Transition Forest Fields and Area

Crop Rotation

The principle of crop rotation is to grow specific groups of vegetables on a different piece of land each year. Groups are moved around in sequence, so they don’t return to the same spot for at least three years.

Benefits

Pest and disease control: Soil pests and diseases tend to attack specific plant families, so by rotating crops the pests’ life-cycles are broken and build-up is reduced.

Weed control: Some crops (e.g. potatoes and squashes) can suppress weeds, minimising problems for following crops.

Soil fertility: Different crops have different soil requirements and benefits. Changing crops from year to year minimises deficiencies and allows the soil to replenish.

Soil structure: Alternating between deep-rooted and fibrous-rooted crops improves soil structure.

Brassicas – Bed 4: Broccoli, Kale, Cabbage, Sweedes, Drumhead.

A minimum crop rotation of three years is extremely important for brassicas, as they are very susceptible to the persistent soil-borne disease clubroot. Serious pests such as cabbage root fly and caterpillars must also be controlled.

Leafy crops need nitrogen-rich soil; may need liming. Well drained yet moisture retentive and firm soil. Need to get a good roothold, especially those that need to withstand winter. Ensure to incorporate plenty of organic matter.

Partial to sunny site

Staking is necessary for tall-stemmed crop such as sprouting broccoli

Some are direct-sown as don’t transplant well. Some are raised in seedbeds as they need time to form dense heads.

Require adequate watering, mulching helps to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

CABBAGE Pixie: Can grow throughout the year. Rich in beta-carotene and vitamin c, especially outer leaves.

Said to stimulate the immune system. Best eaten raw for nutrition.

KALE Westland Winter : Good source of calcium, iron, beta carotene, vits E and C. Cook leaves as a green. Harvest oct – march. Resistant to brassica problems such as cabbage root fly and club root.

CABBAGE Christmas Drumhead: Quick growing. Harvest oct – dec. Rich in beta-carotene and vit c especially outer leaves. Said to stimulate immune system. Best eaten raw for nutrition.

Legumes and Onions family– Bed 3: Climbing beans, Sweet Peas, Runner beans, Leeks, Onions

LEGUME FAMILY

All legumes are grown as annual crops

All the legume family have nitrogen-fixing root nodules, they need much less nitrogenous fertilizer than any other crop. They absorb nitrogen from the air. Their foliage makes a valuable addition to a compost heap. Also beneficial for Brassicas in a crop rotation as they need the nitrogen the legumes leave in the soil.

Grow best in full sun, less hardy types demand a warm and sheltered position.



Favour clay soil, neutral to mildly alkaline. Hungry plants demand rich soil. For best results, ocompost should be incorporated. Incorporation plenty of compost will improve drainage and soil structure and help retain soil moisture, which is very important in flowering time.

Need support to grow

Mulching as vulnerable to weeds

CLIMBING BEAN Barlotta Lingua di Fuoco: Moderate pottasium, folic acid, beta carotene, v rich in protein .Red coloured pods, good for drying beans.

BROAD BEAN Super Aquadulce SMALL: Good source of potassium, vit e and c. Autumn or winter sowing. Pick when beans begin to show. Flowers attract bees

CLIMBING FRENCH BEAN Eva: Legume. Early maturing. Moderate pottasium, folic acid, beta carotene, v rich in protein. Also known as kidney bean. Sow successionally. Said to lower cholesterol.

RUNNER BEAN Hestia (Dwarf): Legume. Dwarf variety, slim stringless pods. Moderate levels of iron vit c and beta carotene. Deep fertile & moisture rententive soil. Mulch good. Harvest regularly.

PEA Cavalier: Legume: Maincrop with good resistance to mildew. Good source of protein, iron and vit c. Pick regularly.

PEA Rondo £1.79 Maincrop: Good source of protein, iron and vit c. Pick regularly.

PEA Sugar Pea Norli: Mangetout type. Good source of protein, iron and vit c. Pick when 5 cm long. Pick regularly.

Christina to talk about

ONION FAMILY

The onion family includes all edible crops within the genus Allium – ranging from bulb onions through garlic and shallots to leeks.

Most onions have similar cultivation requirements, with careful choice of cultivars and sowing times you can harvest them almost all year around.

