf broad beans. Still more to come but so far behind.

 

This is the worst year for our edibles. Germination has been horrendous for all the beans, peas, carrots, onions, beetroot, swiss chard and so on. We are sowing yet again for so many and hope that we get some return.
Then onto the fruit. The currants gave us very little this year as did the gooseberries. Strawberries are hit and miss as our the logan berries. The quinces? Well they are all falling on the ground. Cherries? Birds got them all. Pears? Hardly any the same as the plums. Apples in the orchard? Hardly any. Figs developing so maybe we will have some this year at last. The Kiwi with its hundreds of flowers.....looks like we may have 2 that are developing. Hope that this is just a one of year.

 

I pulled my broad beans out a couple of days ago, I got a fairly decent crop but would have been a lot better without the blackfly.
Lots of pods were stunted and distorted, yours look nice and clean @On the Levels.

Did you buy all your seeds from the same supplier, seems strange that germination was poor over such a range of plants.

 

@pete no the seeds were from different companies and bought in different shops. We are hoping that this year is a one off and it will be much better next year. We do rely on our fruit and veg throughout the year and buy very little (apart from things like oranges and bananas...can't grow them!). We will still sow and fill in gaps in the hope that some will germinate. Very frustrating but then that is gardening.

 

@pete follow on we always have to sow indoors and then transplant the seedlings out. We are in clay soil that takes forever to warm up so indoor sowing is a must. When I say indoor we have pots/trays in our unheated conservatory and/or the polytunnel. What has been different this year? The compost. We have had compost for some years from B&Q as all OK but this year we bought bags from another store. Coincidence? Not sure but it has made us think about compost next year.

 

I bought some compost some years ago, before all this peatfree stuff came along.
It was on special offer.
Nothing grew in it at all, never did find out why, it was really black like sedge peat.

 

I can't say that my year has been great so far.
Radishes are beetroot are easy and doing well. Asparagus amazing this year, so are blackcurrants and courgettes.
My main problem is that most of my brassica seeds didn't germinate and the ones that did aren't very strong and some have died since planting out. Very frustrating. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong with germination.

 

This may be due to old seed. Recommend you buy from
www.Realseeds.co.uk
each year. 99% germination, no issues.
Brassicaes require no special treatment ,only average temperature and moisture. Would recommend Westland Grosure compost. Cover seed only to the diameter; just 1-2mm. Place in good light conditions once seen sprouting and keep barely moist. I grow in module trays, 1-2 seeds per module, Thin once second leaves seen. Plant out after 7 days in cold frame,once 6 leaves are seen.
Protect from slugs at all stages; pigeons and caterpillars once planted out

 

I've just spotted my first courgette of the year forming, much to my surprise. I'm surprised because it's from the first courgette flower! Normally I'd expect a week or two of male flowers only.