Increasing the growing list



Isla with a cabbage

For the second year a team of 4 expert growers was appointed to decide what should be grown on each plot and the space allocated to that crop, the quantity of seed that should be purchased and the varieties that should be tried. Expert growers are available for consultation.

Broad beans


Subsequently each of the ten vegetable teams has been given two to four crops to grow in their area and the areas planted with each crop now more closely reflect the demands of all stakeholders than they did in 2010. So, for example, we aim to grow 8000 leeks, which will each stakeholder to buy about 80 leeks. Some who like leeks may buy more, those who come less regularly will have fewer opportunities and so will buy less. It is a skilled judgement call to know how much of each crop to grow and the area to plant and the expert growers are constantly refining the quantities of seed they need to sow, the varieties they sow and the time they sow. Typically in a year we will now grow around 30 different vegetables and sometimes several different varieties. For example, with potatoes a number of different varieties (some of them quite new) have been trialled. One year we experienced very damp growing conditions and blight destroyed much of the crop. This has pushed us towards growing some of the newer blight resistant varieties.

Lettuces grown in small tunnels
to prevent birds from eating

As well as the development of planting more crops for the winter period, there has been a push to better use the land. As I write in early July the last of the first earlies potatoes have just come out and the team is ready to plant their leek seedlings which should be ready for harvesting in the hungry months of February, March and April.

Pests and Diseases can devastate crops. When possible grow resistant varieties, but this is not always possible or desirable, as resistant varieties are often new and so often more expensive than traditional varieties. We generally steer away from hybrid seeds because of the cost and because you cannot keep seed from plants which have been grown for the following year as the seed will not breed true.

Fennel

Most allotment growers use a 3 year rotation of Legumes, Brassicas and Rootcrops or a 4 year rotation sequence of Brassicas, Others, Roots, Potatoes. However the "others" category at the farm was much larger than the other three categories, so it was further subdivided into 3; legumes, alliums, salads and others. This gives a potential six year rotation. However the placing of the three sub groups "others" in the rotation is not firmly fixed because we are also trying to grow a second crop in a year on some plots -generally overwinter - and so crops have to be fitted in to be planted after others have been harvested. Nonetheless, every effort has been made to ring the changes on each plot as much as possible, consistent with other constraints such as crop timing. It’s not really necessary to adhere to a strict plan as long as there is variety on each plot over time. Attention is also given to the type and quantity of manure, fertiliser or progrow which is being applied to an individual area. 



Sweetcorn being harvested



Courgette varierties





Part of the pumpkin harvest





Onions being dried

Pests and Diseases can devastate crops. When possible grow resistant varieties, but this is not always possible or desirable, as resistant varieties are often new and so often more expensive than traditional varieties. We generally steer away from hybrid seeds because of the cost and because you cannot keep seed from plants which have been grown for the following year as the seed will not breed true. With over 30 species of crop grown and often several varieties of the same species there are inevitably some risks taken and some significant losses. More about successful varieties later. 

Most allotment growers use a 3 year rotation of Legumes, Brassicas and Rootcrops [i] or a 4 year rotation sequence of Brassicas, Others, Roots, Potatoes. However the "others" category at the farm was much larger than the other three categories, so it was further subdivided into 3; legumes, alliums, salads and others. This gives a potential six year rotation. However the placing of the three sub groups "others" in the rotation is not firmly fixed because we are also trying to grow a second crop in a year on some plots -generally overwinter - and so crops have to be fitted in to be planted after others have been harvested. Nonetheless, every effort has been made to ring the changes on each plot as much as possible, consistent with other constraints such as crop timing. It’s not really necessary to adhere to a strict plan as long as there is variety on each plot over time. Attention is also given to the type and quantity of manure, fertiliser or progrow which is being applied to an individual area.

This is how one team have rotated their crops over the past five years: 

Season and Year	Plot 3	Plot 4
Summer 2010	French beans	Runner beans
Winter 2010-11	Fallow	Fallow
Summer 2011	Squash	Carrots
Winter 2011-12		Italian rye grass (green manure)
Summer 2012	Garlic and Jermor shallots	Potatoes: 2nd early Anya
Winter 2012-13		(Pigs)
Summer 2013	Cauliflower Cabbage Cavilo Nero	Onions
Winter 2013-14	Broadbeans
Summer 2014	Broadbeans	Salads: lettuce, spring onions, radishes, fennel
Winter 2014-15
Summer 2015	Main crop potatoes	Summer cabbages , calabrese, cauliflowers
Winter 2015-16