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3:29 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Since I spent such a lot of time bragging about the wonderful spring we had, I figured its only fair if I 'fess up about our summer.
It has been such weird weather, I have just about thrown up my hands over our garden. Its been warm, then cold and cloudy for multiple weeks, then it will get hot again, then cloud over. It just can't seem to decide if its summer or fall.
My tomatoes, my poor tomatoes. I haven't seen one ripe one YET!
So the roster goes like this...
No lettuce (didn't sprout)
No carrots (didn't sprout)
Broccoli has been puny
No tomatoes
Strawberries did okay
Blueberries did okay, but they are still young
The only thing that has done all right has been the zucchini, and every other one of those has been rotting on the vine, from the bloom end.
Oh and the horseradish, I will have a glut of horseradish, heaven help me.
And the rhubarb, anybody need rhubarb? I'd ship it to you, I have sooooo much!
I have been seeing bits and pieces of others weather woes, has it been a lousy summer?
If you can't be a shining example, be a terrible warning!
7:35 pm
funny the description of your summer fit here in Toulouse exactly: warm then cool and cloudy in around 2 week cycles.
This year the beans are very late(first crop failed)and the green ones really hardly worth planting.
Gherkins have been totally useless; hardly any to sell; just 3 jars compared to 10+ last year.
Courgettes/Zucchini great in sunny periods and rotting iun between. Tomatoes good, but slow to ripen.
Fruits mixed success; actually my rhubarb has been quite poor
Stunningly HUGE sunflowers
absolutely no watermelons or squashes
Conversely the wild harvest has been superb; usually it is too hot for good blackberries and last year was so hot there were almost none. This year TONNES of wild plums, blackberries and elderberries
definitely a weird summer!
1:29 am
Enthusiast
New members
Mon 22-Feb-10
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"...definitely a weird summer!"
Oh yes, we havn't had the air conditioning on even once this year! For mid-August in LA that's just weird!!!
Life is uncertain ………… eat dessert first!
7:11 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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and Latvia has had the longest period of hot weather in recorded history after the longest cold period in 100 years in the winter. Blessedly we haven't had the drought that neighbouring Russia has had, we have had enough torrential downpours to keep the garden watered without resorting to watering. I think our cauliflowers haven't bothered in the heat but they were also put in late so that might be the problem but apart from that we have done pretty well considering how late I put everything in.
10:56 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Suz said:
Oh yes, we havn't had the air conditioning on even once this year! For mid-August in LA that's just weird!!!
I have to laugh, Suz, because August here in the UK has been bleedin' miserable so far. I said to Fiona this morning, "what the heck was Neil Diamond talking about when he sang 'Hot August Night' - cannot recall one of those for many years!"
Joanna - sounds like Latvia is lucky compared with Russia. Everything may not be perfect (like wet hay) but it sounds like you guys will enjoy a decent harvest - although I would not swap my cushy lifestyle for your long, hard and laborious hours for all the world.
Never knowingly underfed
7:24 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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We have indeed been much more fortunate that Russia. Not sure about the bumper harvests though as I think everything could have done with a bit more watering but hadn't got the time to do that too so everything just had to cope. I think the grain harvests will be good though for the farmers which they need.
It's alright Danny, I wouldn't swap your cushy job either 
. There have been times when I think "there can't be any more hay/wet grass to shift can there?", but then I have been observing all sorts of frogs, toads, lizards, an eagle, grasshoppers and crickets (found out the difference this year), dragonflies, loads of butterflies to compensate. Today we were eating lunch when an osprey flew over and in previous lunchtimes we have seen a fox and deer. A hare is a frequent visitor at all times of the day. The storks I think are drifting off to warmer climes now as we don't see as many, Ian had to stop twice when cutting hay for corncrakes running out - we will finish those sections off in about a weeks time, weather permitting when they have packed their bags and gone too. So all in all, it is wonderful and I have lost half a stone in weight which I needed to do 
11:04 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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After a promising start the squashes have just given up- they didn't like the colder really wet weather this past fortnight- too late for the Tay Berries, but too early for the squashes....trimmed off this year's fruiting stems from the Tay Berry today, loads of fruit on them that would have matured into more than just pips had we had some rain. As it is, just one or two fruits this past month- a more normal rainfall and we would have been picking our daily bowlful for at least another month.
None of the seeds sown this year have grown.
Horticultural show next weekend, not sure I have anything worth showing this year- not even enough quality stuff for the flower arrangements.
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
11:19 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Oh, go on - you know you want to...
I'll try that again!
11:46 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Oh TA I do, I do... I was growing annuals from seed specifically for the flower arrangements and they haven't grown, the gladiolus have bloomed early, the dahlias have short stems, the courgettes have finished, the runner beans are all twisty and short ( no use for the 'longest runner bean' class), onions went to seed, herbs have mildew, berries all pippy, second flush of Roses no good at all....my only hope is the cherry tomatoes- but if they continue to ripen as fast as they have done over the two days we were away this week, they will all be over by next weekend! What foliage bits I have that might be useful for flower arranging just aren't good enough quality this year- they look unhealthy and leathery due to the lack of water. Even my geraniums are too stunted to show. I was hoping to show an orchid or two, but they got infested with caterpillars who have chewed bits out of the leaves, so no use for showing....and the few apples that made it thus far are rotting on the tree
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
11:51 pm
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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Oh I am so sorry Kate - nothing seems as if it is going to work out for you. Let's hope the cherry tomatoes behave themselves and are just perfect in time for the show 
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
11:52 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Oh Buggeration! On the good side though, you have harvested something to eat, it's not all bout what things look like is it?
I'll try that again!
11:54 pm
Expert
New members
Sat 21-Aug-10
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So its not just my garden then, and I can blame the Cornish weather instead of my gardening skills! Yes my courgettes have given up early, and one rotted away when the weather changed from hot and dry to cooler and damp. The spaghetti squashes and mini pumpkins are doing ok though so I'm getting some to store. The outdoor tomatoes and potatoes got blight, first time thats happened. Got a crop from the potatoes but its just as well I'm on a diet. The tomatoes are struggling on, I keep picking off the bad leaves, but it doesn't look hopeful. Thankfully the greenhouse toms are ok. Now the slugs have got past the ducks and into my leafy veg. Never mind, I cut them up small and shhhh... don't say a word about the holes. (I mean the leafy veg of course, not the slugs or the ducks.)
Never assume anything - except an occasional air of intelligence.
12:02 am
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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I have to say that my Chard is doing well and now the purple beans have finally got down to producing purple beans they are romping.... but most other things have struggled this year.
Like you Maggenpie, I found the courgettes hated the change from hot and dry to cold and damp!
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
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