March 2008 fruit and vegetable growing on allotments
March 24st 2008
Easter Monday. Very cold. Snow has fallen in many parts of the country. Went up to the allotment to check that all was okay and to take some pre-season pics. Here are a few images of the current state of vegetable growing on our allotment.
The broad beans are flowering and looking very good having survived the winter.
The beds have been de-weeded and dug.
A frame for the runner beans has been erected.
March 21st 2008
Easter weekend is early this year. The weather is awful - rain, rain, sleet, snow and temperatures of -2 predicted.
Traditionally, Good Friday is the day for planting potatoes. But then Easter weekend is usually in April. We will be waiting until next weekend before we plant our well chitted potatoes (weather permitting).
However, there was plenty to do - the beds to be dug, weeds to be disposed of and the frame for the runner beans has been erected.
March is traditionally a time when you start planning your allotment beds. Here is an article to give you some advice on crop rotation.
The 5 Fundamental Rules Of Crop Rotation
March is the time when you should start thinking about designing your allotment - in other words, planning your allotment layout.
One important concept is the concept of crop rotation, or the following of any vegetable with a different sort at the next planting.
With some vegetables, such as cabbage, this is almost imperative, and practically all are helped by it.
Even onions, which are popularly supposed to be the proving exception to the rule, are healthier, and do as well after some other crop, “provided” the soil is as finely pulverized and rich as a previous crop of onions would leave it.
If the same vegetables are grown in the same place year after year, there is a risk that soil borne pests and diseases will become a problem, and that plant health can decline as a result of this.
The best way to avoid this problem is to move your crops around the growing area. This ancient practice, known as rotation, is still being used today and not only helps to benefit your plants and vegetables, but your soil is helped by this also...
Here are the 5 fundamental rules of crop rotation:
(1) Crops of the same vegetable, or vegetables of the same family (such as turnips and cabbage) should not follow each other.
(2) Vegetables that feed near the surface, like corn, should follow deep-rooting crops.
(3) Vines or leaf crops should follow root crops.
(4) Quick-growing crops should follow those occupying the land all season.
(5) Keep records of what actually happened, and then make use of this information when planning next year’s crop.
These are the principles which should determine the rotations to be followed in individual cases. The proper way to attend to this matter is when making the planting plan. You will then have time to do it properly, and will need to give it no further thought for a year.
With the above suggestions in mind, and put to use, it will not be difficult to give your crops special attention when needed to make them do their very best...
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