Topic: Soil in greenhouses / cold frames

[Beer_Belly]

regarding the whole crop rotation thing (which still puzzles me - see my earlier post) What happens with greenhouses etc - do you need to remove the soil and swap it with some from somewhere else ?

[tim]

It shouldn't puzzle you - read a good book. But greenhouse soil - good question - one that is seldom asked.

1. Grow different plants each year.

2. Grow plants with a built-in disease resistance.

3. Do what you do and wait for trouble to strike before changing things. A LOT of effort.

4. Sterilise the soil each year.

5. Use gro-bags or ring culture? - Tim

[Beer_Belly]

Thanks for thoses tips - how do you go about sterilising the soil ?  Chemically ? remember I'm trying to be organic :-)

[tim]

Jeyes Fluid, or Armillatox - now available again under a new name. I'm  not the authority, but I regard them as 'organic'.

Everything of ours is sterilised annually with the latter. I have plenty here if you're passing!!  - Tim

[tim]

just to add to that - I note that HDRA make no mention of sterilising the soil - merely that there should be a 4 year rotation (and toms, aubs and peppers all count as one family) - or one can 'cover the soil with black plastic and grow in pots or bags for a year'.  Tim