We were able to do a replan after our first full year.  I’d found little things like harvests not happening quite when I’d anticipated, right up to complete rotation changes including the inclusion of a fallow bed.  I’ve also found that our seasonal rotations will have to be phased.  I was mostly expecting that, and see this being the tricky part. It’s not like the beds are going to be ready to rotate at the same time, or even an entire bed being ready to change all at once.  This replan and working it through makes that process a little clearer, and shows that adaptability is going to be the key.

The new plan now is:

THE PATCH PLAN (Year 2)

BED 1

Curcubits – pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, rockmelon

• Pumpkin:
  • Plant Sept – Dec
  • Harvest 15 to 20 weeks
• Cucumber:
  • Plant Sept – Feb
  • Harvest 8 to 10 weeks
  • Can grow in with corn to save space here
• Watermelon:
  • Seed trays in August
  • Plant out Oct – Dec
  • Harvest 9 to 14 weeks
• Rockmelon:
  • Seed trays Sept – Oct
  • Plant out Nov – Dec
  • Harvest 10 to 16 weeks

Summary:

• Bed busy September to April/May
• Can start most plants early in hothouse

Followed by:

• umbrelliferous (carrots) – want first planting around April/May
• allium (onions) – want first planting around April

Soil preparation for rotation:

• Lime soil after harvest
• Need to wait 4 weeks before manuring soil, otherwise lime will lock up the nutrients
• May be able to grow green manure, but only a month or so probably means applying composted manures

BED 2

Solanaceous – tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, chilli

Legumes – peas, broad beans, snow peas

Solanaceous:

• Tomato:
  • Seed trays in Aug – Sept
  • Plant out Oct – Dec
  • Harvest 8 to 17 weeks
• Capsicum:
  • Seed trays in Aug – Sept
  • Plant out Oct – Dec
  • Harvest 10 to 12 weeks
• Eggplant:
  • Seed trays in Aug – Sept
  • Plant out Oct – Jan
  • Harvest 12 to 15 weeks
• Chilli:
  • Seed trays in Aug – Sept
  • Plant out Oct – Dec
  • Harvest 8 to 17 weeks
  • Can grow in permanent beds, but I think I like the idea of keeping them annual

Legumes:

• Peas:
  • Plant April – Sept
  • Harvest 9 to 11 weeks
• Broad Beans:
  • Plant March – June
  • Harvest 12 to 22 weeks
• Snow Peas:
  • Plant April – Sept
  • Harvest 12 to 14 weeks

Summary:

• Solanaceous:
  • Bed busy October to March
  • Planting out October – December
  • Harvest around March
• Legumes:
  • Bed busy March to September

Followed by:

• Curcubits – pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, rockmelon
• Needs to be ready by around September
• Several months of no activity
  • Either green manure, or
  • Legumes

Soil preparation for rotation:

• Superphosphate – directly after legume harvest or green manure

BED 3

Fallow and/or Green Manure

Followed by:

• Solanaceous – tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, chilli

• Needs to be ready by around October

Soil preparation for rotation:

• Composted manure and lots of it

 

BED 4

Corn:

• Plant Sept – March/April
• Harvest 11 to 14 weeks
• Start planting in Sept, have 5 or 6 successive plantings maybe 3 or 4 weeks apart
• Grow cucumber and zucchini between the stalks, and peas around the edges
  • Cucumber:
    • Plant Sept – Feb
    • Harvest 8 to 10 weeks

Followed by:

• Fallow/green manure

 

BED 5

Potatoes:

• Plant Aug – Oct
• Harvest 15 to 20 weeks
• Bed busy from August to March

Crucifers – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, mustards, turnip

Chenopods – silver beet, spinach, beetroot

NOTE: Not growing these things, particularly the crucifers, over the warmer months as they’re prone to bolting. Rather, we’ll grow them in the cooler months, prepare, and freeze them.

