The highs and lows of growing 2012

[Auricula]

Thanks RF - I'll look

[Cheerypeabrain]

Vegetable wise...we've had a rotten year for cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers (all in the GH). The carrots crop was very poor...but what carrots I did have were clean and unblemished (grew in tubs for the first time). The courgette 'trombocino' did well as did the peas and runner beans and onions. Potatoes (grown in an old water tank) cropped well too.

We've had a bumper blueberry crop, the raspberry canes (only planted last Autumn) fruited well and altho we had a lot of strawberries the fruit didn't ripen properly and was too sharp (not enough sun). None of the squashes survived the slugfest...

The flower border was a mess...it was just too wet and too cold for too long. The old faithfuls performed brilliantly despite this, tithonias, french marigolds, nemesias, lavender, pot marigolds, cosmos, heliotrope and verbenas....but the snails and weather just about killed everything else...or at least damaged the flowers and leaves. Got lots of splotchy leaves

Ipomoeas and zinnias in particular did very poorly.

Not a good year really...but one to learn from.

[Dutchy]

Looks like my year was not too bad. I did have carrots and be it small onions, the shallots did better than expected. The peas went berserk and I couldn't keep up eating.
Earlies were fine though a different one than I ordered sat in the bag with the right description . Pear tree asleep plums well yes approx 15 all with worms included.
Strawberries only the woodland ones did well. Clubroot ah yes that did well but I still got some red cabbage and the Brussels sprouts are still growing, or so I tell myself.
Toms in the GH not too good. Ah well it could all have been worse and right now I am mulching to get goodness in the soil and making plans oooooh yeh planning the thing that keeps me on my feet ;D
I hope next year is not such a strong learning curve

[totp]

A pretty disappointing year here also. I had broccoli that grew wonderfully but didn't produce any heads. Garlic that failed to produce bulbs, pitiful carrots. Lots of foliage on the celeriac but no bulbs. I think my veg patch is too shady and too dry. I think I will concentrate on soft fruit and salads. The veg I grow for the fun of it rather than cos it feeds the family.
The flowers were good-ish. Echinacea was good and I mananged to get some cuttings to take. The same applies to perovskia. Dahlia's were disappointing - from tubers failing to come back after winter to not many flowers on the ones that did eventually sprout. I sowed lots of seeds last spring most of which were fine but ammi majus never sprouted and sweet rocket sprouted but then seemed to disappear once it was in the borders.
The compost bin was a great success as was the leaf mould and already I have a garage full of leaves waiting to be chopped and bagged ready for next year.
After all is said and done, I don't really mind the failures.Maybe if everything came too easy I wouldn't find the gardening so fascinating. It hasn't put me off - just more keen to get going next spring

[Tig]

I reckon most of us avid gardeners are not easily put off. There is an acceptance that some things do well while other stuff is dismal, but as we can't control the weather we are mostly optimistic that next year might be better ;D

I know I won't give up trying to grow the flowers and veg that I like, and experimenting with new plants is always enjoyable. We learn from experience whether we succeed or fail

x Tig

[andy]

LOWS..........

Weeds !!!

Dry spring

Wet summer

Newly planted herbaceous did ok...but lost around 40% of what i planted.

Foxes absolutely destroying my lawn looking for leatherjackets

Squirrels eating so many crocus bulbs

Mice eating 2000 woodland anemone bulbs in my chalet

Poor autumn colour

My poly house at home got blown away

Toms got blight

Chillis and other bits did nothing

HIGHS

Got the waterfall working at work after nearly 6 years

Spring bulbs looked fab

Some herbaceous looked great and flowered well into autumn

My chalet at work is this week, being given new toilets, kitchen heating and a new office for me.

My boss loves me

RHS level 3 garden design course.

[Geranium]

Have you actually done the RHS Course, or is that starting soon, Andy?