It's that time again when I take a quick look back at the year and review what went well and what didn't. Well, there was quite a few 'didn'ts' in 2018 largely due to the drought we had that stretched from the middle of June to the end of August.
I'll bang through my proposed growing list for 2018 as published on Dec 06 2017. The Musselburgh leeks failed as they were transplanted just as the drought started and they really didn't get underway. The Alicante tomatoes did well in the greenhouse and produced well into the late Autumn. Also the Corno di Toro Roso sweet peppers were lovely, this is the first time I grew these and will be doing so again. I did have to move them from the greenhouse to the open air as it was too hot for them, though it was an usually hot year.
Broad beans died because of the drought just as they were developing pods; the French and Runner beans were OK but they didn't last into the Autumn and went 'over' rather quickly - again I think the lack of water took its toll. The garlic started well but died in the space of a fortnight and the Sturon onion sets remained small and were finished a month early.
Salad crops were OK, plenty of lettuce and mixed leaves though they eventually went to seed due to the heat. Salad onions failed along with the radish that largely bolted. As for the brassicas, they were more resilient than I thought: the Summer Primo II cabbages produced well and the Winter Cabbages Tundra F1 are looking tatty but are still edible as I write. (I'll probably sow these a month later in May next year). The Brussels sprouts, Bosworth F1 have developed well and have produced a decent crop despite an attack of white fly and the pigeons picking at the tops again. I didn't sow Kale as planned due to lack of room.
Potatoes - the earlies, Rocket, were ready before the drought hit in June so were as expected. The main crop Sarpo Mira never developed the large plants above ground that they normally do, they looked small and stunted well into the Autumn and I lost a few plants too. I was therefore surprised to get some nice spuds from those that survived. I had some decent sweetcorn but quite a few went unpicked and ended up as chicken treats.
As for the other root crops, the Gladiator F1 parsnips failed to germinate, not a single seedling appeared despite sowing a good pinch per position; I've never had this before. A major success were the carrots especially the Resistafly which produced loads of decent sized carrots over the season despite me totally over-sowing them; these have become my new carrot of choice for planting directly in the plot. The Sweet Candle carrots in the barrel are still there and I've been pulling the odd one through the Autumn and Winter. The Bolthardy beetroot grew and developed through the season as if it was a normal Summer and seemed unaffected by the dry weather; it's pickled in jars and is being eaten over this Christmas period.
The courgettes did OK, plenty on them but they died off a bit sooner than usual. A decent pumpkin developed too though I was worried for a while! The largest success in 2018 has to be the Winter squash, namely the Hunter F1 butternut. The butternut enjoyed the heat and I watered them regularly through my funnel system, (I always bury a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off upside down next to the squash when I first plant them out - this funnel ensures that the water and liquid feed get straight to the roots).
Over all, 2018 was a forgettable year on the allotment mainly due to the drought and I'm still getting to grips with a much smaller allotment after giving up the other half. There's still some decisions to be made on the best things to grow in a smaller plot. Anyway, that's 2018 done and dusted, we've had cold weather and snow early in the season then baking sun and drought through the Summer. Let's hope 2019 is better.
Bye for now.
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