Should I give my Veggie Patch a Rest?

Dizzyblonde

I've been using my raised vegetable bed for the past 3 years, moving the veg around each year so they don't grow in the same place twice in a row. Is it necessary to leave it empty for a year or will it be ok if I dig a load of manure in? I grow peas, runner beans, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and brussels sprouts (which are still in for the Christmas dinner).
Also, has anyone used 'green manure'? I never heard of it until lately.

dfbemt

Have never used green manure myself. OK article in the Oct edition of the Grow Your Own magazine which might help you decide.

There is no need to rest your beds. Just give them a good feed as suggested and all should be okay.

Often neglected in raised beds is a good dig so I would dig, feed, dig and carry on as normal.

Some prefer to leave their organic material on top until Spring but I prefer to dig it in myself and add more in the Spring.

I have had my beds sometime now and was happy with how they were all doing. Looking to do something else in the garden, last year I got into compost in a big way. Have 3 different types on the go; conventional plastic compost bin, tumbler and wormery and the whole family have become involved in bringing home apple butts from school, banana skins, saving the loo roll holders, etc.

Gardening really is a great hobby and there is always something new to do.

Good luck with the beds.

Corsendonk

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I've been using my raised vegetable bed for the past 3 years, moving the veg around each year so they don't grow in the same place twice in a row. Is it necessary to leave it empty for a year or will it be ok if I dig a load of manure in? I grow peas, runner beans, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and brussels sprouts (which are still in for the Christmas dinner).
Also, has anyone used 'green manure'? I never heard of it until lately.

Nope you shouldnt have too if you have rotated as above, peas and beans also nitrogen "fix" in the ground. You could try to include some potatoes in the rotation program as its an excellent way to break up ground while producing a crop. FYM is always welcome every few years especially if its sandy soil.

TheFatMan

No need to rest, but manuring now for next year a good idea. I also use a fertiliser now to put back some of the minral content too. Fish and bone meal gives it plenty of time to work into the soil and prevents burning worries next spring

Dizzyblonde

Thanks for that. I'd hate to be without the vegetable patch for a year. I'll give it a good clear out, just leave the Christmas sprouts it, and dig a load of manure in. Then I'll put in the garlic and onions for next year.
I've been using blood fish and bone too.

I'll definitely plant some spuds next year.
Thanks again

redser7

Hope you don't mind me butting in but I was wondering the same about raised beds in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Especially for tomatoes. I have 2 long beds on either side and I can do the 4 year rotation by splitting each bed in two. The problem is I want to make tomatoes the main crop during summer and want to use the whole of the south facing bed for them. Has anyone any tips or tricks on growing tomatoes in border soil in a greenhouse or tunnel? Do you always rotate the crops, or dig out and replace the soil? Would planting the toms in large pots and sinking them into the soil restrict desease and pests? Thanks a lot!

Corsendonk

redser7 wrote: »

Hope you don't mind me butting in but I was wondering the same about raised beds in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Especially for tomatoes. I have 2 long beds on either side and I can do the 4 year rotation by splitting each bed in two. The problem is I want to make tomatoes the main crop during summer and want to use the whole of the south facing bed for them. Has anyone any tips or tricks on growing tomatoes in border soil in a greenhouse or tunnel? Do you always rotate the crops, or dig out and replace the soil? Would planting the toms in large pots and sinking them into the soil restrict desease and pests? Thanks a lot!

Good Hygiene, make sure you remove all the previous years tomato crop and wash down the polythene in the winter to remove any pests that may have laided eggs. Most of the old commercial tomato growers that grew toms in soil(most of the toms these days are grown in a neutral substrate) would have fumingated the soil every so many years either by steam or using Metayl Bromide which is now banned. They would have partly rotated by growing something like lettuce in Winter. Your better off planting your plants directly in the soil rather than burying pots.

Also make sure you have enough support for the plants, you can always layer the plants sideways if you can source some spinners.

redser7

Thanks for that. What's a spinner? Was thinking I would use string wrapped around the root ball and attached to the hoop above with hooks.

Corsendonk

redser7 wrote: »

Thanks for that. What's a spinner? Was thinking I would use string wrapped around the root ball and attached to the hoop above with hooks.

I must see if I can dig out a photo but its basically a reel of extra string at the top of the plant. They would either tie one end of the string loosely around the stem of the plant or plant the tom plant on top of the string, then train the plant up the string as it grows, shooting as you go. The spinner would be at the top, its kind of an "S" shaped hook made out of hard wire with an extra 10 feet of string spun around it. So when your plant reaches the head crop wire, you would unloop some extra string to lay the tom plant on its side in one direction. So in say a 8 foot high glasshouse you could finish the season with a 18 foot plant. Good way to get more yield out of less plants.

redser7

Having a bit of trouble visualising it but kind of get the idea. Sounds great. So you would just let more and more trusses develop? Would that not affect ripening of the earliest trusses?

Apologies for taking the thread offtrack - last comment

Corsendonk

redser7 wrote: »

Having a bit of trouble visualising it but kind of get the idea. Sounds great. So you would just let more and more trusses develop? Would that not affect ripening of the earliest trusses?

Apologies for taking the thread offtrack - last comment

This might give a better idea do not a great pic, see how the plant is angled from left to right. Tomato plants(bush varieties may be different) when grown and fed correctly they normally ripen from the bottom truss up, you can actually see the different levels of ripeness on the 3 trusses visible on the plant on the left. So you deleaf your lower 3 feet when your plant reaches your crop wire to increase air and light levels, pick off the ripened fruit and layer the plants down as the lowest truss empties of fruit.




I usually pick off all ripened fruit rather than let it sit on the plant to encourage the plant to reproduce. This time of year stop layering and just pinch out the plant head. There is a cheat to ripen fruit on the plant, you can buy a solution of ethylene(gas used to ripen bananas) that you can mix with yoghurt or water, snap a truss off to cause a flesh wound and scrub the solution in with a toothbrush. Then deleaf as much as possible and keep the windows closed to increase the heat. 5days later most of your fruit will be ripe and the plants as yellow as straw. Its not cheap to buy so not practical for the small gardener and the shelflife isn't great but its a way of making the most of the last fruit on the plant.

redser7

Fantastic tips. Thanks a million!