Dual Cropping by Snadger

[zazen999]

This is a cut and paste from Snadger's excellent post on Dual Cropping.

I have two allotments on which I am planning to be virtually self sufficient with vegetables,herbs,flowers and soft and hard fruit.
To do this I need to dual crop each area and even triple crop some areas.

No bare soil at any time always a crop, mulch or green manure on it!!!

It often astounds me that plotholders pay an annual rent, yet only crop their allotment for five months!

I use a raised bed system laid out in a Potager style, with no edging to the raised beds

In case anyone is interested, here are some of my proposed cropping regimes.

1) Spring sown Carrots followed by Autumn planted Japanese Onion sets
2) Spring sown Turnips followed by Autumn sown Garlic
3) Spring planted Onion sets followed by Autumn sown Peas
4) Maincrop potatoes followed by Spring cabbage plants
5) Summer sown French Beans followed by Broccoli plants
6) Spring sown Broad beans followed by Savoy Cabbage plants
7) Spring sown Peas followed by Winter Kale
8) Spring sown Calabrese followed by Winter Leeks
9) Summer cabbage followed by Christmas Potatoes
10) Early Potatoes followed by Autumn sown Broad Beans

I will be growing other crops as well and may jiggle the regime a bit to suit my own needs. The above is only a guideline!

The first crop is always followed by a disimilar second crop but the rotation may not necessarily be 'by the book'
It's worked in the past for me and I see no reason to change this informal rotation!
Depending on the second crop requirements I may muck or lime the area before planting!

I hope you don't mind Snadger....but it deserves its own thread in here.