Allotments 4 All

Hi to all,

I'm new to this site but find it very interesting. Can anyone offer any advice as what best to follow onions with in the same ground - harvested mine this weekend and want to make the most of the season. Same also goes for potatoes.

Regards,

Bruno

Hi Bruno
Welcome aboard - I am far from experienced so good advice will be along soon, however I am going to sow carrots, You never know the onion smell in the ground may help ward off the carrot fly.   I have given the bed a feed with BF&B and am off to sow the carrots today, Autumn King and I am also going to try the Chantelle type carrot the short stubby one that will mature a little quicker, keep your fingers crossed & good look

hiya, bruno, welcome to the site  ;D
we planted leeks in the early potato bed, and we're putting late brassicas in the pea and bean beds as they become vacant  ;D
our onion bed we have just planted a wek ago with peas, beans, beetroot, turnips, swede and mouli radish.. it will be a squash bed next year so rotation is not a problem  :)

Susie raises a point that I have meant to ask for some time - should you dry fertilise before sowing??

Seed composts are low in feed.

I don't fertilise if i'm sowing in trays etc but I do if I'm sowing direct, given that the previous crop will have used up some essential nutrients.

I follow potatoes with leeks, maybe some more spring onions such as overwintering White Lisbon, then ultimately garlic and autumn onions. I grow my onions with the legumes so they'll be followed by winter tares. If you grow them with the roots then, like Susie, I'd follow on with more roots such as carrot, beetroot,fennel or parsley.

You could also Rainbow Chard or a variety of winter lettuce or turnip. Strictly speaking it's a brassica, but not that long in the soil so probably OK.

I always rake in blood fish and bone on the soil prior to sewing . I even sprinkle some on commercial compost in my seed tray and mix it in prior to sowing my seeds.   May seem a bit wasteful but it works well for me .I see it as belt and braces ...  

Interesting - much against all teaching?

just pulled my winter onions and garlic then weeded, sprinkled over some seaweed and raked it in then immediately planted calabrese and some cabbages, watered in, netted and felt pleased to get them in as I'm a bit late with the calabrese

I would always feed with something after you've pulled a crop as the nutrients will be depleted somewhat

Quote from: tim on July 14, 2008, 11:19:13
Interesting - much against all teaching?

I will agree with you there Tim, i would tend to rest my soil rather than go out of rotation.

Quote from: calendula on July 14, 2008, 12:41:49
I would always feed with something after you've pulled a crop as the nutrients will be depleted somewhat

But seeds  & seedlings don't really want any Nitrates, Nitrites or Ammonia, and by the time the plants do want it, most of it will have dispersed (compounds containing Nitrogen don't remain in the soil for long). So logic would suggest that it's much better to feed after the plants have been up for a while... I suspect that the seeds & seedlings are growing in spite of the feed, not because of it!

I'm going to plant next years Broad Beans in my onion bed in October, in the meantime I'm going to plant spinach and salad crops....would like to put in spring onions as well but not sure that's a good move after the other onions and garlic maybe someone can advise on that?

Quote from: OllieC on July 14, 2008, 14:18:18

Quote from: calendula on July 14, 2008, 12:41:49
I would always feed with something after you've pulled a crop as the nutrients will be depleted somewhat

But seeds  & seedlings don't really want any Nitrates, Nitrites or Ammonia, and by the time the plants do want it, most of it will have dispersed (compounds containing Nitrogen don't remain in the soil for long). So logic would suggest that it's much better to feed after the plants have been up for a while... I suspect that the seeds & seedlings are growing in spite of the feed, not because of it!

that's why I use seaweed = slow release - and I am talking about transplanting plants not sowing in situ but even then it would be fine

Aha, well I'm in complete agreement with you on transplanting & seaweed is pretty low in Nitrates etc too, so very sensible...

Welcome to the site Bruno... don't mind them going off into a little huddle!!  :-X

Aha!

Yes, welcome Bruno!

Quote from: saddad on July 14, 2008, 18:48:33
Welcome to the site Bruno... don't mind them going off into a little huddle!!  :-X

no huddle, just answering the question asked  ;)

Thankyou all for the advice and a warm welcome to A4A

Regards,

Bruno

Been thinking about this one and was wondering if I coud  plant 2nd  cropping potates where I have just removed others ?

Sounds like I am wasting pennies using BF&B in between sowings, however this is only my second year and the soil inherited sorely neglected, the previous plotholder grew marble sized potatoes last year he had it, so perhaps I am going for belt & braces in the short term but I shall certainly think twice next year, keep the pennies for more goodies (seeds,seeds & more seeds)