7. Veg production Flashcards
1
Q
Name key conditions that effect vegetable productivity
A
Soil
- Water - Is water available naturally, does the area need watering/irrigation
- Nutrients - NPK
- pH - Should be 6.5-7 for max availability of nutrients
- Space - Is the area large to allow suitable spacing
Aspect
- Sun/Shade levels - requirements will vary but tend to need sunny aspect
- Slope - Top pone to wind, bottom prone to frost (best to plant near top and add wind protection), should not be too steep to push a wheelbarrow
- Wind - Cold wind can chill plants and soil, cause damage to buds and delay production
2
Q
Name ways to protect plants from strong winds
A
- Completely blocking with wall is likely to create turbulence
- Best to use a permeable windbreak as this reduces cold air by 50-60% but prevents turbulent areas being created
- Can be living or non-living
3
Q
Compare living and non-living windbreaks
A
Living (hedging)
- Can self repaire, relatively cheap
- Slow growing, can be hard to repair severe damage quickly and takes nutrients from the soil
- Salix alba
- Populus nigra ‘italica’
Non-living (fencing)
- Erected instantly, can be easily repaired and has no impact on soil nutrients
- Expensive as may need substantial supports and will require maintenance
- Picket/trellis
- Woven bamboo/ Slit wood screening
- Windbreak mesh / heavy duty webbing
- Above 2m needs to be installed by professional due to high level of bracing required
4
Q
State soil requirements for Fruit & Veg production
A
- Medium loam needed (neither heavy or light/clay or sandy)
- Needs to be deep to allow roots to reach req nutrients
- High level of fertility
- Good crumb structure
- pH 6.5-7 for maximum availability of nutrients
- Compacted soils should be cultivated
5
Q
Describe cultivation methods to prepare for Fruit & Veg production
A
Primary
- Turning over of soil, breaking up large clods and removing weeds
- Digging with a spade/fork
Secondary
- Further breaking up to a fine crumb/tilth
- Use fork on light or rotavator on heavy soils
- Rake to a fine tilth
Settling
- Must be allowed to settle for a few weeks before planting
- Consolidation can be applied to light soils
6
Q
When to cultivate soil and why it’s important to get it right
A
- Can cause long lasting damage to soil structure which is hard to repair if gotten wrong
- Medium = Any time of year except when wet or frozen
- Heavy = Autumn/Spring - winter too wet, summer too hard
- Light = Autumn to spring - summer likely to cause wind erosion to dry soil
7
Q
Describe growing systems available when planting Fruit & Veg
A
- Open ground = Can be grown in rows or blocks, no clear distinction between growing area and path
- Beds = Area separated from the rest of the garden/path
- Raised bed = Level of soil built up above the level of the path
8
Q
List advantages and disadvantages of growing in a Bed system
A
- Reduced risk of compaction
- Manure/compost can be incorporated into the correct area without wastage
- Higher density of crop is possible - less space for weeds
- Sloped ground can be terraced
- Easier to record crops and ease rotation
- Limited size - hard to extend once built
- Often separated by grass paths which can cause weed problems - edging needs to be monitored (use paving slab, mulch or weed suppressing geo-textile to combat)
9
Q
List advantages and disadvantages of growing in a Raised bed
A
- Plant care is easier for people with mobility issues
- Can improve drainage on wet soils
- Original substrate and imported top soil are kept separate
- Can be raised high enough to prevent damage from livestock
- Heat up/dry out more quickly also freeze quicker
- Sides can become a refuge for snails
- Cost and labour to build
- If badly designed can waste space and soil
10
Q
Describe the size requirements of a raised bed
A
- As large as possible
- Paths should be suitable for required access (bigger than wheel barrow)
- Sides should be sunk 5cm into ground (min)
- Beds should be no wider than twice arms reach 1.5-2m
- Sides should be made of rot resistant timber, recycle plastic boarding or brick
11
Q
Describe the No dig method and disadvantages
A
- Soil cultivation kept to a minimum - remove weeds and prepare for planting
- Much/compost/straw used to cover soil surface between crops (rapidly decaying material) - mimics natural process
- Worms will incorporate into soil and build up healthy structure minimising labour
- Mulch should be applied annually
- Removal of all weeds and roots at the start is essential
- Mulches can harbour pests
- Mulch can be damaged by birds to intern damage seedlings
12
Q
How to prolong season for Fruit & Veg
A
- Early/Late crops have been developed to extend the season
- Glass/plastic cloches can be used to trap heat in soil allowing for earlier germination or prolonging growth into autumn
- Plastic sheeting warms the soil but not the plant - encourages early germination for tubers (black so absorb heat and prevent weed growth
13
Q
Options for sewing Fruit & Veg seeds
A
- Sewn directly in open ground - Hardy
- Sewn in a nursery bed, then transplanted - Initially slow growing or need wider spacing to develop
- In containers undercover, then transplanted - Non-hardy
14
Q
What are base dressings?