Need open site to avoid high humidity that can encourage diseases.

Soil fertile and well drained.

Won’t tolerate acidity and lime dressing should be done where PH level is below 6.5.

Prepare soil by incorporating plenty of compost.

LEEK Pandora: Hardy and easily Grown. Harvest september to January. Discourages onion fly.

LEEK Bandit: late winter variety – harvest december to April. Does well in bad weather. Discourages onion fly. Good source of potassium and iron.

ONION SETS Jet Set: Planted from sets (small onions). Contains small amounts of most vitamins and minerals. Parsley sown to keep onion fly away. Juice is good for colds.

ONION SETS Autumn Planting Radar October 2009: Planted from sets (small onions). Contains small amounts of most vitamins and minerals. Parsley sown to keep onion fly away. Juice is good for colds.

RAMROD

Mild spring onion. Can be grown throughout the year. Winter hardy.

BIG FEEDERS – Bed 2: Cucumber, Courgette, Squash, Pumpkin.

Courgettes, marrows, squashes and pumpkins – collectively known as the Cucurbitaceae family – are great for experimental novices. In the right conditions, these prolific plants will continue to produce sweet, swollen fruits even when your back’s turned.

Likes Heat: plant your cucurbits in the sun and they’ll return the favour by producing ripe veggies all summer long. Rich soil: add compost to improve your plot and higher yields will surely follow.

Attention: size isn’t everything. Pick your veg little and often before the sugars break down and you’re left with kilograms of bland, watery flesh.

Dislikes Overcrowding: these plants are so easy-going; all they ask for is some space to stretch their stems.

Watch out for … Slugs and aphids might make a nuisance of themselves, but you really should watch out for a fungal infection that will cause a powdery mildew.

If white patches develop on your leaves, your plants have fallen prey to this. Prune out infected areas, collect and burn.

Half – hardy annual plants

The fruits are either eaten raw or cooked, or used in preserves.

The young leaves and shoots are sometimes consumed as greens and the seeds as snacks.

CUCUMBER Long Maraicher: Moderate potassium levels. Harvest regularly late summer – autumn. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushy growth. Ok in shade.

COURGETTE All Green Bush – High in beta carotene, moderate amounts of vit c and folic acid. Like mulch to preserve water and suppress weed. Hand pollination is recommended. Like shade.

SQUASH Sprinter – High in beta carotene, moderate amounts of vit c and folic acid. Like mulch to preserve water and suppress weed. Hand pollination is recommended. Butternut variety.

PUMPKIN Small Sugar – High in beta carotene, moderate amounts of vit c and folic acid. Like mulch to preserve water and suppress weed. Hand pollination is recommended. Good for pies.

ROOTS – Bed 1: Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot (Also in bed 1 Spinach and Chard )

Growing Requirements – Root vegetables are cool-weather crops and should be grown to mature in the spring or fall. They should be direct seeded as they do not transplant well, with the exception of beetroot. Root crops need well-drained, loose soil for good root development.

Root vegetables enjoy a moist, well-cultivated soil, packed with plenty of rich organic matter, such as homemade compost or well-rotted manure. The exception to this rule is carrots and parsnips. Carrots and parsnips prefer a light, sandy soil. If grown in a soil that is rich with manure or compost, they can fork and grow into strange shapes.

CARROT Chantenay – Early main crop. Keeps well over winter. Extrememly rich in beta carotene and small amounts of vit E. Like sandy soils. Keep soil moist. Intercropping with onions / annual flowers reduces carrot root fly. Flowers attract beneficial insects.

CARROT Yellowstone – Main crop. Yellow carrot! Extrememly rich in beta carotene and small amounts of vit E. Like sandy soils. Keep soil moist. Intercropping with onions / annual flowers reduces carrot root fly. Flowers attract beneficial insects.

BEETROOT Golden Detroit – Good source of folic acid and potassium. Can eat small leaves and root in salad or cooked. Leaves have a high magnesium content so good on compost heap. Good for intercropping, and good catch crops. One glass of raw beetroot juice a day can help cancer.



BEETROOT Red Ace – Good source of folic acid and potassium. Can eat small leaves and root in salad or cooked. Leaves have a high magnesium content so good on compost heap. Good for intercropping, and good catch crops. One glass of raw beetroot juice a day can help cancer.

