Change planting location?
For the past 3 years I have planted my tomatoes in the same location and have had success. Is there any rule-of-thumb about changing the planting location?
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Not really, it is best to move your plants around though because any plant pests that eat tomatoe plants or tomatoes will tend to reside in that same spot. If you move your plants around, the pests will not have a chance to build up in any one spot.
Also, Tomatoes are very heavy feeders therefore, if you move them around, and plant a green manure in the spot that your grew them the previous year, the nutrients in the soil will be replenished.
Green manure crops include: Clover, Vetch, peas, beans and to a lesser extent Rye. The great thing about Clover, Vetch, peas and beans is that Nitrogen Fixing bacteria grow in nodules of the plant roots and fix tremendous amounts of nitrogen that are released into the soil when the parts of the roots slough off and when you turn the plants into the soil.
Be careful with Rye though because if you leave it in the soil (before turning it) for a long period of time (6 months or more) the Rye will become very tightly bound and difficult to turn over.
Also, Tomatoes are very heavy feeders therefore, if you move them around, and plant a green manure in the spot that your grew them the previous year, the nutrients in the soil will be replenished.
Green manure crops include: Clover, Vetch, peas, beans and to a lesser extent Rye. The great thing about Clover, Vetch, peas and beans is that Nitrogen Fixing bacteria grow in nodules of the plant roots and fix tremendous amounts of nitrogen that are released into the soil when the parts of the roots slough off and when you turn the plants into the soil.
Be careful with Rye though because if you leave it in the soil (before turning it) for a long period of time (6 months or more) the Rye will become very tightly bound and difficult to turn over.
-
The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Fava Beans are a great legume to plant in October once the weather starts to cool down. Next spring you will have lovely, buttery beans to eat while you are planting the rest of your garden and, all winter long the nitrogen fixing bacteria will be busy working away in the root nodules of the plants.
It's a win-win situation!
(The dynamic betwen the N-fixing bacteria and the bean plant is also win-win. The plants provide a safe place for the bacteria to live and extract Nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and deliver it to the bacteria. The bacteria inturn fix the nitrogen into nitrates and other nitrogenous chemicals and anything that they don't use goes back to the plant. And of coure, the nodules slough off and provide nitrogen to the soil.)
It's a win-win situation!
(The dynamic betwen the N-fixing bacteria and the bean plant is also win-win. The plants provide a safe place for the bacteria to live and extract Nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and deliver it to the bacteria. The bacteria inturn fix the nitrogen into nitrates and other nitrogenous chemicals and anything that they don't use goes back to the plant. And of coure, the nodules slough off and provide nitrogen to the soil.)
-
The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
-
The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT