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Raised bed - what to do when summer ends? No dig & No till

jaybeestar78jaybeestar78 Posts: 29
in Problem solving

Hi,

I have a small square raised bed (4ft) where currently kale, swiss chard and some radish (mooli) is growing. The kale which I planted last October is biennial and would survive the winter as the variety is winter hardy. Swiss chard will eventually be done by the end of the summer. I also have runner beans and french beans growing in big pots which I would eventually compost once harvested. 

As not much would be growing during winter, I was hoping to sow some cover crops but few things below I’m not sure about: 

1. Should I grow some cover crops in the space available over the winter? Like Rye and buckwheat?

2. If I remove the existing veggies growing in the raised beds after it’s done, can I just leave the stalk and roots in the soil to decompose by covering it with cardboard or take them out and then let it decompose on top of the soil.

The beans growing in pots, once harvested I can chop up branches and leaves, dump everything including the roots in the raised beds and cover with sheet mulch using cardboard and soil from their pots on top so it would decompose. And in autumn, when I gather dried leaves (from people’s garden or from woodland area near me) I can put that on top. Think that should protect the soil from rain and snow.

As this is my first raised bed which I had put in last October so would like to follow the no dig & no till approach. So any advise or tips would be appreciated.

Many thanks

JB

Posts

  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    Here in Devon, swiss chard will keep going through the winter, as will many lettuces, kale, PSB, land cress, rocket, purslane, mustard, leeks...   and then in the autumn I'll be planting more chard, lettuce, broad beans and garlic.
    The problem I have with the raised bed in the winter is having enough room for everything ..
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2022
    Swiss chard keeps going through the winter here too most years. I sow broad beans direct into the ground in October to grow through the winter and crop in May, and theres Cavalo Nero to pick March onwards and Purple Sprouting Broccoli as well. 

    Lambs lettuce can also provide a good salad crop through the winter .., especially if you give it a bit of protection https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-lambs-lettuce/

    Depending on what sort of winter we have, you night find your runner or French beans behave as the perennials they are and grow again. 

    There’s no space, and no need here for cover crops. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • jaybeestar78jaybeestar78 Posts: 29
    I like the idea of broad beans and purple sprouting broccoli. I forgot to mention I live in Peak District where mostly it rains and it’s cloudy in autumn. However, if broad beans and PSB survive the rain, cold, windy and cloudy weather then I’m placing the order for buying the seeds now  :)

    many thanks for the advise 
    J
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I'm in the Peak District too and grow some veg, but the last 3 years have made it much more a game of chance. Peas and broad beans were always no problem crops and I love them because you can't get them fresh in the shops. They didn't mind the rain, wind and cold, but have been less happy with the see-sawing hot,dry, cold, wet weather we've had more recently. The brassicas have done a bit better.  Kales, including Cavolo nero, go on for a long time if you take just a couple of leaves from each plant at a picking, and kohl rabi grows fast and gives you a crop fairly quickly so there is time for another crop after.
    No dig as recommended by Charles Dowding uses ready made compost or manure to cover the beds between crops. Your collected leaves will likely rot down more slowly than the bean remains. You would do well to start a compost heap if you haven't already got one, but it takes a lot of compost to cover a bed with the right depth. Leaf mould is better made separately and is a good soil conditioner, but best of all is well rotted manure, available bagged if you haven't a local source.
    As for the choice of crop, you need to factor in the space required for each plant. PSB needs a lot of space and also occupies the ground for a long time, so not the best use for your 4ft bed. 

  • jaybeestar78jaybeestar78 Posts: 29
    @Buttercupdays, is it possible to grow purple sprouting broccoli in pots then? I have two kale varieties - black magic (British bred) and Scarlet. I had planted black magic last October so that’s still going on, will soon sow the scarlet variety. I do love fresh peas and miss them as I grew up in India where fresh peas were only available in the season. Is there a particular peas variety that does well here and would it need support? 
    Thanks
    J
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Kelvedon Wonder is generally reliable here and doesn't need much support.
    Carouby de Maussanne is a flat podded mangetout and also does well but is much taller. My first planting this year failed even though the seed was viable. I suspect because of the on/off weather that they may have germinated and then dried up, so I germinated some more seeds on damp  kitchen paper and have just re-planted :)
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    In the autumn I would keep the veg that lasts through the winter, like kale, cover the rest with a thick layer of bought compost (which will keep the weeds down) and put all your vegetable remains into a compost bin.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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