Kitchen Garden Forum

I've just dug my potatoes up as they have been attacked by blight. I now have a vacant bed. What can I sow at this time of year? Am I too late for Brassicas?

I've just sown some Hispi cabbage seeds. If we get a mild winter they will probably survive through the colder weather. It's also not too late to sow Swiss Chard, although this can die back a little in frosty weather and has the habit of springing back to life and vigorous new growth in early spring, just as you probably want the land for other crops.

I put in salad crops (mixed leaves, lettuce, radish) where I have space plus I'm going to prepare a bed for next year's garlic which will go in during Sept/Oct.

I'm also sowing late carrots, turnips & beetroot.

Beetroots and carrots are a good idea.
Are carrots sown at this time of year still prone to carrot fly?

Salads will be good also.

Hi Helix,
The answer to your question is yes. Carrot Root Fly are active most of the year although there are three main periods in which they are most active.
The two things you must protect against with Carrots at all times are CRF and Slugs. CRF are easily deterred by the use of fleece. Depending whether you are organic or not is the way you protect against slugs. I am not organic and therefore use slug pellets placed about every four inches down each side of my sowing. Keeled Slugs can clear a row of freshly emerged carrots over night. You can sow Carrots up to and including August, the size of the crop sown are not that large but very welcome nonetheless.
JB.

Hi,
Fennel is good to sow now-in fact its best sown afer mid summers day and will grow well. Spring onions are also worth planting for that later crop

Hi

Isnt this about crop rotation. I would suggest you look for a crop rotation wheel graphic on the web (mines in a book) which tells you which group to plant after the prevous one.

Mine says after potatoes its Brassicas (cabbages etc) but not tomoatoes as tey are the same family.

Hope I'm right and that this helps.

David

I thought crop rotation was on a yearly basis - after all, you can't grow tomatoes after potatoes anyway in the same year, can you? I usually plant leeks after new potatoes and overwintered broad beans as the ground has been freed up by then, and then quick maturing things as suggested by previous repliers. Then I sort out proper crop rotation ready for the next full season. Or am I looking at this all wrong?
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Granny

I'm sure you are right Granny in what you are doing.

I view crop rotation from crop to crop which isnt always the same as year to year. I'm sure someone more qualified will comment on that.

Re potatoes and tomatoes, you certainly could lift your earlies and put in tomatoes raised in the greenhouse - but dont, please.

I see crop rotation as predominantly avoiding diseases which build up in the soil but also as in the case of legumes making the best use of soil fertility.

best

David

Well, actually, Granny, David, et al ..... The organic growers actually recommend putting some of your tomato crop where you've just dug up your early spuds. This ia because the blight spores have not yet attacked that crop as it's been too early in the year. Therefore the toms are really just an extension of the potato crop.

However, I dont do thid because by now my toms and other things are in. What I do in the early potato beds is to dig out all the blasted bindweed when digging up the crop and sow Phacelia tenacetifolia. This rapidly-growiing green manmure is then dug in in sept / Oct and my garlic goes in a week or two later.

You could also make your mid-late sowings of carrots and salad crops [the salads will disguise the carrots from the carrot-fly].

In the 3-tear rotation I make sure that brassicas follow legumes. Legumes therefore follow the spuds. That's Hessayon's way anyhow, but he lumps roots with spuds and celery/celeriac [which organically go with the roots] with the beans and toms, because they all need heavy manuring.

mike

This year I managed to put my earlies in really early, I had plastic then fleece from January. The first ones were out in the middle of May and so I planted half a dozen Marfona that I had over. If I am lucky I will get a few more pounds this Autumn.
The start of this thread mentioned following a blight struck area, I could not have done it if that was the case here.

By the way, JB, you don't have to be non-organic to use slug pellets. The OGC offers something called "Advanced Slug Killer" based on ferric phosphate and advertised as "safe". Harmless to humans, pets and wildlife. Probably also to slugs, but 5g is said to protect 1 sq metre. I've found plants protected by it untouched until the rain or watering makes it disappear outside or start looking like bits of mould on flowerpots indoors.

mike

Hi Mike,
In another thread a way back Mole told us about the Advanced Slug Pellets and I am trialling them at the present moment. The OGC seem to charge too much and I managed to purchase my supply from Morrison's Super Market at a considerable saving to OGCs price.
The snag with it all is that sadly there are people who are so anti-chemical they will not use these slug pellets either but would prefer to moan about the fate that has befallen their produce. These are called Organic Martyrs!!
JB.

I've decided to follow Sarah Raven's advice and have used some spare patches of ground to grow a late show of cutting flowers.

Yesterday I lifted the rest of my banana shallots (very good they are too!)and planted the vacant bed with multi-headed sunflowers, zinneas and various calendula.

I have also used fennel, chinese cabbage and various salad stuffs to fill other gaps, and I'm making a new permanent strawberry bed to go where my first earlies are, still have a few to dig up yet.

I'm also using the ferramol based anti-slug pellets this year, I found my local Wilkinson's sell them the cheapest.

Hi Deb,
As I say I am trialling the Advanced Slug Pellet and I am indebted to Mole for making me aware of their existence. So far they are living up to all this heavy rain that we have been having whereas I would have had to renew the conventional ones at least once and maybe more. I have found that they are not quite as effective as conventional ones but certainly I have not had the damage that I feared. I grew a sacrificial crop of lettuce which have turned into a rather nice crop. So there is the odd very small slug on the lettuces but these are Keeled Slugs that come out of the soil. I shall continue to use conventional pellets alongside my Carrots and when the Carrots have grown sufficiently and the pellets need replacing I will then use the Advanced ones.
JB.