Successional growing

by Dandelion 3rd July 2011, 6:55 pm

As someone with a limited amount of growing space (four raised beds for veg - fruit is mainly around the edges of the garden) I try to grow successionally, bringing on new plants in modules to plant out as mature veg is harvested. At the moment we have a bit of a log jam - I'm waiting for the family to eat a lot of broad beans so I can dig up the plants and replace them with the courgettes and squashes which are beginning to out grow their flower pots. I would appreciate any wisdom from others who grow this way - how do you plan and time sowing to get an even turn over? Any other tips would be appreciated.

by Chilli-head 3rd July 2011, 10:23 pm

I struggle with this. Quite often my ground lies empty for less than a couple of hours between something coming out and another going in ! The one thing that I can usually time right in following overwintered broad beans with leeks. Most other things are done in a rather ad-hoc way that plays havoc with any planned rotation system Exclamation

I never plan to double-crop the ground I'm using for squashes though, they do seem to resent any check to their growth. Get them in ASAP . Broad beans freeze quite well ...

by Compostwoman 4th July 2011, 8:15 am

Just got all the BB'S up so as to freeze them, as I need the bed they are in with the crop protection posts around it, for the brassicas.

I would grow the BB's in big posts if you can - if yu can only grow a smallish quantit anyway, then the raised bed would be free...

Would that work, or do you have no space for big posts full of BB plants left..?

by Dandelion 4th July 2011, 7:10 pm

Chilli-head wrote:
I never plan to double-crop the ground I'm using for squashes though, they do seem to resent any check to their growth. Get them in ASAP . Broad beans freeze quite well ...

Thanks - that was very helpful advice. I think I'd got a bit focussed on using all of the beans fresh before I dug the plants up, and it helped to get a slightly different mindset. The beans are now harvested, waiting to be shelled and frozen, and all courgettes and squashes are planted.

by Chilli-head 4th July 2011, 9:02 pm

If you still have a surplus, there's always the "Warm broad bean and Feta salad" I posted a little while ago ,,,

by Dandelion 5th July 2011, 9:16 pm

We've just pigged out on pasta tossed with crispy bacon, broad beans, chopped mint and creme fraiche. It was nice!

The courgettes and squash plants are looking relieved to be planted out.

I'm now waiting to have pea and lemon risotto one evening which will finish the peas from a row so I can start to plant out the leeks. There isn't much unused space in the garden!

by Chilli-head 15th August 2011, 5:18 pm

Ok, revisiting this topic - it is mid August and spaces are starting to become clear again after potatoes, peas, broad beans ...

I've got some oriental kale, and some cabbages to go out.
I have tried, and hated, spanish black radish.
I've tried mouli and turnips.both are OK, but don't eat enough of them for it to be worthwhile.
I seem to be incompetent at growing green manure - it always fails to come up, or is outcompeted by the weeds !

Anything else I can plant now ?

by Compostwoman 15th August 2011, 5:30 pm

I have planted up the early spud raised bed with Kale and PSB plants,

The carrots have been lifted along with the surrounding shallots and I have re sowed wiith more early carrots for a late harvest and put the leek seedlings which were left over from planting out the main leek bed around the edge of the carrot bed - they will grow to some size at least even if they don't get to be huge.

Apart from that I tend to put down compost and let the ground rest over winter. I feel it deserves it!

In the polytunnel I do have more crops of salads growing, also more herbs.

by Dandelion 15th August 2011, 7:05 pm

It's the time to sow spring cabbage, which would fill some of those gaps. I usually grow Offenham which are traditional dark greens, and something like Hispi or April which will heart up if left.

This year I've been pleased with the effect of planting courgettes and squash into the strawberry bed. The strawberries have been cut right back since fruiting, so there is a reasonable amount of space between the plants (which only occupy half the raised bed anyway.) As the squash plants grow I've been curling them around and training them to grow into the spaces which seems to work quite well.

by Compostwoman 15th August 2011, 8:04 pm

If I were growing in a more limited space I would be putting more stuff into it - as Dandelion says, cabbages etc. But only Kale and PSB survives here...too many pigeons and squirrels eat everything else!

So that is all we grow in the way of brassicas.

I do grow other stuff overwinter in the polytunnel but, again, that is because I have one to use...if I did not I would be putting stuff in the soil outside...

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