PARSNIP Tender and True – Moderate vitamin E content. Tolerates light shade. Don’t need much feeding. Like constant water. Slow to germinate so sow rapidly germinating radish and lettuce between them. Regarded as aphrodisiac by romans.

LEAF BEET Rainbow Chard – High in sodium, potassium, iron and an exceptional source of beta carotene (precursor to vitamin A). Use as spinach. Easy to grow.

SPINACH New Zealand – high in iron, beta carotene, folic acid, vit A and C. Needs rich water retentive soil. Salad or cooked. Perenial. Very susceptible to frost. Acts as good ground cover .

SPINACH Matador – Summer leaves. high in iron, beta carotene, folic acid, vit A and C. Needs rich water retentive soil. Salad or cooked.

Small Beds –Salads

For continuous production of salad plants you should sow seeds on a fortnightly basis throughout the spring and summer. Choosing several cultivars with different maturing times will also help to keep the salad garden productive. Many salad leaves can be sown in wide drills and the leaves snipped as needed or thinning used, leaving plants to grow on at final spacing. Cut and come again salads can take some time to resprout, so sow a succession of rows or several containers.

Start early in the spring by sowing salad plants under cloches and frames. If you have a greenhouse, conservatory or sunny windowsill sow indoors and grow plants on ready for planting out when the soil warms up.

Small spaces can profit from the use of large containers, which may even be quite shallow for salad, as long as they are well watered in dry weather. The small volumes of such containers compared with gardens and raised beds, means that good quality compost must be used, both to retain as much as moisture as possible, and to provide enough nutrients for steady and significant growth.

• Choose a sunny or partly shaded spot, and prepare the soil by digging over, removing stones and then mixing in compost. This will add nutrients and help the soil retain moisture. Rake to leave a fine finish.

• Seeds often come in ready-mixed packets, so you can recreate your favourite supermarket salad mix.

• Sow seeds in short rows about 30cm (12in) apart. To do this, make a shallow trench with a cane about 1.5cm (1/2in) deep. Tip a small amount of seed into your hand, take a pinch and spread thinly along the trench. Cover with soil, label and water. If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed.

• When the seedlings are about 2cm (1in) tall, thin them out to give them space to grow. The distance will depend on variety, but is usually between 15cm (6in) and 30cm (12in).

• Lettuces are perfect ‘fillers’. You can fit a row in between other crops, such as tomatoes, as long as they have enough light.

• Tip: lettuces are easy to grow in containers and window boxes. Simply fill it with a mix of potting compost and John Innes and sow seeds as above.

Aftercare

• Keep soil just moist. This is particularly important when the lettuces are one or two weeks away from harvesting, as dry soil now will cause the plants to put their energy into producing flowers.



When to harvest

• Harvest leaves from cut-and-come again lettuces when plants are about 5cm (2in) high, or allow the plants to grow to about 15cm and cut the whole head off leaving a 3cm (1in) stump – a new plant should soon re-sprout.

• Loose-leaf lettuces need to have leaves harvested regularly to remain productive, while traditional lettuces are harvested by severing at the base or by pulling the whole plant up from the ground.

LETTUCE Catalogna -Rich in beta carotene. Cut and come again sow spring to autumn.

LETTUCE Belize – Bright green oakleaf type. Good resistance to greenfly, mildew, and tipburn. Use single leaves or cut to resprout. Rich in beta carotene.

BUGHATTI -Loose leaf deep red oak leaf spring – autumn lettuce. High in vit a and c. Use single leaves or cut to resprout. Rich in beta carotene.

SALAD BOWL -Loose curly green lettuce. Use single leaves or cut to resprout. Rich in beta carotene.

BLOND FULL HEART ENDIVE – Rich in iron, potassium, beta carotene. Scarole type – upright plant. Blanch by covering for a few days to reduce bitterness. Good for intercropping.

CRESS - Can be grown several times in the growing season

RUCOLA - Rocket. Brassica. Spicy leaves used in salads. High in potassium and vit c. Sow in succession. Likes partial shade. Used in cough medicine.

MIZUNA – Brassica. Mustard flavour, salad or as spinach. Can over winter undercover.

