After the final harvest from Bed #4, I took some soil samples. It’s been three years, I think, since the soil was professionally tested. In the spring this particular bed was planted with broccoli, and in the summer it was planted with corn and butternut squash. All heavy feeders. I’m expecting the soil to be completely depleted.
Ten days after mailing I got the test results from Rutger’s and, SURPRISE! The results weren’t what I expected at all. Take a look…
Soil Test Results, Fall 2021, Bed #4
The nutrient profile was surprisingly good. I wish I could say that regular compost applications alone had accomplished this, but I cannot. I did use some commercial organic fertilizer this year, at the beginning and midpoint of the season. So some of this might be due to that. Considering how high the numbers are, though, I probably didn’t need it. Compost alone might have been enough. Only one way to find out. I’m going to garden without the expensive store bought stuff next year.
With one exception. The pH is a little low, so I will follow the recommendations and add some lime.
Apparently they both feed heavily on the same nutrients and would stunt each other’s growth if interplanted.
I wasn’t planning on planting them together. I was planning on planting one after the other (cabbage and kohlrabi in the spring and tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in the summer), but the first wasn’t finished when it was time to plant the second. So I researched the advisability of planting the second amongst the first. The answer was a resounding no.
But waiting would put me weeks behind schedule, so I did it anyway.
After harvesting two cabbages that were (almost!) ready, there was room on the end of the bed for two tomato plants. The eggplants went in where the kohlrabi came out. Then I just tucked the peppers in wherever there was a break in cabbage leaf-cover. That left me with 3 tomato plants and a pepper or two. The peppers I tossed (in the compost pile). The tomatoes I planted in grow bags.
I know I have to amend the soil in Bed #1 pretty heavily. If I encircle the root ball of each individual plant with compost (like a fertility forcefield) maybe all the dire predictions on the internet won’t come true.
So in order to reach my goal of producing 375 pounds of vegetables from my little garden patch, I have to make the most of every inch for every minute of the gardening season. That means planting and replanting as the seasons change. But what if the old plants aren’t harvest-ready when it’s time to replant with the new?
Case in point: Bed #1. According to my plan, the spring planting of Quickstar kohlrabi should be ready to harvest by May 1, and the spring planting of Ferry’s Round Dutch cabbage should be ready by May 21. That leaves the bed open for the tomatoes and eggplant which will occupy it through the fall.
It’s May 9. The kohlrabi can be picked anytime now. The cabbage, however, is nowhere near ready, and will probably need another month. The tomatoes can’t wait that long.
The kohlrabi is almost ready…
The cabbage is not.
The tomatoes need transplanting now!
If I harvest the kohlrabi and weed real well, I’ll be able to see how much space I have to work with. If there was room, I could plant the tomatoes amongst the cabbage. It would only be for a month.
Apparently that’s a no-no. Most gardening sites agree on the inadvisability of planting nightshades and brassicas together.
Bed #3 is another problem. The sugar snap peas, carrots and beets are nowhere near ready and the sweet potato slips are here and need to be planted. Now, if I remember correctly, it took the sweet potatoes a while to get going last year. However, the carrots, peas and beets probably need another 4 weeks. The sweet potatoes could be enormous by then! I’m afraid they’re going to completely overwhelm the spring stuff. I’ll keep an eye on the vines and cut them back if I have to. I’m also going to plant some in Bed #3 and some in Bed #5 so nothing’s too crowded.
I don’t know why this is happening, I mean, I can add, after all. Which is all that’s required. Days to germination plus days to maturity equals days to harvest. I should have added in a few days (weeks?) to account for the unexpected. Like a very (very!) cold, wet spring, and covid-corrupted shipping schedules. Not complaining though! I’m happy and healthy and planting sweet potatoes! Life is good.
Every year I draw up a plan for the garden. This is this year’s.
2021 Garden Plan
It’s not a terribly sophisticated rendering, and I’m sure the scale and orientation are more than a little off, but it keeps me organized. It lets me easily see if everything I want to plant is accounted for and if I have any sun-blocking issues caused by taller plants. I can also compare it with last year’s diagram to make sure I’m rotating properly.
The growing areas are outlined in blue and the fence is in black. Natural obstacles like stumps and trees are outlined in red. I have left some things out though: there’s another fence and a line of trees behind Bed #6 (they belong to the neighbor).
Each bed is 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. The planting areas for the cucumbers and zucchini are each about 2 square feet. The containers for the potatoes and peppers are actually grow bags that are about 21 inches in diameter. That gives me about 192 + 4 + 9.6 = 205.6 square feet of growing area.
Last year’s yield was 250 pounds. This year’s goal is 50% more, or 375 pounds. Can we do it? Gosh I hope so.
