Our garden this spring has surprised me. But not every crop preformed to my expectation. The April frost got the okra and hurt the cucumbers. We only harvested about 10 cucumbers from a 10 foot row. But an 8 foot row of straight neck squash and another of zucchini yielded more than 60 total. 10 pounds of potatoes planted produced upwards to 80 pounds of harvested spuds. I planted Indigo Rose, Early Girl and an unknown (the tag said Improved Porter) tomatoes. Bell and gypsy peppers completed the garden. I have so many tomatoes and peppers that the neighbors don’t want any more.
Everything but the potatoes were done in a converted 7 year old flower bed. The prep on both beds was about the same but the flower bed got a little more compost than the raised bed. So what made the squash, peppers and tomatoes produce so well? The cool weather and rain play a huge roll as well as crop selection. But I think the biggest factor is crop rotation. Yes I have a crop rotation plan and some years I follow it. This is one of those years.
It is now time to get those empty garden spaces ready for the next crops. If you are adding compost to your garden remember to mix some native soil with it. Don’t forget to add some fertilizer. With the change in the season and the crops, now is a good time to plan out that next crop rotation.
