As the days lengthen (hooray!), we'll be putting the first-early potatoesRunner beans might do the trick for a late summer crop. I believe
in the community garden shortly. I understand these will be ready to
harvest in twelve to fourteen weeks; that'd mean the same beds start to become available from early June onwards.
Sown under cover, and according to some (trustworthy?) information on the seed packets, the following crops look to be candidates to go in the same
bed for double cropping: calabrese, courgette, French bean, kale, leek, runner bean, sweetcorn and tomato.
I doubt the tomato would be a success outdoors (probably not ripen and it
is considered the same family as potato for crop rotation?) and I'd be a
bit dubious about the leeks - thinking they should be in the ground
earlier to achieve a good size. The garden is relatively new and, as yet,
the soil isn't great and things grow relatively slowly. We're working on
that year-on-year.
Have you had a good experience of double cropping with any particular crop combinations? I'm particularly interested in what goes with early
potatoes, but would be interested in any other combination. We are growing flowers too, so dahlias, or other flowers could be included in the mix.
I hadn't appreciated gardening can be so technical, if you allow it. I'm realizing you probably need a lifetime to know exactly what you are
doing...
Thanks,
As the days lengthen (hooray!), we'll be putting the first-early potatoes
in the community garden shortly. I understand these will be ready to
harvest in twelve to fourteen weeks; that'd mean the same beds start to become available from early June onwards.
Sown under cover, and according to some (trustworthy?) information on the seed packets, the following crops look to be candidates to go in the same
bed for double cropping: calabrese, courgette, French bean, kale, leek, runner bean, sweetcorn and tomato.
I doubt the tomato would be a success outdoors (probably not ripen and it
is considered the same family as potato for crop rotation?) and I'd be a
bit dubious about the leeks - thinking they should be in the ground
earlier to achieve a good size. The garden is relatively new and, as yet,
the soil isn't great and things grow relatively slowly. We're working on
that year-on-year.
Have you had a good experience of double cropping with any particular crop combinations? I'm particularly interested in what goes with early
potatoes, but would be interested in any other combination. We are growing flowers too, so dahlias, or other flowers could be included in the mix.
I hadn't appreciated gardening can be so technical, if you allow it. I'm realizing you probably need a lifetime to know exactly what you are
doing...
Thanks,
On 26/02/2025 09:59, David Entwistle wrote:
Have you had a good experience of double cropping with any particular crop >> combinations? I'm particularly interested in what goes with earlyWE find early spuds crop in ten to twelve weeks, if we leave them any
potatoes, but would be interested in any other combination. We are growing >> flowers too, so dahlias, or other flowers could be included in the mix.
longer they are too big. But we have been on this plot for a couple of decades so the soil is quite well improved and is fertile clay/silt anyway. We do well with outdoor grown Tomatoes (near M25/M3 junction) but try to
use Blight Resistant varieties.
Have you had a good experience of double cropping with any particular crop >combinations? I'm particularly interested in what goes with early
potatoes, but would be interested in any other combination. We are growing >flowers too, so dahlias, or other flowers could be included in the mix.
Runner beans might do the trick for a late summer crop. I believe
(correct me if wrong) that they are nitrogen fixers, so will put good
things back into the soil or compost
WE find early spuds crop in ten to twelve weeks, if we leave them any
longer they are too big. But we have been on this plot for a couple of decades so the soil is quite well improved and is fertile clay/silt
anyway.
We do well with outdoor grown Tomatoes (near M25/M3 junction) but try to
use Blight Resistant varieties.
Also always get a good crop of Chillies most green but red in a good
year,
the variety is Thai Dragon, other varieties don't perform as well IME outside. (Nicky's Nursery for Toms and Chilli seeds)
Have you ever tried growing pomatoes?
Plants and weeds, mostly :-( In my experience, spinach is pretty well
the only thing that finishes early enough to get something else in, and
I am planning to put pak choi in after it (which shouldn't be sown
before mid-June). The other late-planting crop is broccoli and kale (I
sow purple sprouting and cavallero nero) for spring use, which you start elsewhere and transplant. You could also try leaf beet (chard).
While I do second-crop squashes after broad beans, they have to overlap,
and the broad bean space provides straggling room. I am trying some
very early peas, but am not optimistic, because early crops depend on a
warm, sunny spring.
Chillies - thanks. I wouldn't have thought of growing chillies outdoors. >We'll give them a go.
Don't bother with runner beans unless you start them in pots - like
most of the warm-climate plants, they need the summer sun to grow,
and it's fading rapidly by the end of July. But you could probably
start them in pots as I do squash, though I would recommend at least
9" pots and 12" if you plant them late.
Pretty well all brassicas need netting. Last year was grim, because
of no wasps.
In article <vppdtc$32fev$2@dont-email.me>,
David Entwistle <qnivq.ragjvfgyr@ogvagrearg.pbz> wrote:
Chillies - thanks. I wouldn't have thought of growing chillies outdoors.
We'll give them a go.
They need to be started fairly early indoors, so that they can take
advantage of the sunny months. I grow them in pots which live on
the (south-facing) patio.
Incidentally, Nero di Toscana, Cavallero Nero and Tuscan Black Kale
are all synonyms :-)
Pretty well all brassicas need netting. Last year was grim, because
of no wasps.
Don't bother with runner beans unless you start them in pots - like
most of the warm-climate plants, they need the summer sun to grow,
and it's fading rapidly by the end of July. But you could probably
start them in pots as I do squash, though I would recommend at least
9" pots and 12" if you plant them late.
What I would really like to be able to grow are late-cropping climbing
blue beans. The trouble with Phaseolus vulgaris is that it stops
flowering as soon as it has a setback (drought, cold and even extreme
heat). P. coccineus (runners) doesn't. I have tried planting later,
and all it meant was that the plants were smaller when they stopped.
Regards,Have you tried Lablab beans? We grow them for the guys in our Indian Restaurant (Bangladeshis) So easy, treat like runners, crop for a lon
Nick Maclaren.
Have you tried Lablab beans? We grow them for the guys in our Indian >Restaurant (Bangladeshis) So easy, treat like runners, crop for a lon
period until frost, actually look stunning too when in flower.
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