Mixed bag of produce from four seasons (From Blackpool Citizen)

Mixed bag of produce from four seasons

11:23am Thursday 6th September 2007

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AS everyone knows, the seasons have all been mixed up this year, but it is still possible to get a feel for how each quarter affects your plants.

We should have had a summer, but obviously the sun has passed us by this year.

However, on the odd days that the rays got through, the warmth did make a noticeable difference to the plants in my raised bed vegetable garden.

The plants seemed to have a growth surge any time the weather picked up and then almost as quickly appeared to wilt when the never-ending deluge came.

Of course, had we had the weather in summer that we had in April and May, I think my little patch at the back of my house would have been far more productive.

As it is, we've been able to eat some produce most weeks during the spring and summer and I'm still getting the odd bits of fruit and vegetables now, even though the weather is beginning to turn cooler.

But I believe the system I put in place earlier this year is a good one and seems, to me, to be extremely fertile. So, I have high hopes for next year - provided that we get the seasons in the right order.

Now is the time to start getting rid of those plants which have peaked or have not performed as well as I expected.

My little urban garden is looking a bit peaky now as there are gaps where we've ripped up some of the plants that bolted because of the weird weather.

All the broccoli has now gone to make compost and we ate what we could of the spinach before it bolted and had to be dumped.

The peppers we had high hopes of never grew more than nine inches high and I think part of the reason for that was their space was overshadowed by the bushy runner bean and pea plants.

The leaves of the pepper plants were also comprehensively attacked and eaten by some pest, so they will be pulled up this weekend.

We have since bought two cheap pepper plants from a garden centre which are sporting several peppers at various growth stages. They are doing all right in the conservatory.

The runner bean plants are still producing beans, but less so now, and the pea plants seem to be spent. The dwarf runner beans have done even better given the relative sizes.

The beetroot plants are healthy but small, and I took most of the spring onions, which have grown quite big, this week.

The celery plants are still there in two raised beds, but so far they have not achieved the stem thickness you see in shop-bought celery.

The cabbages are still quite small with some leaves have been attacked, but I will persevere and see what happens in the next month or so.

The corn plants are almost there. I took a cob, but it was not quite ready so I am hopeful that they should be ripe within the next two to three weeks.

We have had the last of the tomatoes and overall I've been disappointed, as only one plant really produced any fruit. Ah well, we live and learn.

l If you have any gardening tips, or have a vegetable plot you are proud of, contact email wwright@theboltonnews.co.uk or phone Wes on 01204 537352.

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