fallow bed?

[queen of the cobs]

Is it worth leaving one of the beds fallow each year? I have 6 beds, each about 20 feet by 3 feet, and I tend to use Blood, bone and meal whenever I plant anythihg out, but am I exhausting the soil?

I've put some rotted manure on one of my beds this year.

I'd appreciate any advice.

[PAULW]

QOTC
Do you not make your own compost or have you access to manure/straw/leaves, you might not exhaust the ground but IMO you only get out what you put in, how about putting it down to a green manure.

[queen of the cobs]

I have got 3 composters, but with varying results:
1. One of those green plastic dalek thingies, and it just always seems to be very dry.
2. A wonderful big iron u-shape, which is making good compost, but not sure if it's quite ready yet.
3. A wooden pallet home-made jobby which seemed to be doing well, but has had rats for months now who keep twitching off the carpet covering it and making tunnels which has meant that the temp has dropped and it's stopped working.

Last year the big iron u-shape was full of compost which had been left there for a couple of years, and I sieved it onto all of my beds which seemed to do the trick. I certainly got great harvests.

Maybe I'll combine the wooden and iron one and make the wooden one into a leaf mulch bin. It never really seemed to get hot enough, or maybe I am impatient and want my compost too quickly. ;o)

[Two_Sheds]

You could leave one covered with a green manure. i'm liking Poached Egg plant at the moment. Or grow beans, and leave the roots in the bed afterwards to enrich it with nitrogen.

[Nicos]

I've never left a bed fallow, but do manure well at the right parts of the 3 yr rotation.
I also tend to overcrowd on purpose, and still get healthy crops.

I'd not bother with a fallow year.

[Snadger]

One of my pet hates is bare, unplanted soil! All you are doing is allowing the winter rains to wash out any nutrients that are there and wasting good growing space.
None of the crop rotations I've seen recommend including a fallow year or season. Soil doesn't 'rest' because it's had a hard year. My soils in bed all year round.............. so why does it need a rest!
As has been mentioned, a worst case scenario is sticking a green manure on it, but even then I'd much rather have my plot with an edible crop on it 52 weeks of the year!
Sometimes I believe allotment committee's are to blame for this 'bare soil syndrome' as they think 'good' gardeners leave there plot as newly turned over soil all winter as it looks tidier! Poppycock!!! As far as I am concerned, the vegetable gardeners I respect are the ones that look after there soil by regular mucking and always have a crop in the soil whatever the season.

[Norm]

I'm with Snadger on this one. A plot needs something planted in it and DeFRA don't give money for set-aside on allotments

[queen of the cobs]

so glad you all have given me the advice I want!