It had been a pretty ugly year plant wise in this part of the world too So many plants got flattened by record rainfalls in spring … and when heat came back, instead of springing back most plants got arrested in that flattened shape haha… I even have a rose tree that look like tipped over bowl of spaghetti )) I guess I’ll just keep making oh so many flower jars to show and give away to neighbors that don’t garden …
But there’s always next year! Cheer up maybe it’s just the summer to take it easy and start some project that needs preparation before autumn!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that's felt disheartened this year. I don't think the weather has helped, not just in terms of growing stuff but I just haven't been able to spend as much time out there as a would have liked.
Wow, thanks everyone for your replies I really wasn't expecting it! I definitely take some comfort knowing that a) I'm not the only one to be suffering this year due to the cold spring, wet early summer plus heatwaves and b) that I have every reason to bounce back because there's always next year!
Lots learnt - don't grow coriander (unless it's Calypso!), sow tomatoes later and feed them earlier, have supports in situ for plants likely to collapse (difficult with my meadow but will try!) and just generally sow more knowing that many won't germinate/survive and will probably get eaten.
Thanks all.
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"
Definitely not alone WildFlower_UK and maybe discovering that gardening is character building?
We moved into my current house in late 1975, spent the following Spring preparing veg beds and planting. Summer of 1976 was a drought, hosepipe ban so spent most of the Summer siphoning grey water from the house to the top of the garden. The carrots still fell down the cracks in the baked clay.
Changed crops for 1977 and sowed more sweetcorn and tomatoes. It was a flood year, saturated ground and not very warm. Nowadays nothing feels so bad
Still growing veg, still learning, still have disappointments. Don't give up, accept the challenge.
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." Sir Terry Pratchett
I gave up on all veg this year as I have a dog that seemed to think it funny to dig it all up! even in pots she had my carrots.think about next year.write this year off for veg.its been a wierd spring.grow what you really love.its hard!
Yes it's been a very challenging year. My first sowing of beetroot did little, but later sowings have overtaken them as conditions improved. My early radishes bolted too. Certainly things like salad crops are worth sowing little & often right up to September, just remember that later sowings take longer to mature. Things have a way of catching up when conditions are right. In early May me and my fellow plotholders reckoned we were 6 weeks behind where we would normally be, now we are almost back on track. Can't do anything about the collapsed wildflowers as you say there's always next year.
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I guess I’ll just keep making oh so many flower jars to show and give away to neighbors that don’t garden …
But there’s always next year!
Cheer up
Lots learnt - don't grow coriander (unless it's Calypso!), sow tomatoes later and feed them earlier, have supports in situ for plants likely to collapse (difficult with my meadow but will try!) and just generally sow more knowing that many won't germinate/survive and will probably get eaten.
Thanks all.
We moved into my current house in late 1975, spent the following Spring preparing veg beds and planting. Summer of 1976 was a drought, hosepipe ban so spent most of the Summer siphoning grey water from the house to the top of the garden. The carrots still fell down the cracks in the baked clay.
Changed crops for 1977 and sowed more sweetcorn and tomatoes. It was a flood year, saturated ground and not very warm. Nowadays nothing feels so bad
Still growing veg, still learning, still have disappointments. Don't give up, accept the challenge.
The beauty of gardening is the constant learning, and the sense of 'I'll do this better next year'.