Outcome 2 - Cultural Operations

Question 1

Name and explain three primary soil cultivation techniques for a vegetable bed in a garden or allotment.

Answer 1

• Single digging (turning the soil over to one spade’s/spit’s depth)
• Double digging (digging out a trench to one spit’s depth and forking in well-rotted organic matter in the bottom of the trench. This will create a deep topsoil.
• Rotary cultivation (using a machine to chop and turn over the top soil).

Question 2

What is secondary soil cultivation in a garden vegetable bed or allotment setting?

Answer 2

Just prior to sowing or planting, the soil will need to be:

• Hoed to kill off annual weeds
• Raked to incorporate any base dressing, and…
• to break up clods…
• and to create a level level seedbed…
• and to create a fine tilth suitable for sowing.

Question 3

What is the aim of soil cultivation?

Answer 3

• To improve soil structure, which will improve aeration, drainage, moisture and nutrient retention.
• It also exposes pests to the weather and predators
• Allows the removal of weeds
• Allows the addition of organic matter to replenish humus and form a good structure/crumb.

Question 4

When do you work heavy clay soils and why?

Answer 4

• When they are not too wet or too dry
• Usually dug in early autumn (added benefit that winter frosts will help break up large clods and improve soil structure)
• Digging when too wet will lead to compaction
• Digging when too dry is very difficult as soil is baked hard.

Question 5

When do you work light sandy and silty soils, and why?

Answer 5

• Can be cultivated almost any time due to their usually free-draining nature
• Usually takes place in spring, but only when necessary, just prior to sowing and planting
• Avoid digging in warm dry conditions to avoid excessive moisture loss and wind erosion
• Avoid digging in wet weather, which can lead to erosion and capping.

Question 6

What is a bed system?

Answer 6

A garden is divided into a number of narrow beds, separated by paths, so that the bed can be cultivated without the need to walk on them.

Question 7

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a bed system?

Answer 7

Advantages

• Planting can be denser because there’s no need to walk between rows, increasing productivity
• Cultivation and harvesting can be carried out in most weather conditions because you’re not walking on beds
• Crop rotation is easier to plan as areas are clearly identified
• Raised beds allow a greater depth of topsoil and better drainage
• Crop protection is easier with cloches and crop covers
• Compost, manures and fertilisers can be applied to just the areas where the crops are to be grown
• The natural structure of the soil is preserved
• Good for a no-dig system.

Disadvantages

• Not suitable for large scale cultivation as it does not lend itself to the use of machinery
• Retaining edging is time-consuming and expensive to construct
• Perennial weeds and pests such as slugs can be hidden under edging and paths and are difficult to remove.

Question 8

Explain the raised bed system.

Answer 8

• Raised beds are usually used to increase the depth of the topsoil horizon
• Beds have sides up to 30cm, using timber, bricks, etc
• Side of bed is usually 1m - 1.25m wide and to any length (depending what’s available)
• Should be 45cm between beds (for path that fits a barrow).

Question 9

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a raised bed system?

Answer 9

Advantages

• Easy to maintain
• Easy to build up depth of topsoil horizon
• Improves drainage
• Will warm up faster in spring
• Easier to make slope towards the sun to warm the area over summer
• Means you can garden where drainage is poor or concreted
• Make it easier for people with mobility problems to garden
• Can implement a no dig system

Disadvantages

• Edges can be expensive to implement and maintain
• Edges may provide hiding places for pests such as slugs

Question 10

Explain the no-dig system?

Answer 10

• Based on minimum disturbance of the soil.
• Soil fertility is built up by regularly adding organic matter to the soil surface (worms pull it down into the soil, improving structure and fertility)
• Green manures are used to keep teh ground covered at all time, protecting it from erosion and surface capping
• When crops are harvest they are pulled out or cut off, rather than dug out.

Question 11

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a no-dig system?

Answer 11

Advantages

• Soil structure is not damaged by regular cultivation
• Soil organisms are not disturbed
• Weed seeds are not brought to the surface
• Moisture loss is reduced by mulching and by not exposing moist lower layers of soils to the surface by cultivating
• Less work and less time required

Disadvantages

• Pests such as slugs may build up in soil over time
• Slow to remedy existing poor soil structure
• May be difficult to maintain humus levels in the soil as organic matter is only added as a mulch
• Some initial digging and perennial weed removal may be required
• Hard to apply to large scale mechanised production.

Question 12

Name and briefly explain 9 ways to create a protected environment that will length the growing season.

Answer 12

• Coldframes. Raise seedlings in post or modules earlier than they could be planted in the ground, for planting out asap.
• Greenhouses. As for coldframes.
• Low/poly tunnels. Temporary structure which can be constructed over an area of bed to protect seedlings from frost and provide warmth.
• Cloches. As for low tunnels.
• Floating mulches. Lightweight material that can be temporarily laid on top of a growing crop (often white or transparent), protecting from light frosts early or late in the season.
• Fleece. Similar to floating mulches, used for frost protection. White, woven, porous material.
• Enviromesh. Fine netted plastic material used as a barrier for pests such as carrot root fly, but also giving some frost and wind protection.
• Perforated polythene. Used as a floating mulch, creates greenhouse-like atmosphere near the ground, with protection from wind.
• Mulches. Dark coloured mulches such as black polythene or woven black plastic ‘myplex’ absorb the heat of the sun and can be used to warm up the soil prior to planting. Organic mulches also insultate the soil, keeping it warmer for longer.

Question 13

Name and briefly explain 3 methods for the propagation of vegetables.

Answer 13

• Direct sowing. Seeds sown directly into the bed, in th eplace where it will grow and be harvested. (Could be v-shaped drills, station sowing, broadcasting, etc). Standard seed depth is 13mm.
• Raising plants in seedbeds for transplanting. Some crops such as brassicas and leeks can be raised in a carefully prepared seedbed at close spacing. These plants are then moved to their final cropping position when at the correct stage of development. Suits relatively hardy plants. This method frees up space for other crops.
• Raising plants under protection for transplanting to the open ground. Tender crops such as courgettes, crops requiring a long growing season such as brussel sprouts, or crops being raised to extend the season such as lettuce, can be raised in suitable containers (modules, seed trays, pots or blocks) under protection for transplanting later.

Question 14

What are module trays?

Answer 14

Trays for germinating and growing seedlings where each seedling has it’s own individual space/module to grow in. Reduces root disturbance when you transplant them.

Question 15

What are blocks?

Answer 15

Parcels of compressed peat or coir which can be used for raising relatively large seedlings, avoiding root disturbance at planting.