Winners & Losers 2012

Most growers will probably agree that 2012 was a tricky growing year. Unlike in 2011, there were certainly more losers than winners, but there was a reasonable yield of some, so here we go...

Winning Veg: Garlic. This was a close call. It almost went to carrots as they did extremely well again, but as they proved victorious last year, I'll give the decision to the garlic. They looked good when harvested in June, they've stored well and taste great.

Winning Fruit: Strawberries. The plums, pears, apples and gooseberries all failed to produce much fruit and although the late strawberries weren't as prolific as last year, the early ones were great and we had enough to make jam even after we devoured the lion's share.

Best Newcomer: Chilli Peppers. This was almost a case of Hobson's choice as I didn't do too many new things this year. Although we didn't get masses of chillis, the plants grew really well and the fruits we did get, really looked the part. A bit lacking in heat, though, so I've got some different varieties to try for 2013

Last Chance Saloon: Sweetcorn. The sharp-eyed among you will note I said the same last year. But, we've now established what's causing us such grief, so we plan to go to war again next year. Against what? Badgers. And they don't stand a chance. I'll probably post separately about this another time.

Most over-grown: Weeds. The weather meant yields of what we wanted to grow were poor in virtually every sphere. The weeds on the other hand seemed to love it.

Sadly Missed: Green Beans. As the allotment isn't close to home, we've struggled to pick the beans regularly enough in the past and end up with big thick stringy ones. We've dropped them for a couple of years but 2013 will see them return - in the garden, where we can keep on top of them on a daily basis.

2012 winner: Garlic