Growing Beans and Tomatoes together

[john9159]

I quite often despair at the poor practice one of our plot holders exhibits on their plot.
Far too much space has been devoted to fruit, mainly strawberries, which keep self-propagating and have long past their usefulness.
One other practice noticed at this months plot inspection were tomato plants growing right in the climbing bean/runner bean frame as though they were being concealed.
Is this acceptable to all but me as I've seen posts on the internet saying it's ok to do this?
I cannot see how a crop rotation plan can be maintained with such a plan, not that one has ever existed when, for example, said person plants courgette/squash/marrow in five different locations on the plot.
Why I despair is that the plot is around 240 square yards in area, strawberries and other fruit take up about 50% of the space and the rest is used only partially so why the need to cram crops not related together?

[veggiechicken]

Have you heard of Polyculture?

[Small pumpkin]

Everyone has their own way of doing things.
If it's not directly affecting your plot don't worry about it. There's more important things to stress about!

[Jay-ell]

A very quick google on companion planting brings up
https://www.thespruce.com/companion-...matoes-1403289

Not everyone likes to grow a large mass of similar crops in one bed where the same pest can work it's way through every plant, some people like to do polycultures with different groupings confusing pests or hiding each other from pests or feeding into the polyculture in some way.

Some people like fruit. Fruit can be expensive to buy but easy to grow. Fruit is healthy.

Does the tenancy agreement state that crop rotation must be used and how crops are to be rotated?
Does your site have a prescriptive list of what can and can't be grown set down in the agreement?
Are plot holders not allowed to grow fruit or vegetables lawfully for non-commercial use without interference?
Is it your plot?

There's a site in Newcastle where everyone has their compost bin in exactly the same place, the rhubarb growing in exactly the same place (even those who don't like rhubarb), the beds laid out identically (no matter which angle they are to the sun), and the same types of crops growing. It's so sterile and bland with none of the vibrancy of differentness.

I'd be more worried about the plots that have masses of single crops, who needs a plot full of cabbage except a greengrocer?

[Thelma Sanders]

On our site there are already enough council rules, thank you - without someone telling me what I can grow and exactly how I must grow it No no no!

As long as it's not so weedy that it is causing problems, then everyone can do their own thing on their own plot - as far as I'm concerned it is no one else's business.

[Jay-ell]

John9159

This isn't the first thread where you've went on about people not growing the same way you do
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...out_83373.html

You only replied to that thread once to say you were sceptical.

Did you decide to allow the growers who wanted to have a permaculture allotment or deny them a plot because they planned to grow differently? It would seem that permaculture would make your head explode as rather than have straight rows of mono culture they would have poly-cultures and guilds.

[Scarlet]

Is this acceptable to all but me as I've seen posts on the internet saying it's ok to do this?

Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

[veggiechicken]

I quite often despair at the poor practice one of our plot holders exhibits on their plot.
Far too much space has been devoted to fruit, mainly strawberries, which keep self-propagating and have long past their usefulness.
...............

Why I despair is that the plot is around 240 square yards in area, strawberries and other fruit take up about 50% of the space and the rest is used only partially so why the need to cram crops not related together?

John, can you explain why growing fruit on half a plot is "poor practice" please?
Fruit costs more to buy than most vegetables, so why shouldn't someone turn their plot over 100% to fruit if they want to?

Please don't tell me that your allotment has some rule that forbids this!

[Greenleaves]

I really don't understand the OP's point...because he doesn't agree, it must be wrong?????

I am always open to advice, but at the end of the the day my plots are mine. I have never rotated beans for instance and never had a problem...maybe your horse is too high for doing plot inspections from.

[Jay-ell]

If you're doing a site inspection you should only be inspecting what is set down in the tenancy agreement - cultivation, weeds, structures etc.

Even with weeds, it's not a weed just because you think it is, if somebody sows something you don't grow it's still a crop under cultivation.

Dandelion, buckshorn plantain, lambs lettuce, winter purslane may be weeds to some but when deliberately sown and cultivated are a crop.

In the jungle I probably have the same amount of the plot covered with squash, pumpkins and cucurbits than I do with fruit (which consists of 2 beds of raspberries, honey berries, choke berries, pheasant berries, black berries, black currants, golden currants, red currants, gooseberries, 7 apple trees, 2 pear trees, 2 plum trees, a cherry tree, a fig tree, a peach tree, a bed of strawberries, more strawberries, a kiwi and a grape vine. Plus some more strawberries) and I wouldn’t say I've overdone it with the pumpkins.

There's also strawberries underneath the sweetcorn - along with welsh onions and some oca. I have leeks on there which will be harvested once the leaves have died back, I have skirret, scorzonera, salsify, mashua, yacon, sweet potatoes, more oca, earth chestnuts - not sure how the OP would deal with these crops (if he's heard of them) as they are the "traditional" allotment fare.

The New Territories are different where next years planting will include 5 different species of dandelions, various annual "weeds" (e.g. lamb, lettuce, miners lettuce, loose leaf lettuce) that will be encouraged to self seed as well as tree cabbages which will be in the ground for at least 3 years making crop rotation impossible.

OK, Hands up who thinks that all this is wrong and that I should only do rows of carrots, spuds, beans and cabbages like everyone else because somebody else thinks that's the way things should be done.

[jackarmy]

wow, just wow.
oops, wow actually intended for op

[Jay-ell]

Oh yes, and about 20% of the plot isn't cultivated yet.

[Scarlet]

OMG! Jay-ell, that all sounds amazing!

[Thelma Sanders]

Not my idea of a typical allotment, Jay-ell and dunno what a lot of those look like - but it's all cultivation so no complaints from me, if I was doing the site inspection there

We have a lot of Gurkha family plots here, with unfamiliar veg and herbs being grown, but it all adds to the mix as far as I'm concerned

[Jay-ell]

We have a lot of Gurkha family plots here, with unfamiliar veg and herbs being grown, but it all adds to the mix as far as I'm concerned

Ooh, ooh, ooh - interested, do you have a list