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Better Veggies Next Year


Fi
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The potager hasn't been a great success this year - At the beginning of April (still snowy here before then)  I dug out a large chunk (14m x 5m) of the meadow (euphemstically called the garden), rotivated it after the turf was removed, got out as many stones/bits of old farm machinery/bike wheels/more stones/flipping great rocks and planted it up with spuds, beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot and pumpkins, plus a herb patch.  Herbs fine, beans lots of leaves., not may flowers/beans (would be better if the sheep hadn't had a midnight feast, and yes it is fenced, but my sheep are entering the Puissance at Olympia in December!), spuds seemed to be fine then the leaves died off completely - dug them up - small sized but a lot of blacked tubers - not nice.  Beets suffered from sheep, but what we had now pickled, carrots rubbish, parsnips ditto, leeks (2nd attempt thanks to moles) doing well, pumpkins bonkers. 

Next year I want to be a bit more organised and I hope more successful.  In the UK I had nice raised beds made with railway sleepers, lots of lovely top soil and compost  - nothing failed.  I was very disappointed this year.[:(]

I have organised for a lot of cow manure to be delivered which I plan to spread on the ground early October (avoiding the leeks).  Then basically leave the frost/snow/rain to do its stuff prior to planting again next April.  Is this enough or should I be doing anything else?    A lot of effort this year for a very minimal return - could do better??

Fi

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We grow veggie in pots. So far, the carrots were a disaster and the tops were all eaten so we'll have to protect them next year, the beetroot are doing fine and we'll double the quantity next year. Runner beans, a variety called Diane or Diana, never again, very slow to get going and not a great cropper. Courgettes so so, Goldrush variety good, will repeat long green ones a little disappointing, but Rondo very good an will do again. Potatoes, first and second earlies fine but not great croppers although better than my sister's that all rotted ! Tomatoes Tumbler, very good crop, not ripe yet, Balcony Red and Balcony yellow, look promising, again not ripening. Chillies - coming along nicely....Basil, awful job to get it going, Mint - fine, Rocket, couldn't stop it bolting and lettuce, fine once they got going...

Surely if you manure the ground it won't be good for root crops ? Or am I wrong ?

 

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Here in the Tarn it's been a hard season due to extremely hot weather and lack of rain. Our tomatoes are fine, carrots - those that germinmated - so-so, beetroot not bad and the butternut squash rampant. Potatoes were ok. Haricots verts are flowering but very few beans forming. We are going to try another sowing in a few days hoping it will have cooled down a bit. I think we'll be able to supply the entire department with kiwis.
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[quote user="gardengirl "]Manure put on in autumn will indeed be fine; I learned this from geoff Hamilton's programmes.

Jo[/quote]

I thought I'd read something about just leaving a deep layer of manure over the winter - the elements do their thing, and then just dig it in Spring - couldn't find this bit of info anywhere, got beset with self-doubt, and needed reassurance - many thanks!

Fi

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[quote user="hakunamatata"]COW MANURE - ANY MANURE - oh what I would give for some manure!!!  Yes bung it on in October and any left over bung it over here!!! I cant remember the last time I saw a cow, never mind the manure.  Lots of grapes though and olives but they dont sh**t[/quote]

Cow Central here[:D] - pooeeee !  How much could I get in a jiffy bag?????

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Hate to say it but this is the best year so far for fruit and veggies.  We were out on our potager last evening picking several types of tomato, courgettes, aubergines, baby carrots and yard long beans.

Also had almost 5 kilos of onions from thinnings on the allotment at chum's house and have started to seriously dig up spuds and beetroots.  And the reine claudes are virtually impossible to keep up with.

But that's after three years of preparation, building raised beds here, reclaiming a large piece of land at chum's place etc etc, loads of manure, loads of mixing the soil from the Dordogne flood plain into terreau horticole etc etc.

Edie:  But, that's also with a small collection of recuperateur, pumping water between them, using a semi automated watering system so they get watered regularly.

But brilliant all round this year :)

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