Cropping

Question 1

Crop rotation

Advantages

Answer 1

Avoids build up of pests and diseases in soil.
Continuous use of the same area to grow the same crop can result in depletion of nutrients.
One crop can benefit from the previous one eg. Legumes fix nitrogen which can then be utilised by brassicas.

Question 2

Crop rotation

Limitations

Answer 2

Pests and diseases are mobile over a small area eg. Garden
Some P & Ds survive for many years in soil.
Personal preference of grower means that some crops may not be grown.

Question 3

Four-bed system of crop rotation

Answer 3

Yr 1. Yr 2. Yr 3. Yr 4
Plot 1. Brassicas. Alliums. Roots. Legumes
Plot 2. Alliums. Roots. Legumes. Brassicas
Plot 3. Roots. Legumes. Brassicas Alliums
Plot 4. Legumes. Brassicas. Alliums. Roots

Question 4

Successional cropping

Answer 4

Methods:
Sowing different varieties early, mid-season and late.
Sowing a few seeds at regular intervals eg. Hearing lettuce eg. cos take 8-14wks to reach maturity. Sowing half a row every week to ten days from late March until July gives continuity of harvest from May to Oct.

Question 5

Intercropping

Answer 5

Growing plants or rows of quickly maturing vegetable between those of a slow growing one.

Question 6

Catch cropping

Answer 6

Growing quickly maturing crops on soil left vacant by a harvested crop or set aside to be planted later.

Question 7

Mixed cropping

Answer 7

Growing several vegetables together that benefit each other and are harvested at the same times ‘the Three Sisters’ sweet corn, squashes and beans.

Question 8

Spacing

Answer 8

Spacing is important in vegetable growing.

Classic spacing a are aimed to producing the largest vegetables at picking.

Question 9

Producing ‘baby’ vegetables

Answer 9

Closer spacing, especially of brassicas, allows ‘baby’ veg to grow. These reach maturity more quickly and are more tender.

Question 10

‘Cut and come again’ crops.

Answer 10

‘Cut and Come Again’ crops enable a harvest and then regrow from the base to allow a further crop.