Any Fruit or Vegetable suprises this year?

OldRio

First time I have tried growing corn. I know the weather has been VERY kind but growing it outdoors here in the west I didn't expect much success.
To my great happiness we have plenty of corn on the cob.
Today 9th October. Picked three lovely cobs. In the pan as I write.

Chillis and Peppers grown outdoors have been good. Tomatoes very good.
Broccoli poor. Cabbage white butterfly was a disaster.
Problems with Sprouts. The actual sprout forms and seems to open up.


Anybody else have surprised by their fruit or veg?

Technophobe

As you say, sweetcorn was brilliant this year.......also grow tomatillos outside and have loads of fruit on them now..great crop from outside tomatoes and cucumbers as well as the ones in the greenhouse..

redser7

The thing that delighted me most this year was the broccoli. After many failed attempts where the plants ran to seed I'm enjoying a great crop of big heads now. Seed was Unwins Green Magic. Nicky Kyle recommended it on her site and true to her word it made a big difference.

evolving_doors

Cooking apples massive after a bad year last year..although needs tonnes of sugar in the pies..I think usually the cold weather in september increases the sugar content in the fruit...didn't happen this year

Also swore I wouldn't bother with potatoes until I saw well chitted seeds in dunnes for €1 a bunch. Bought 3 Bags british queens and popped em in the ground. I put down fish bone/blood stuff and pellets manure... bumper harvest with massive spuds. They're a bit soapy though ...

Tomatoes good too but as per usual I started late so loadsa greenies..

genuine leather

In general a great season, struggled with the peas early on with the cold spring. Normally i would sow two, four foot rows in half round gutters in the greenhouse and transplant out for an early crop. The stand out veg for me this year was definitely the root crops, bumper harvests for storage.

ODriscoll

Armelodie wrote: »

Cooking apples massive after a bad year last year..although needs tonnes of sugar in the pies..I think usually the cold weather in september increases the sugar content in the fruit...didn't happen this year

Also swore I wouldn't bother with potatoes until I saw well chitted seeds in dunnes for €1 a bunch. Bought 3 Bags british queens and popped em in the ground. I put down fish bone/blood stuff and pellets manure... bumper harvest with massive spuds. They're a bit soapy though ...

Tomatoes good too but as per usual I started late so loadsa greenies..

British queens, mashed should be excellent, first class spud for that.

You probably know that you can get most green toms to eventually ripen indoors in a dry box
The key I found is too wash them, throw any with damage or suspected disease.
Make sure they are dry and then place them in layers between newspapers in a box.
You can get them to ripen a few at a time, up until end December.

Better still if you have the space.
Try lifting the entire plant roots and all, shake off the earth, (before the first damaging frost) and then hang it upside down in a dry shed.
They do not ripen much quicker that way, but the taste is more natural sweeter.

dfbemt

Was really happy with rhubarb this year. Bumper crops that kept on coming and coming.

Made lots of crumbles, pies, etc and tried our hand at rhubarb jam for the first time. Neighbours and friends were even given wrapped up bunches of rhubarb to bring home.

Raspberries, spuds, peas, everything worked out great but the rhubarb was the star for me.

Grindley

Courgettes, broad beans, potatoes, corn - all a bumper harvest. Cauliflowers and chilli peppers - ok. My broccoli were non existant. Not too impresses with my blackberry harvest. I still have Italian Kale growing and it allegedly improves after the first frost. Will try again to overwinter my artichokes. Generally very happy and enthused about trying again (God willing) next year.:) G

joseph brand

Roosters potatoes, broccoli, beetroot and apples did great. Left two broccoli in the soil, now going to seed, (the warm weather brought out more flowers). Think I'll save the seeds for next year.

Tomatoes planted late, so they're all green, in the greenhouse, but I've just taken of a few bunches and I'll try ripen them indoors with the help of a banana or two.

Cabbages are a mixed bag. Ate 1/3 of them, the caterpillars/ slugs ate another 1/3, and the last 1/3 are still in the ground. Maybe they will produce flowers and seeds next year? I'm leaving them for educational purposes. See what happens.

bluecherry74

Got my biggest yield ever of maincrop potatoes, enough from two compost bags to keep me going until well after Christmas.

The biggest surprise howwver was a few days ago. I planted out Kale in August and forgot to net it. It was decimated by the cabbage white butterfly, nothing left but the stalks. Then the weather got bad and I never got around to pulling up what was left. I was out there a couple of evenings ago and lo and behold new leaves are starting to appear! I may have kale this spring after all!

Ihatehalloween

Great harvest this year...broccoli, romanesco, cabbage, corn, butternut squash, onions, shallots, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beet root, strawberries, blackberries, broad beans, chard, cauliflower, spinach, kale, courgette, red cabbage.

Celery was a disaster though....can't win em all