Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

[tommyq1976]

I've been amazed by my garden and allotment this year and can't believe just how successful everything's been.

I thought I'd share some of my most pleasing developments here and see how you guys are doing.

My biggest success so far has been my peas - I've put in a whole pack of Kelvedon Wonder I had free from a magazine (around 50 seeds) and have had all of them come up, the first 15(ish) plants are now around 18in tall and have multiple flowers on each of them, I even spotted a couple of pods the other day! I'm going to be able to start selling them I think this year!

My first year of flower growing from seed has seen some amazing Marigolds - I have 3 in a hanging basket, two of which have buds, two in pots, each with a couple of massive buds that I'm expecting to burst into flower any day now. Got to give the bees what they like!

I've got Runner Beans all over the place! 18 plants at home growing over an arch and up a trellis and another 2 up the allotment (I had more but lost a few to frost about ten days ago), the tallest at home is around 12in tall and wrapping around the arch's upright like a good 'un. I also have another nine planted on the windowsill in loo-roll halves to go on the frame at the allotment.

I have a pumpkin plant in the raised bed at home which, I fear, is aiming for world domination. In the two months it's been growing it has developed dinner plate sized leaves, grown to a length of around two feet (hard to tell as I have it climbing a frame) and is starting to flower already.

Finally my spuds! With nine bags at home and around 40 seed potatoes just put into the allotment last Sunday, I'm hoping to be self sufficient for spuds all year round. The first few bags are now just coming into flower and standing at about 20in tall!

So that's my best start to a growing year so far (OK, I know it's only my 2nd year at it) and I'm chuffed to bits. This unseasonably warm weather and the recent rain has helped a lot and I've invested in a box of Miracle Gro to give the plants a boost and it all seems to be working like a charm.

How about y'all? Anyone got a success story or two to share? I, for one, love to hear about it

[vegetable-gardener]

Sounds like you've been very busy. My runner beans are doing very well they are about 12" tall. At the weekend I also planted some climbing French beans. The early potatoes are doing very well. Hubby picked some the other day - we ate them and they where rather nice - but we'll leave them a little longer just to get bigger.
Onions are bulking up nicely - we planted them in November. Everything else is also growing nicely.

[tommyq1976]

Great to hear! I've got a few onions in at the allotment, started from seed in February and coming along quite well