Feels to me like the growing season has truely ended now - so I wonder what has been your big winners of 2008?

I've tried loads of new things out, some have been successful (beetroot :)) some not so successful (sweetcorn :loopy:). And now I've dug in my compost and I can settle down with a mug of chai to read the seed catalogues, I am plotting out what to plant next year.

So - what ideas have you got planned? Any big projects out there? Anything you want to share? Any moral support needed...?!!

My 'winners' were garlic, apples and pumpkins - OK I only got two pumpkins but they were 18 and 28lbs respectively and very tasty. Weeds should get an (dis?)honourable mention too here...

My 'losers' were potatoes (lost a lot to blight and the ones that survived were very small), most fruit (squirrels nicked the strawberries, autumnal weather finished off the raspberries before they got going).

What I have planned for next year is electrified chicken wire to protect my strawberries :hihi:

Wow - a couple of huge pumpkins - Nice work! I might try garlic next year. And I dream of having room for an orchard - so I'm a bit jealous to think of your apple trees!

I sowed some green manure across my patch a couple of weeks ago - and I'm now thinking it might have been a bit late. So next year I'm prob going to get these seeds sprouting alongside whatever I have sowed intentionally. Oh well, we live and learn.

my garlic was fantastic too this year. Had fabulous strawberries, raspberries and peas too :love:

Tomatoes were pretty dismal and carrots disappeared totally :confused:

Allotment plans for next year: fix greenhouse before it loses all of its glass, dig over the remaining jungle section, replace my lottie front door before it falls off the hinges :rolleyes:

Fantastic brassicas (heavy soil), parsnips (18 inch raised beds), leeks, plus all the different peas and beans were great.

Soft fruit was abundant but our feathered friends took a liking... bit late with the net curtains. Squashes never got going and courgettes poor for the second year (damp summers I guess).

I've got two allotments (one hadn't been worked for decades but finally hacking towards the end of it) so am thinking of expanding to things (legumes and grains) like chick peas, kidney beans, millet, quinoa, lentils. I guess most of these won't grow here but I know kidney beans do. Anyone done any of these or similar? After the last two summers I'd also consider rice...:rolleyes:

Tasty Garlic, wish i'd grown more i could made millions, courgettes and marrows in abundance, winter planted onions were smashing, but the summer ones didn't fare to well, 50lbs of runner beans a couple of sweetcorns and some yummy sprouts. First time i've grown pumpkins and was really happy with the outcome. Don't talk to me about Potatoes though. At home in the garden, we had pounds and pounds of tomatoes, lots of lettuce, peppers and a couple of cucumbers. Blackcurrents were marvellous, but the strawberries were non existent.

I've got two allotments (one hadn't been worked for decades but finally hacking towards the end of it) so am thinking of expanding to things (legumes and grains) like chick peas, kidney beans, millet, quinoa, lentils. I guess most of these won't grow here but I know kidney beans do. Anyone done any of these or similar? After the last two summers I'd also consider rice...:rolleyes:

mmm, I'd be interested in chick peas, but not sure that they'll grow in our climate ? I tried okra a couple of seasons ago and grew a lovely little plant, that produced three flowers and not much else ! If a few people are interested we could have a growing trial and monitor progress / results ?