I love growing veggies. In previous years, I’ve tortured himself, colleagues and neighbours with a surfeit of courgettes, almost ruined the foundations of an oil tank with rhubarb and produced cucumbers into October. In recent years, since we moved up North to a house with a North-facing garden, I’ve had less luck.
I’ve tried growing tomatoes in pots and got lots of green ones that never ripen – OK for chutney but not much else. My butternut squash have failed every year. The courgettes have done OK though.
I adjusted my ambitions and approach this year after a disappointing start in 2020 that led to an unthrilling harvest. But all the preparation and initial success all went down the drain when we had rather a stormy May. Of the ground level plants I put outside at the beginning of the month, within a week they were all absolutely ruined except this one – which swiftly went downhill.
The sweetcorn seem OK, just a bit battered but I’m hoping all the rain is suiting them well.
Pressing Reset
Luckily, there were a couple of cucumbers that I hadn’t planted out yet and I’d kept all the tomatoes on my windowsill too when I planted out the rest of the veg. So all was not lost – just my beloved courgettes. However, I still had the packet of seeds, so I started over. This time they sprouted really quickly and hopefully they’ll be blessed with some warm sun when I come to put them in the ground.
In the meantime, the remaining cucumbers are doing vigorously and I got some growbags to give the tomatoes their best chance. I planted them out this weekend just gone and so far they seem OK. I’ve surrounded the tomatoes with canes for support and only put one cucumber plant out so far, saving the other one for when the weather seems to have settled properly and warmed up I hope. The tomatoes I’ve split between the front of the house where they get sun from morning until mid-afternoon, and the back garden where they get sun through til dusk. Himself thinks the ones at the front will get eaten by passers by – but they’re right up against the wall of the house, someone would have to be pretty brazen to walk across the drive and snaffle tomatoes from right outside my office window.
Wish me luck
I’m going to plant my one remaining cucumber out this weekend and put the courgettes out in pots next week.
Fingers crossed they survive!
Smelly Socks and Garden Peas 
Thanks for sharing, hope you get on better this time with your plants š
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
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Oh good luck! The weather can be frustrating but it’s all about commitment and persistence!
ā¤ ā¤ ā¤ Hope it works for the best!
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Fingers crossed for you! I love vicariously living through your garden. I have 4 plants and Iāve managed to keep them alive. Iām looking forward to really digging into gardening once we move. Keep us posted!!
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I enjoyed your article. I wish you the best with your veggies. And I give you a round of applause for your persistence.
For the first time, I planted Dwarf Marigolds seeds in my back garden this weekend. I pray God blesses it, so that it sprouts quickly and flowers. I intend to grow a vegetable garden as well.
I found your post on my Facebook Page: Bloggers Supporting Bloggers. I’m glad I clicked on your link.
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Good luck with all your growing! It’s lovely to see the progress you’re making and the plans of your gardening x
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Good luck! I hope it works out for you. Gardening is extremely frustrating at times but truly rewarding.
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Good luck! The weather has been a challenge this year.
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Potted plants and flowers is all I will tackle. Good luck!
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Very frustrating. I am on the verge of just giving up on my outside garden. I have tried many different plants and if its not the snails that feast on my crop then they just don’t grow. The only thing that seems to do well is onion. Nothing else. May be I should draw inspiration for your persistence.
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That sounds so frustrating. I put out traps for slugs and snails, bury half a plastic bottle so it’s level with the soil, then put some beer in the bottom. The pests love it and die happily drunk. š
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I will do that š
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Hi SS&GP. Good luck. We rarely have much luck with our veg and often end up with the green tomatoes scenario that you describe. However, this year OH’s work colleague, who is the primary veg provider, has held back provision of the veg saying simply that it will be on its way shortly – I don’t think she trusts us! š
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He hee just as likely that the colleague knows that the weather has been awful and the plants aren’t ready yet š
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Good luck! Gardening can be so frustrating at times. Last weekend was the āsafe from frostā date here where we live. Temperatures were in the high 20s all last weekend so I moved all my plants outside and planted the rest of my veggies. Guess what? Middle of this week – frost advisory! You canāt win. I donāt think we actually did get frost so I should be okay but itās enough to drive you crazy.
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Oh no! Hope your plants survive too. I think we should be safe now, its almost June for goodness sake. But its only just tipped over 15C today so who knows. Best go water things as it hasn’t rained the last few days.
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I think that after all the storm, hailing and rain of the last few weeks all plants had a bit of a hard time, but they are more resistant than they look! Finger crossed for a better harvest this year x
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Thanks, I have everything crossed too x
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Thats something we are wanting to do fingers crossed for you it all works
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I really hope so! Thanks x
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