Crucifers:

• Brocolli:
  • Seed trays in Feb
  • Plant out March – April
  • Harvest 10 to 16 weeks
• Cauliflower:
  • Seed trays in Feb
  • Plant out April – May
  • Harvest 15 to 22 weeks
• Cabbage:
  • Seed trays in March
  • Plant out April – June
  • Harvest 8 to 15 weeks
• Horseradish: – this clashes with the corn – will have to move
  • Plant Sept – Nov
  • Harvest 16 to 24 weeks
• Mustard Greens:
  • Anytime
• Turnip:
  • Plant Sept – April – early plantings clash with the corn – will have to skip
  • Harvest 6 to 9 weeks
  • Probably squeeze in 3 successive plantings
  • Can grow in bed 6 if necessary – bed 6 is mostly just carrots and so should always have space and it’s a full 3 years from this rotation.

Chenopods

• Beetroot:
  • Plant July – April
  • Harvest 7 to 10 weeks
  • Probably squeeze in 2 or 3 successive plantings
• Silver Beet
  • Plant Sept – May – early plantings clash with the corn – will have to skip
  • Harvest 7 to 12 weeks
  • Probably squeeze in 2 or 3 successive plantings
• Spinach
  • Plant March – May
  • Harvest 5 to 11 weeks
  • Probably not needed if we’re growing silver beet

Summary:

• Potatoes:

• Plant Aug – Oct
• Bed busy from August to March

• Crucifers
  • February – hothouse
  • March/April – plant out
• Chenopods
  • Busy from July to May
  • May have a month or two to green manure

Followed by:

• Corn
  • Needs to be ready by around September
  • This clashes with the last onion planting, garlic, second leeks planting, and spring onions
  • The way around this is to leave  the last onion planting, garlic, and leeks in until the last spud plantings. Plant spud out in free parts, and progressively plant it as the alliums are harvested. This means we’ll have to be careful in what order we plant out the alliums – onion, garlic, and leeks in particular.

Soil preparation for rotation:

• Composted manure and lots of it
• Potash

 

BED 6

Umbelliferous – carrot, parsnip, celery AND lettuce and turnips

Allium – onions, garlic, chives AND Brussels sprouts

Umbelliferous

• Carrot:
  • Plant Sept – May
  • Harvest 12 to 18 weeks
  • Probably squeeze in 3 successive plantings
• Parsnip:
  • Plant Aug – Oct
  • Harvest 17 to 20 weeks
• Celery:
  • Seed trays in Sept – Oct
  • Plant out Nov – Dec
• Turnip:
  • Plant Sept – April
  • Harvest 6 to 9 weeks
  • Probably squeeze in 3 successive plantings
  • Can grow in bed 6 if necessary – bed 6 is mostly just carrots and so should always have space and it’s a full 3 years from this rotation.
• Lettuce
  • Had been left out of rotation
  • There should be room in this bed

Allium

• Onions:
  • Seed trays in Feb
  • Plant out April
  • Direct Sow May – Aug
  • Harvest 25 to 34 weeks

• Planting 1
  • Seed tray, plant out April
  • Harvest around Oct/Nov
• Planting 2
  • Direct sow May
  • Harvest around Nov/Dec
• Planting 3
  • Direct sow Aug
  • Harvest around Feb/March
• Garlic:
  • Plant April – June
  • Harvest 17 to 25 weeks
  • Plant shortest day, harvest longest day
• Spring Onions:
  • Plant Aug – Oct
  • Harvest 8 to 12 weeks
• Leeks:
  • Seed trays in Feb – March
  • Plant out April – May
  • Seed trays in Aug – Sept
  • Plant out Oct – Dec
  • Harvest 15 to 18 weeks
• Chives
  • Grow pretty much whenever and can use to fill in around garlic and leeks
• Brussels Sprouts
  • Seed trays in Feb – March
  • Plant out April – May
  • Not sure where to put them, but they’re good with onions so this bed will probably work

Summary:

• Can keep the bed going the entire year with just carrots and onions

Followed by:

• Potatoes
  • Needs to be ready by around August

Soil preparation for rotation:

• Composted manure and lots of it
• Should have months in which to grow green manure