I'm starting the planning process early this year. I want to figure out where the garlic should be planted and where I need manure/compost. My gardens have gotten too big to enrich all beds, so I'm looking into crop rotation plans.
The general strategy is to rotate crops that use a lot of nutrients with those that use low levels and those that generate nutrients. The diagram below shows the strategy. Most crops I plant use heavy amounts of nutrients. Crops like tomatoes and squashes. I'll need to add manure/compost to these beds. But at least its not all of my beds.
Another thing I wanted to figure out is moving all Late Blight susceptible crops (all solanacea) out of my community plot and into my home garden for next year. This seems to work out fine. All tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers will fit fine at home.
I looked up companion planting information and added a few flowers and herbs that are beneficial.
Tomorrow I plan to have some time for gardening - and the weather should be nice. I'd like to finish planting garlic. Also bring a few loads of compost/manure to my community plot and seed all beds with winter rye. The home plots need more clean up, and then compost and rye seeding. The season is winding down fast.
10 comments:
I bet you were a Girl Guide, you are so organised and prepared! I have decided to grow any Peppers and Aubergines at home as the couple I planted in the garden veg bed did much better that the Lottie ones. It is very exposed there and the windy summer upset them. I am going to grow more flowers for cutting, you can't buy Dahlias and Zinnias in the florist or supermarket. I really enjoyed bringing both brightly coloured flowers and tastey veggies home this first year of the Lottie.
Enjoy your day
Marian (LondonUK)
Thank you for the feeding list - very helpful! I know it's early, and you just posted this, but when do we get to talk varieties? What were you happy/unhappy with? What have you heard about that you're excited to try? Sorry, like you, I've just diagramed my 2010 garden and am anxious...:)
Me too on the flowers Marian!
jp, I'm just hoping I can get the garden prepped for winter. Not thinking much about next year's varieties yet. I'm way behind and all this weekend rain/snow doesn't help.
Here's a quick list of may favorites this year:
Rio Grand Russet potatoes
Thai hot peppers
Shungwang's Chinese pole beans
sweet potatoes
popcorn
Diva cucumbers
carrots Bolero and Oxheart
Waltham butternut squash
Jarrahdale pumpkins
pattypan squash Sunburst
bok choy
broccoli Blue Wind
Your plan momentarily freaked me out, because I was thinking "she has Zone 1 to Zone 4 weather IN ONE PLOT?!" :)
lots of unusuals on your list (at least to me...) In recently planning an area to grow more cutting flowers, I re-read some sage advice to plant them closer than normal so that they'll grow even taller stems - perhaps this is common knowledge around these parts, but I was glad to have come across it.
thank you for the list! i too planted my garlic recently, hoping they will do well since it's my first time planting them. thanks for all your advice on your blog!!
I suppose I should call them something other than "zone". Like "section" maybe. They are all in zone 6...
Good idea with the flowers. I hadn't heard this before. I always like to plant very close to try to get a few more. But tall stems is another good reason.
I was able to finish planting all my garlic today. I hope to have lots next year. Its such an expensive thing to buy at the Farmers Market if you want nice fresh heads. I figure its a good use of space. It keeps pretty well usually.
We finally got the manure laid and rototilled in yesterday and now I am needing to plant my garlic! Waiting for farmer's market to get a few more bulbs. Your diagram is great, gave me some ideas on locations of my veggies.
~Felicia~
I think that we should start some kind of chain seed-swap! First person sends 5 seeds to 2 people and so on :)
I love your garden skippy!
Cool, i never had a farm or something but i think that I'm gonna make a little one in my back yard, i just hire a guy that can tell me if the earth in here is good for doing it.
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