I read Sjoerd post on "Preparing The Beds For Next Seasons" and started to wonder whether I should practice resting period for the beds. The climatic zone here is just 2 seasons that is wet and dry season so we can plant all year round. At the moment this is the cycle. Plant veggie A - Harvest - Prep bed of next planting of Veggie B. Normally one cycle is about 60 to 120 days depending on what type of vegetables and how hard working I am I was just thinking should I allow the beds sometime to rest before planting and how long should they rest.
Thanks for the comment Mart. The problem is that due to space constraint the beds are replanted within a week or two after harvesting. Compost is added before the new seedlings go in. I recently had a bad experience with one of the beds, out of 21 seedlings planted 'Asian greens' only 5 survived and growth is stunted. Now I have decided to let it rest for a month or two before I use it again. Hmm … could it be because of the weird weather that I had been experiencing recently... but then again other beds are OK. it's confusing!!!
Soil will not replenish itself ! Take a pot of dirt and sit it on your porch or deck or whatever,, in 10 years you will have the same dirt you started with ! Unless you add to it ,,it doesnt change !!
Yes Mart I understand that. I was just thinking of those things we are not able to add in like good bacteria.
KK, this year I have tried adding mycorrhizae to the planting holes. So far I am having good results. Wish I had done a comparison planting though, just to see if it really is the mycorrhizae.
From the USDA,, Where Are Bacteria? Various species of bacteria thrive on different food sources and in different microenvironments. In general, bacteria are more competitive when labile (easy-to-metabolize) substrates are present. This includes fresh, young plant residue and the compounds found near living roots. Bacteria are especially concentrated in the rhizosphere, the narrow region next to and in the root. There is evidence that plants produce certain types of root exudates to encourage the growth of protective bacteria. Bacteria alter the soil environment to the extent that the soil environment will favor certain plant communities over others. Before plants can become established on fresh sediments, the bacterial community must establish first, starting with photosynthetic bacteria. These fix atmospheric nitrogen and carbon, produce organic matter, and immobilize enough nitrogen and other nutrients to initiate nitrogen cycling processes in the young soil. Then, early successional plant species can grow. As the plant community is established, different types of organic matter enter the soil and change the type of food available to bacteria. In turn, the altered bacterial community changes soil structure and the environment for plants. Some researchers think it may be possible to control the plant species in a place by managing the soil bacteria community. This is what I mean,, if you do nothing to soil but let it rest,,there are few changes and bacteria are very slow to grow. But if you add a plant,, the bacteria multiply rapidly around the roots ! The addition of organic matter or fertilizer also allows them to multiply faster ! So im my opinion,, resting does little to help the soil ! You have to help it ! If you treat your pot of soil like a mini compost bin and add the trimmings from your kitchen/dead leaves ect. they will decompose and help build the soil bacteria.
Thanks Cayuga Morning and I will not use mycorrhizae because it cost an atomic bomb here. Thanks Mart for the very valuable information, now I understand why and also why we need to do rotation. I guess I did not understand the concept of rotation and nutrients. Now I know what to work on, thanks again.
Just feed your soil and it will feed you ! Thanks Cayuga Morning and I will not use mycorrhizae because it cost an atomic bomb here. How did that happen KK ?? And when ??
Sorry to have to have confused you Mart, what I meant it that the mycorrhizae here cost an arm and a leg. No there is no atomic bomb here, when something is expensive here we usually said that 'it cost a bomb' and if it is very expensive then 'it cost an atomic bomb'
Oh !! I have never heard that saying before ! Did not pay close attention to what you wrote either ! I admit I was scratching my head as to how that may have happened ! You will have to pardon this simple minded Texas lady !
Is it advisable to rotate certain crops (like beans) to replenish nitrogen and other elements/minerals in the soil? I know you should still add compost and fertilizer also. What are other beneficial plants to help soil get what it not needs?
Any gardener who has not yet watched this 15 minute video from Dr. Elaine Ingham should learn something by doing so, the best primer on microbiology I've ever seen:
