Triumphs and Failures part 2

Definitely a triumph. 
This year I started my onion sets off in modules so as to get a good root system before I planted them, as last year the birds pulled them out as soon as I put them in.  The sets spent more time on top of the soil than in it.  It seems to have worked and I am pleased with the results, the onions are three times the size they were last year.

Spring onions have done well also, but the Shallots were a disaster, they all went to seed very quickly and I had nothing to harvest.

The Beetroot harvest has been mixed, neither a triumph, nor a failure.  They have remained fairly static, not going to seed but not growing much either.

Sweet peppers are another disaster, hardly any flowers on the plants and only one or two peppers on each.  One plant had nothing on it at all.  They were a new variety that I tried, mixed colours, which looked very pretty but weren't very productive.  I don't think I will be trying them again.  I usually grow peppers from saved seed and they do very well, so I think I'll revert back to the 'tried and tested'.

Whereas, the Chilli Peppers have done extremely well, there are dozens of peppers on the plant with plenty more to come.  They are ripening well and I will begin picking and drying them for use all through the next year.







So, what conclusions have I come to.  Well, I have mixed feelings - in the greenhouse the tomatoes did well, but the cucumbers and peppers not so well.  In the garden lack of rain was the main culprit, and no matter how much you water, there is no comparison with a good downpour of rain that really soaks into the ground.  I am not making excuses for the failures - some years are good, some years are bad - as gardeners we have to take the rough with the smooth.