Growing a particular kind of vegetables in the same position year after year leads to a multitude of problems, soil born diseases build up and the level of nutriments becomes unbalanced.
A simple 3 year crop rotation system can help prevent future problems and keep the whole of the allotment soil in good heart, giving the vegetables that are grown the right soil conditions to flourish.
Brassicas.
broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, radish, swede, turnip.
If the soil is short of humus, dig in well rotted manure or compost in autumn. Add lime to the soil unless it is known to be alkaline. A general fertilizer should be applied 2 weeks before sowing or planting.
Others
beans, courgette, celery, cucumber, leek, lettuce, marrow, onion, pea, sweet corn, tomato.
Add generous amounts of well rotted manure or compost at digging time, only add lime if the soil is acidic. rake in a good general fertilizer 2 week before sowing or planting.
Roots
beetroot, carrot, parsnip, potato.
Don’t add manure or compost to the soil, lime should not be needed. 2 weeks before planting or sowing rake in a good balanced fertilizer.
#1 by sheldon ridings on January 31, 2012 - 7:21 pm
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Hello just got my key to the allotment i had been waiting 3 years it’s not a full one but i reckon i can get quite a lot planted i’ve turned a section over and weeded it ready for the earlys and there was a pile of compost so i forked it in and i was going to get hold of some manure to fork that in why dont you add manure to the soil when growing roots ie potatos my friend swears by it.
#2 by sheldon ridings on January 31, 2012 - 7:25 pm
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by the way i’m a beginner and dont know much about allotments.
#3 by Sprout on January 31, 2012 - 8:53 pm
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@sheldon, Congratulations on getting your new allotment.
Adding well rotted manure to the potato area won’t harm, and could be beneficial to the crop. But potatoes don’t need a luxuriously rich soil to grow, so i find it unnecessary, especially if the manure is in short supply. There are other crops such as peas, beans and courgettes that will appreciate the manure a lot more.
Other root crops like, carrots, beetroot & parsnips tend to fork if given a rich manure soil to grow in.
#4 by sheldon ridings on February 1, 2012 - 5:29 pm
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Cheers Sprout i’ll let you know what i plant and when i plant it,my wifes ordered the veg seeds i’ve got it all planned out on paper as to what i’m going to do.