A
- Added before crop sown/transplanted
- Ideally done about one month before but can be raked in just before sowing/transplanting if soil is moist
15
Q
What are top dressings?
A
- Added to soil surface around the base of growing plants
- Foliar feeds
- Useful in correcting deficiencies
- Nitrogen frequently required as a top dressing. This is because nitrates are lost over the winter through leaching by rain. Therefore they must be applied in the spring to avoid being leached out by the spring.
16
Q
Key maintenance of Veg patch
A
- Weeding - carefully removed by hand or hoe, important at early stages as they often grow faster than crop
- Watering- Infrequent but thorough. Irrigation - Only used if really needed
- Support - Needs to match plant requirements
- e.g Peas have tendrils - ‘Pea sticks’ hazel with short branches
- e.g French beans twine - need vertical poles or wire for it to climb
- Pest & disease control
17
Q
Key considerations when storing veg for summer and winter crops
A
Summer crops
- Early crops have short shelf life, should be harvested when young and tender
- E.g Runner beans, spinach, courgettes
- Mature pickings last longer
- Keeping cool will reduce drying out and respiration
- Store in cool, dark, dry, well ventilated place
Winter crops
- More likely to last longer in climates with mild winters
- E.g Winter carrots, sprouts, carrots, leeks, beets
- Can be stored in clamps, sheds or cellars
- Ideal to hold crop at low temp but without freezing
- Onion bulb are pulled off and dried, either tied up or stored in shallow boxes
- Store in cool, dark, dry, well ventilated place
18
Q
Describe a ‘Clamp’ and it’s use
A
- Traditional method of storage for root veg, not often used today
- Heap of root veg covered in insulating material (such as straw), and a layer of soil
- Built on well draining surface
- Straw chimney allows heat to ventilate
- Suitable for carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes
19
Q
Describe crop rotation and benefits
A
Plants belonging to the same family are grown in the same plot, and moved to a different plot every year (3-4 years).
- Soil fertility - different plants need different nutrients, avoids depletion
- Pest and disease control - during periods when host plant absent this reduce build-up of spores, eggs and pests
- Prevents soil erosion
20
Q
Describe limitations of crop rotation
A
- Crops remain in soil for different time lengths making timelines difficult
- Space in small gardens is an issue and there may not be room
- Not all crops need rotating as often
21
Q
Describe a Four bed crop rotation system
A
- Rotated over 4 years
- Easy in a rectangular bed
- In the first year potatoes are grown in bed 1, Legumes in bed 2, Brassicas in bed 3 and carrots in bed 4
- These are then rotated in this order on a yearly basis
- After the 4th year manure is added back into bed 1 prior to potatoes being planted
- The process begins again
22
Q
Describe Succession Cropping
A
- Aims to achieve a constant supply of fast growing crop
- E.g Radish/lettuce
- Seed in sown in intervals between 2weeks to 1 month
- One batch is harvested while the next is developing
23
Q
Describe Inter-Cropping
A
- Maximise use of space
- Smaller fast growing plants are interplanted between larger, slow growing ones
- E.g Radish between cabbages
- Radishes should be planted directly into soil after the cabbage has been planted out
- Radish will then be harvested before the cabbage reaches full maturity
24
Q
Describe the control of crop sizing
A
- Small spacing = Small plant
- Wide spacing = Large plant
25
Q
Describe ‘Cut and come’ veg
A
- A plant that regrows after cropping to produce more crop
- Either individual leaves are removed and the plant continues to grow
- Or the stem is cut and a new plant develops from the leaf axils
26
Q
Describe the production of a named crop of radish
A
Crop variety = French breakfast
Sowing = Sew between march and September into lightly raked soil, 1cm deep 25cm apart
Thinning = Thin as needed to ensure plants are not to crowded and remove any slow growing/ineffective plants
