News:

Picture posting is enabled for all :)

Main Menu

Planting plan for 3 beds

Started by cambourne7, May 01, 2012, 20:04:08

Previous topic - Next topic

cambourne7

Hi All,

Finally hammered the planting plan down for the 3 main beds in the garden this does not include the greenhouse bed which is 3 sisters old style and new style and pots with tomatoes in.

All the beds are 4ft wide and 14ft long and i am planting in the 4ft lengths rather than the 14ft like last year. Appreciate that it means that i might only fit 4-5 plants per row but trying to avoid gluts (well mostly).

Bed 1 - This bed was really unsuccessful last year for root crops as its was very dry although weeding it i have noticed i might now have parsnips popping up from last year :)
This year i am going for Alliums am going to move the leeks which are in bed 3 at the moment and interplant with carrot, sow some shallot seed and interplant with dill and then a row of garlic with sliverskin onions then another row of garlic followed by white onion and red onions and more carrot.

Bed 2 - Previously this had Brassicas in fact it still had PSB
This year i am planting up with more unusual type of beans (canollini and berlotti) with quiet wide spacing and underplanting with root crops carrots, beetroot, parsnip, swede, turning, kohl rabi and celeriac interplanted with lettuce, chives, spring onion and dill as companion plants as well as sweet peas and poached egg plants. Will aim to have part of the bed cleared for planting over wintering onions for 2013 planting year. I have to try and fit in B.Sprouts as well :)

Bed 3 - Previously this had Alliums and still has about 4ft of onions plants at one end. This year am planting Brassicas and hoping i can pull the onions out and replace with winter cabbages later in the year.

Planting will be Kale with a companion of nasturtium around them next will be a block of cabbage the a few rows of carrots then pak choi, cauliflower and some wok box with alternating rows of dill and spring onions between and then winter cabbage at the end.


cambourne7


cambourne7

any glaring mistakes or omissions?

brown thumb

i know what the old style of the three sisters is but what is the new  ,some thing ive missed

grannyjanny

I'm watching this thread Cam as we have 3 small beds at home to supplement the allotment as we only have a half plot.

Digeroo

You say one bed has brassicas so you are now growing beans which is good rotation, but some of your companions Kohl Rabi, Swedes and Turnips are also brassicas so you will continue with the same exposure to pests.  Also if you plant too many plant groups together it will very much limit what you grow in the following years.  You seem to have alliums in every bed.

Celeriac also like a lot of water, I think you will need to plant it with things that also like lots of water.


goodlife

It is very difficult to do 'proper' crop rotation in a such limited space..but you can try to place you alliums to grow in different part of the bed that were there in previous season.
As you are growing such a variety of veg in your beds..I would propably end up growing all in more 'stick it where you can get it' fashion.. ;D ..with odd flower thrown into 'mixture' as well..then there is no 'worry' about rotation but everything (part potatoes) would grow with different companions all the time. With so much mixed variety...build up of the pest and other problems is not any worst, might even beneficial against, but the approach for growing in such a fashion is slightly different.
You would use your long term crops as the 'back bone' and plant 'quickies' in between where ever you have room..those just keep coming and going. 'Quickies' like salads etc..you would need to be sowing little and often into smaller pots and once there is gap available, after clearing something..you would give handfull of 'new' compost, little sprinkle of fertilizer and plonk the new plant to grow and fill the available space...almost like production line.
It is easy system run...just needs little forward planning and able to see what you are going to crop in next few weeks and start sowing in advance to fill in the on coming spaces.

cambourne7

Quote from: brown thumb on May 02, 2012, 07:19:30
i know what the old style of the three sisters is but what is the new  ,some thing ive missed

Using normal corn and bamboo canes to support the beans

cambourne7

Thanks guys good luck granny janny :)

At the moment the plan is that next year i will be building up the beds by 2ft with imported soil next march/April when the over wintering onions are ready and importing fresh soil.

Yes Alliums do seam to be everywhere might need to switch a few things around was hoping with the new soil next year it would help me avoid the problem but it will then hit next year :( but thanks goodlife i like the production line idea.

Yes trying for quicky crops so might swap some of the onions for more things like salads which i have no space for otherwise (whoops)

Bed 3 is my far the most water sodden this year with bed 1 being wet but free draining due to next doors grassed garden putting up to the fence beside it my bed 3 has paving between it and the grass and this seams to channel the water to the back of the garden.

Kohl Rabi, Swedes and Turnips yes i suppose there brassicas as well so maybe i need to move them?

loving the feed back thanks guys and gals xx

antipodes

Yes I see what goodlife means. As my plot is quite small, 20 x 5 m, I try at least to rotate the main bits: potatoes, (which I try to always keep far from the tomatoes), beans/peas, onions and shallots and garlic, and tomatoes/peppers. The courgettes usually go somewhere else and the cabbages inevitably go in after the spuds as I grow little of those and have no dedicated space. I don't grow many roots apart from beetroot and they usually end up in the "spare place" at the top of the plot  :)
I don't think it can help much for diseases but the spuds always clear the ground nicely and maybe the nutrients are shared a little more?
You seem to be planning a lot in a limited space!!!
2012 - Snow in February, non-stop rain till July. Blight and rot are rife. Thieving voles cause strife. But first runner beans and lots of greens. Follow an English allotment in urban France: http://roos-and-camembert.blogspot.com

Digeroo

I think the main candidates for rotation are  alliums, brassicas and potatoes.  Beans are not such a problem, my MIL grew them in exactly the same spot for more than 40 years and always had a great crop. 

cambourne7

Quote from: Digeroo on May 02, 2012, 17:20:21
I think the main candidates for rotation are  alliums, brassicas and potatoes.  Beans are not such a problem, my MIL grew them in exactly the same spot for more than 40 years and always had a great crop. 

Yes i had heard this before i have got a permanent pea/bean bed but i am thinking about painting the fence so not planting there this year in case i decide to paint :)

Antipodes - spuds are going into grow bags had anya and charlotte arrive from T&M last week having been ordered about 8 weeks ago i am getting them chitted and hoping to plant out soon (very soon)


Powered by EzPortal