Pushing up the daisies

Well, folks the season draws to an end. What were the failures and successes this year? Let's take stock:
Spring was quite successful with a good crop of artichokes, rhubarb and strawberries and even a few lettuces. The peas didn't give much and the broad beans got infested with aphids (note to self, drop those next year).
Summer was a mixed batch. An excellent crop of onions, garlic and shallots. Good beans (especially Cobra climbers, tasty and no strings. The Fin de Bagnols are awfully stringy if they get a bit too big.
Sweetcorn mostly failed which I put down to storms just after planting which destroyed some plants so pollination wasn't successful. Beetroot was very disappointing, despite buying Boltardy that everyone raves about. They just failed to develop. Soil, water? What went wrong?
Good crops of strawberries and raspberries but some of the strawberries need replacing next year.
Excellent crop of tomatoes, several varieties, very good flavours, I will be saving seed from some of each! Also had good results with the aubergines and peppers, again they will be worth redoing next year. The herbs were pretty vigourous too, I managed to get some sage bushes going, and the thyme and mint has reallt taken off. The only low point, the rosemary died, it seemed to have been attacked by a disease. I will try again next year maybe in another spot, shame as that place was ideal, warm and exposed.
For autumn, what can I look forward to? There are carrots, a few at least, still growing, perhaps next year I will finally break through with those, and I also have a good row of parsnips in, they look healthy and strong, as do the red cabbages and the rhubarb chard. Soon be time to dig up the late spuds then it will be the end of the growing season, just time to start manuring the plot and tidying it up for next year.
Must get in the paths that I failed to do this year and rip out some of the old strawberries and prepare the patch for new ones, dig over the flower bed that grew too wild this year and try and get some more permanent shrubs into it, that could make it tidier. My biggest project is to build a seed bed though, a proper sheletered one where I can raise the seedlings outdoors next spring. I am convinced that is the key to success, so I must get my finger out over that one.

Labels: harvest, summer