I lost almost everything to weather this year. I am also getting worse at it every year - getting worse germination rates, slower growing seedlings etc. Maybe I am getting sloppy, cutting corners more. Maybe I have worse conditions for this than I had in my previous house. Maybe I should get back to basics or start using the same products (compost) I did before.
I don't really have good advice. Maybe try to compare what it is that you do differently this year. But maybe it's nothing and it has been just a bad year. I don't know what the weather was where you are but I guess it was cold, cloudy and rainy in most places in the UK for the last 5 weeks. And before that, it was very dry. It's not a normal combination, it should be the opposite - wet spring and dry summer.
I have raised beds on my current plot and over the last 4 years have seen increasing productivity. The reason I have them is that my soil is a thin layer of clay over bedrock So it was more cost-effective to improve and build up the soil to a level sufficient for planting within distinct areas. My terraced land is large and pretty wild, so like you Polb, I find raised beds easier to manage, both physically and psychologically.
Since they are on soil, the raised bed just provides a cordoned off area to grow in and I don't find any difference in soil health or productivity between them and a non-raised bed. If anything, they are better as I would lose more soil to run-off without them.
Having had a good first year, not adding any organic matter in year 2 was probably an error, as it takes as much organic matter as possible added every year to either system. Your first harvest veggies got the boost of all that soil improvement but it’s a never-ending process. You may simply not be adding enough manure/home-made compost, plus feeding the veg that need it and the missed year sill have set you back a bit.
The bugs (good and bad) will come in either system, so that’s just a case of being vigilant protecting your crops.
Is it possible you are simply not watering enough? One big disadvantage of raised beds is soil temperature. Raised beds heat up and dry out faster as the planting area is above ground, so transpiration rate is higher. Gravel paths will heat up faster and retain more hear than bark chip, grass or even bare soil paths, so that speeds up this process. Whilst that may actually assist some veg that like it hot and enable you to plant a little earlier by warming up the soil faster, the vast majority of veg prefer cool roots. Raised beds undoubtedly need a lot more water.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I'm not convinced commercial growers always do what's best for the soil and its fertility or micro organisms. Just look at the dust bowls being formed in high intensity agro industry areas where there is no life in teh soil because it is fed inorganic, often inert petrochemical based fertilisers.
If you watch the ornamental Kitchen Garden DVD by Geoff Hamilton you will understand that the key to productivity is to return goodness to the soil every time you harvest and before planting anything else because you need to feed the soil and its organisms, not the plants.
That said, there are some crops which need a lot of nutrients and rich soil for which adding well-rotted horse manure is the best solution, especially if laid on thick in autumn and left over winter for the worms and their colleagues to work into the soil.
Adding lime before planting brassicas helps them grow strongly and combat club root. There is a lot of information available about crop rotation to make the most use of soil fertility and provide nutrients to those plants which most need it whilst also preventing a build up of pests and diseases. The RHS explains it here, quite simply, but you can also google for more info - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=124
You can also gather nettles to make a high nitrogen fertiliser for leafy crops and comfrey for one high in potassium which is good for tomatoes.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Thank you, that's encouraging. I think I have been about right with the watering and we've had plenty of rain these last few weeks. As you say I wonder if I didn't add enough organic matter. I also think I wasn't vigilant about bugs and the start of problems! Perhaps I also need to get into a routine with feeding the veg...
There's alot to be said for the No Dog method which includes layering cardboard and organic matter on bare soil while it is resting between crops, even if only for a week or two. You can plant straight through it and, because it cuts the light, it will help stop any stray weed seeds in the soil below from germinating. Just make sure you remove any staples and plastic tape first.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@GemmaJF My experience at veg growing is fleeting compared with many here.
I'm simply saying that raised beds work very successfully for some, and not for others. I don't believe they are fundamentally flawed as a growing system, as there are too many examples out there of people who work them very successfully in the long term.
I'm reminded of the many posts from people who struggle to get Acers to grow successfully. We see so many of them, but it doesn't mean that Acers are impossible to grow, and that everyone should give them up. They just work for some, and not for others, and the same it is with raised beds.
If I encountered this problem, I would either increase substantially the addition of nutrients (chiefly manure) AND try to rigorously rotate crops (not just in mechanical terms, but following the right sequence). If this failed then I might consider getting rid of them completely.
It's a personal choice, not a systemic problem, IMO
Posts
Having had a good first year, not adding any organic matter in year 2 was probably an error, as it takes as much organic matter as possible added every year to either system. Your first harvest veggies got the boost of all that soil improvement but it’s a never-ending process. You may simply not be adding enough manure/home-made compost, plus feeding the veg that need it and the missed year sill have set you back a bit.
The bugs (good and bad) will come in either system, so that’s just a case of being vigilant protecting your crops.
If you watch the ornamental Kitchen Garden DVD by Geoff Hamilton you will understand that the key to productivity is to return goodness to the soil every time you harvest and before planting anything else because you need to feed the soil and its organisms, not the plants.
That said, there are some crops which need a lot of nutrients and rich soil for which adding well-rotted horse manure is the best solution, especially if laid on thick in autumn and left over winter for the worms and their colleagues to work into the soil.
Adding lime before planting brassicas helps them grow strongly and combat club root. There is a lot of information available about crop rotation to make the most use of soil fertility and provide nutrients to those plants which most need it whilst also preventing a build up of pests and diseases. The RHS explains it here, quite simply, but you can also google for more info - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=124
You can also gather nettles to make a high nitrogen fertiliser for leafy crops and comfrey for one high in potassium which is good for tomatoes.
I'm simply saying that raised beds work very successfully for some, and not for others. I don't believe they are fundamentally flawed as a growing system, as there are too many examples out there of people who work them very successfully in the long term.
I'm reminded of the many posts from people who struggle to get Acers to grow successfully. We see so many of them, but it doesn't mean that Acers are impossible to grow, and that everyone should give them up. They just work for some, and not for others, and the same it is with raised beds.
If I encountered this problem, I would either increase substantially the addition of nutrients (chiefly manure) AND try to rigorously rotate crops (not just in mechanical terms, but following the right sequence). If this failed then I might consider getting rid of them completely.
It's a personal choice, not a systemic problem, IMO