MUSTARD GREENS Giant Red – Deep purple red leaves. Brassica. Use as spinach, Mustardy flavour. Can over winter.

Put anywhere:

• SWEETCORN Golden Bantam: May – october

• CHICORY Grumolo Verde: June – october –

• LETTUCE Catalogna £1.

• LETTUCE Belize:may – october

• salad bowl lettuce: march – october

• lettuce bughatti: march – october

• ˜Bionda Foglia lettuce: May – sept

• ˜Blond Full Heart endive: Aril – october

• Lambs lettuce – all year around

• Cress,

Put anywhere but rotate:

• SPINACH New Zealand: march – september

Others:

• HOT PEPPER Early Jalapeno – in containers / indoors

• BASIL Sweet Genovese 40 cm

Perenials:

• SORREL Buckler leaved – 20 cm

• RHUBARB CROWNS (3) Victoria

• ARTICHOKE Green Globe

• COMFREY PLANTS Bocking



Herbs:

• CHAMOMILE Matricaria – 60 cm

• LAVENDER Vera – 90 cm

• FENNEL Bronze: 180 cm

• Evening Primrose 180 cm

• DANDELION: 20 cm

• CUMIN: 15cm

• BORAGE

• BALM Lemon - 75 cm

• ANISE

• CLARY sage: 60cm

• chives 30 cm

CHIVES – Hardy perenial. Propogate by splitting bulbs. Remove flower to increase leaf production. Cut to 1 inch from ground. Can eat flowers. Use in salads.

HORSE RADISH – propogate from roots. Very invasive so grow in pots. Eat leavesor grate root. Help potatoe disease resistance. Antimicrobial. High calcium, sodium, magnesium and vit c. Powerful circulatory stimulant. Diuretic.

COTTON LAVENDER – Daisy family. Hardy evergreen perennial. Soft stem cuttings in spring before flowering. Cut straggly old plants back hard in spring. Cut back again after flowering. Aromatic plant. Encourages healing in wounds.

BORAGE – Hardy annual. Flowers edible. Flowers attract bees and blackfly to itself. Not for containers. Young leaves in salads. Older leaves as spinach. Borage tea good for reducing temperatures Leaves and flowers rich in potassium and calcium.

BALM Lemon – Hardy Perenial. Soft wood cuttings can be taken in late spring. Devide roots in autumn. Can be used as tea to relieve head aches and restore memory. Oil to relive insomnia. Bees love it.

BASIL Sweet Genovese – Annual. Use as herb and in salads. Do not let flower. Water well. Repels flying insects. Good with tomatoes. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushy growth. Pick young leaves from top.

SAGE – hardy biennial. Take cuttings in early summer. Trim back after flowering. Prune in spring to encourage new growth. Repels cabbage white fly. Sage tea excellent for sore throats, and mouth ulcers. Culinary herb.

PARSLEY Italian Giant – Rich source of vitamins. High in iron. Slugs love young plants. Sow in situ. Can over winter. Hungry plant – likes good deep soil. Culinary herb. Diuretic and breath freshener. Seed tea can be used as insecticide.

CORIANDER – Cut seed heads in autumn. Seeds and leaves used as spice. Pick young leaves at any time. Good for digestive system.

SORREL Buckler leaved – Hardy perenial. Can root devide. Cut off flowers to maintain leaf production. Can take partial shade. Pick young leaves. Excellent culinary herb and in salads. Makes green/yellow dye. Contains vitamin c, blood improving qualities Do not eat too much of it!



FENNEL Bronze – Grow as annual for pungent swollen leave bases, leaves and seeds. Like constant water supply. Allow a few plants to flower as very attractive to beneficial insects. Good source of potassium. Strong aniseed flavour. Appetite suppressant. Don’t grow with beans or tomatoes. Eases digestion.

EVENING PRIMROSE – Hardy biennial. Large evening scented flowers. Prolific self seeder. Dead head plants to reduce self seeding. Roots, stems and flower buds can be eaten. Great for PMT, hangover prevention.

OREGANO – Propogated by soft wood cuttings and root devision. Antiseptic. Tea for colds, chew leaf for tooth ache. Herb for cooking.

DANDELION – Grow as annual to prevent bitterness. Can grow from root cuttings. Cut flowers before go to seed. Pick fresh young leaves and root as nutritious salad. Leaves very high in vit a b c d potassium. Good for liver and kidney fundtion. Leaves powerful diuretic. Flowers make excellent country wine. Root is

CUMIN – Seeds used as spice.

CHAMOMILE Matricaria – hardy perennial evergreen. Can be devided. Flowers used for relaxant tea or eye wash. Helps to revive ailing plants when planted near. Good next to onions. Flowers for natural dye.

LAVENDER Vera – Old english lavender. Hardy evergreen perennial. Ht and spread 60cm. Sow in autumn. Can take soft wood cuttings in late summer. Cut back in spring. Trim after flowering. Do not cut into old wood as will not reshoot. Lavender flowers under pillow to help sleep. Oil good for burns, stings and cuts.

COMFREY PLANTS – Hardy perennial. High potassium content. Cut leave and cover in water to make excellent liquid plant feed. Grow from 2cm sections of root. Cut leaves at end of summer for composting / making comfrey tea. Source of vitamin B12, poultice. Boil fresh leaves to make a yellow dye.

Flowers:

• Calendula: hardy annual 40cm

• phacelia: hardy annual 15cm

• nemesia: half hardy annual 22cm

• nigella: hardy annual 45cm

• nasturtium: hardy annual 30 cm

• cornflower: hardy annual 75cm

• Honesty: biennial 75cm

• monarda didyma: perenial 60cm

• solidago: perenial 90cm

• sweet rocket: perenial 60 cm

• ecinops: perenial glob thistle 120cm

• ecinacea: perennial 100cm

CALENDULA: (marigold) culinary: hardy anualnflower petals good culinary yellow dye and for salads and petals for tea, medicinal: flowers good for burns, scalds and stings. Rub into bee stings. Companion planting: Calendula makes a good companion to herb and vegetable gardens because it repels tomato hornwoms and asparagus beetles. It also attracts caterpillars, leafhoppers, aphids, and whiteflies, so you can plant it away from your main garden to trap these pests. The flowers also attract beneficial insects like bees. Slugs love them.

ECHINOPS: (globe thistle) roots are antihelminthic, can cook younger leaves, attract a wide variety of beneficial insects, from wild bees to butterflies, can devide roots in autumn. Hardy perenial



ECHNINACEA: stimulate immune system. Deadhead to prolong flowering. Perenial

HONESTY: Excellent plant for bees and butterflies, hardy biennial. Can devide in autumn.

MONARDA DIDYMA: hardy perenial, attractive to bees, edible flowers and leaves. Perenial. Can devide roots in autumn.

SOLIDAGO: Solidago has been shown to have important anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antiseptic action, Hardy perenial – can devide in autumn. The plant attracts various beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings, bees and hoverflies to the garden. Use as dye.

SWEET ROCKET: leaves and flowers use in salads. The fragrant flowers, attractive to bees and other beneficial insects, perfume the air in late spring and early summer evenings. Hardy perenial.

NASTURTIUM Whirlybird Mixed: Attract aphids and black fly away from vegetables high vit and iron…. Edible leaves and flowers. Hardy self seeding annual.

CORNFLOWER Polka dot: bees, hoverflies, hardy annual.

ALFALFA: leguminous. accumulates phos, pot, iron & magnesium, pretty flowers, nfix legume, avoid acid soil. Fast growing green manure, but can over winter and grow for long periods. Flowers rich source of nectar. Easy to grow.

CLOVER Red: Leguminous. v good Nfix, recovers from cutting well, can grow under veg. Likes good soils.

PHACELIA TANACETIFOLIA – Green manure & good source of nectar for bees, olerates all soils, flowers good for hoverflies, easy to grow. Will over winter. Fits anywhere in crop rotation.

Recommended in Containers:

Chicory French bean

Globe beetroots Radish

Chard Potatoes

Onions not good Spinach + new zwealand spinach

Okra Broad Bean

Cucumber Chamomile

Pumpkin Calendula

Squash Chives

Courgette Coriander

Rocket Sweet Rocket

Carrot – chantenay Lavender

Fennel Lemon Balm

Lettuces Basil

Endives Clary Sage

Tomato red alert Bucklar Leaved Sorrel

Runner bean, Hestia Parsley