What to plant after beans

[rpt]

I have a small (7m x 1.2m) bed for vegetables, divided into 3 areas. In area 1 I currently have lettuce and radish which should have finished by the time my dwarf French beans are ready to plant out. These will all need to be harvested before the first frost (October?). My original plan was to use this area for sprouts next year, but these won't go in until next spring. What should I grow here over winter? Could I start cabbage, kale or sprouting broccoli in pots to plant out after the beans? If I do this, does this mean I shouldn't grow brassicas here next year (do I rotate after a crop or just once a year)? Or should I grow something else - any suggestions?

Thanks,
Richard.

[scarletrunner]

Overwintering onion sets,broad beans or peas,personally i just sow green manures,as many losses are incurred.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Personally with an area that small I wouldn't worry to much about crop rotation. As to what you can grow in the over winter. Spring cabbage sown very close together and then havested every other one and eaten as spring greens whilst the rest mature. Kale is another option as is PSB.

All the above can be sown in pots at the appropriate time and planted out as space allows.

Colin

[rpt]

But can I really ignore crop rotation, especially with brassicas? Having done some research, I'd like to grow spring cabbage when the beans finish, but can I follow them with sprouts in spring, or do I have to move them to follow my leaks?

[hamamelis]

It's not deathly important to rotate every single time- I mean, I wouldn't declare it to be a 'brassica bed', and keep growing the same thing over and over, but unless you get problems with the first plants, doing two from the same family back to back every now and again shouldn't really cause any problems, so far as I'm aware.

[Potstubsdustbins]

As above unless you have a pest/disease difficulty there shouldn't be a problem following on. One thing you may consider is that you will have to use some form of fertiliser as the nutrients will get used up following like for like.

Colin

[Florence Fennel]

I agree with the others Richard. I have some small beds that I have to grow like for like in, but I make sure I put plenty of the goodness back in.

[rpt]

I will have to give it a try. Adding fertiliser won't be a problem (for winter cabbages I guess it needs to be for the roots? high phosphate?) but what about the lime - will this scorch the roots if I add it just before planting the cabbages?

I've just ordered "How to Grow Winter Vegetables" by Charles Dowding from Amazon so hopefully this will help me maximise my plot.

[Potstubsdustbins]

In my two Imtr square beds every year for about five years now I have followed calabrese with spring cabbage Hero. All I ever do is mix in some BFB or Growmore which ever is to hand before planting. Oct time I give them some Miraclegrow for nitrogen. Use every other one as spring greens then late Feb early March give them another does of Miraclegrow to speed up the race for home. When they are finnished I do exactly the same thing before the calabrese follow.

It could not be simpler.

Colin