Growing one’s own vegetables is so frustrating and this year has been particularly annoying because of the wet spring and hot summer. Most of my crops germinated late (those that germinated) and the heat wave/drought has meant they haven’t cropped well. My runner beans failed to germinate until after the third sowing and now the flowers are not producing beans because it has been too dry. Gardening experts are so annoying at times like this whatever one says the expert will say you’ve over/under watered or over/under fed or the soil is too poor; too acid; too rich – you just cannot win and I’ve given up trying. No, I haven’t given up gardening but I have given up on listening to so-called experts.
OK, my onions haven’t done too badly and there may be enough to last me 12 months but they aren’t as good as last year. The courgettes are producing more fruits (are they a fruit?) than I can eat and so I’m putting them out for the passing trade. My tomatoes are not ripening; I’ve had three cucumbers with the possibility of one more before the season is over. Still waiting for sweet peppers, aubergines and chilli peppers to do something more interesting than drink gallons of water. I think the uncertainty and challenge is what keeps me trying. And if all else fails I take a five-minute walk up to Tesco and buy the bloody stuff.
