What is crop rotation and succession planting?
Crop rotation works on the idea that you don't grow a vegetable from the same family in the same spot for three years.
Successive planting is used to ensure a continual harvest.
Then there are some plants which have so few pests or diseases that they can be fitted anywhere within a crop rotation.
I've been meaning to set up an idea for rotation within my container garden so here's a plan:
Tomatos, capsicum and potatos: are replaced by root vegies (carrot, celery)
Beans: are replaced by onions (spring onions) or cucurbits (cucumbers, melon and pumpkin and other vines)
Brassicas (cauliflower, brocolli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, Kale, salad group and radish): are replaced by beans or peas.
Root vegies: are replaced by brassicas.
Onions and vine vegetables: are replaced by tomatoes, capsicum and potatoes.
Simple! I'm not sure whether to continue planting successions of the same thing in the same spot for the year or just move on to a different family.
Time to work on my seasonal planting guides, ordering in seeds and getting those seedlings ready.
Seed ordering list: French beans, snake beans (handy for summer heat), peas, tomatoes, cucumber, brocolli, beetroot, celery, peas, silverbeet, pumpkin and zuchinni.
Summer to do list: Organise a larger vegie bed in the garden. Organise autumn plantings.
On a happy note: my choko is starting to grow shoots and chokos are yum!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
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12 comments:
Hm, of course I've heard of crop ratation before, but I've never thought of it for pots. Of course, it's like mini harvests...
Great idea!
"pine cone candle thingy works"
Hello,
you left this comment on my Guildwood garden blog, but I am not sure what you mean:-))
Please explain,
cheers Gisela
Summer to do list! Hmmmm I will have to add you to my blogg reader so I can think about summer as we mush through winter here.
Cheers...
Gisela...have posted on your blog...at least I thought it was a pic of a pine cone candle holder but I may have been wrong : ).
Lisa...December January is sort of slow here...so hot that only the toughest things survive so it might be a bit of a challenge. I bought masses of seeds today. Lots of wonderful plans for finally getting organised LOL.
Thanks for visiting and saying hello. It's always nice to 'meet' another Aussie :) We do the rotation thing too but I don't think we're as organized as you. My hubby has taken over most of the veggie growing since his retirement, leaving me to tend my flower gardens...nice!
I loved reading about the butterflies migrating through your area. Fancy closing the road. That's great! :) It must've been quite a sight.
I hope you have some weather that's cool enough to let you get out in the garden.
And more rain! (just the right amount, of course)
I've been growing veggies on my roof for several years now, and I've sort of half been trying to get something like this working.
One problem I have is I usually grow mostly tomatoes, and so don't grow enough different plants to do rotations.
Probably the biggest problem is that when I'm done for the year, the pots are usually completely root bound, not leaving enough dirt for the next crop. This is really true of tomatoes.
Also, sometimes when there is soil left, it's really 'dead', having lost all of it's structure and all of the nutrients consumed. Sometimes the soil is not able to hold water anymore.
And a last problem is that I usually have disease problems with my container plants, and reusing the soil means risking carrying the same diseases forward to the next year.
When I grow beans, especially fava (broad) beans, I can usually reuse this dirt. I don't usually use it straight, but rather mix it with some compost. I also grew potatoes on my roof for the first time this year, and this soil looks suitable for reusing.
Until now, since I've also had a 'normal' garden, I've taken the used dirt to my garden compost pile. The next year, I make new potting soil, usually a mixture of peat moss and compost. This is a lot of work because it means bringing everything up and down from my roof.
Since I have a new community garden, I probably won't be growing much on my roof this year. I'll still be interested if you get a good system going!
..no you are not..it is a candle in a pine cone..
My brain was still asleep, when answered your question.
Just use your power drill to make a small hole from the top of the pine cone, large or small enough to fit a candle inside..
Watch the candle carefully, you don't want to call the fire department-))
cheers Gisela
Fo rus here in the Northern Hemisphere, the impending summer you have coming up gives me reason yet to think about gardening as I shut mine down for the winter.
Can't wait to see your garden take off while we're in the middle of our cold season....
Patrick: I'll have to think a little bit more about it I guess...I haven't thought about what to do with the spots in the actual garden where I'm now growing all of the pumpkin, squash and zuchinni and how that fits into the picture.
It feels a teensy bit weird reading all the blogs where the garden is being cleaned up and put aside for winter. I kind of thought one half of the world has winter and the other half has summer..but the proportions seem a tad out.
Thanks for visiting my site.
I've enjoyed poking through your postings! ;-) It's fun to compare your situation with ours. We're nearly ready to enter Winter around here. Although the weather is still fairly nice and warm, considering the time of year.
So... continue the nice, warm comments. I'll enjoy them over our Winter!
Want to use your roof to grow vegetables?
A few of us who live in the city of Chicago are trying to grow heirloom vegetables on our rooftops in cheap homemade earthboxes. In response to huge environmental problems, it's a small but rewarding way to push back. Also, we think they're a great way to build connections in a fragmented social/political landscape.
Not selling anything, I'm giving "it" away.
Here's the , alongside the pics is a little how-to guide with plenty of links.
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