2nd succession of veg form the same bed in a season.....

[finglas]

Hello everyone,

just looking for some advice on getting two crops of veg from the same space within a growing season.

I am just outside Glasgow, so not all that far north but certainly quite far north relative to southern parts of England I suppose. I have been growing veg for a few years now and on the veg beds I lay the composted manure on top following the no dig ideas.

In 2018 I managed to get a two good crops. One that grew from April to early July and another that grew July to October and on into the winter. In 2019 I endevaroued to achieve the same but the first crop seemed to take longer to grow and the second crop went in too late and didn't grow very well at all.

So I am left wondering, how much of my success was down to my own timing and getting things right and how much was down to it simply being a great summer and therefore an excellent growing season?

I don;'t have a huge amount of space so I would like to crop it twice in a season just to maximise the amount of veg I'm getting but I'm not sure how realistic I am being. Charles Dowding of the no-dig method seems very successful with two crops and of course he's significantly more experienced than I but I am wondering if his success is also because of where he is in the country (i.e Somerset).

So, who out there managed two crops in their growing season and who manages it in less favourable climates and areas of the UK which are more northerly?

best wishes and stay safe all,

Jamie

[ameno]

I do it quite a bit, but admittedly I live in the South.
Early potatoes can be followed with all sorts (carrots, beetroot, pot-raised winter brassicas, early pea varieties), and last year I followed my onions with purple sprouting broccoli, which did reasonably well.

I have an old copy of Gardening Which which has a feature on how late you can sow certain crops and still expect a harvest, and the results are split north and south. I'll see if I can dig it out.

[robbra]

I'm right down south and last year was very bad for me, May and June were cold and wet and it wasn't 'till
the first of July it improved, just too late. Maybe yours was the same.
Rob

[burnie]

As long as you practice crop rotation and add some fertiliser I can't see why not, never tried it. I tend to sow long term crops and under sow with quick maturing stuff like salads.

[Penellype]

It depends which crops you want to grow, and what you mean by a year. It can also depend on the weather as a cold spring will slow things down quite a lot. Some crops such as lettuce, spinach, radish, turnips and baby beetroot can be grown very quickly and if started early (preferably with some protection) will be finished in time to plant courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers etc.

Slightly later finishing crops like early potatoes and early peas can be followed by brassicas such as broccoli or spring cabbage, but you would usually expect to eat these the following spring. They can then be followed with another crop such as peas or beans, giving you 3 crops in 2 years.

You will be greatly helped with this if you start some of your plants off in pots or modules as they can then wait until there is space to plant them. I go one step further with this and plant my brassicas in 30 litre buckets which are big enough to hold one plant such as a calabrese or cauliflower. I can then either stand the bucket on the soil or move it temporarily onto a path or patio where it might be in the way for a couple of weeks until there is somewhere better to put it.

I should add that if you are going to make your soil work this hard you will need to feed it either by adding plenty of compost or some sort of feed (I use bfb).

[finglas]

Ameno, thank you that gardening which article sounds like it would be very useful.

Penellype, thanks for taking the time to right such a detailed response.

I tend to think of the growing season as March to around October and then I would let certain plants stand in the ground over the winter like Brussels, kale, leeks etc.

The crops I tend to grow are onions, beets, carrots, early cabbages, and early potatoes then I try to follow them with kale, Brussels, leeks, more beets and more carrots.
This year I have planted onions, early potatoes, beets, greyhound cables and early Nantes 2 carrots. I am hoping I can get a second crop after most of them. The onions though don't tend to fall over themselves until around August which is too late for a second crop really.

I do use modules and I do fleece the beds. I sowed onions very early February and brought them on in modules in the greenhouse, planted them out early April and fleeced them over. In fact come to think of it I put all the plants out early this month. I fleeced all of them over and I had the carrot bed fleeced for 2 weeks before I sowed just to try and heat the soil a little. We have been very fortunate with the weather so far, plenty of sunny days.

Anyway I know I am asking a lot of the soil, I do pile the composted manure on every year.

I do like the sound of following plants with cabbages and broccoli that would crop the following spring....as you say 3 crops in 2 years instead of 4. That might be more realistic.

Thanks for talking about this with me, it is great to be able to think about it and discuss it.

Best wishes all,

jamie

[Snadger]

I haven't fully read the thread but would say that I always aim to keep my soil covered with a crop at all times if I can.
I don't plan where stuff is going but try to have seedling veg waiting in the wings to pop in whenever I take a crop out.
My plot can sometimes look a bit of a mish mash as even if I harvest a single brassica I sometimes filll the space with a few leeks or onions or whatever I have. Its handy to have various brassicas ready to bung in as well.
If possible I will not plant like for like but if its all I have available ,so be it.

Very little digging and loads of hoeing and mulching with cardboard and organic material keeps me busy and the plot productive.

[Chestnut]

I have been experimenting with dual cropping the last couple of years. Some stuff worked, some didn’t.

Currently have broccoli raab, spinach and beetroot in the bed I plan to use for pumpkins later. Will pop spring cabbage and some oriental veg after the spuds later in the year.
I find that it often helps to start stuff off in pots or a seedbed, so that it can get started before it’s final planting space is ready.

Last year’s winter salad were a flop though - I think I sowed them too late . The spinach beet sowed last autumn are still less than an inch high - but I’m not going to give up on them until this year’s spring sowings have overtaken them!

[finglas]

Thanks Chestnut. I try and start stuff off in modules and pots too, and like you my salad crop last year was a flop. good luck with the spinach, I think I sowed that too late too!

Thanks

jamie