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Vanisle_BC
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1356
- Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 9:02 pm
- Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)
Winter soil loosening
Suggestions wanted for late fall & overwintering plants - zone 7a - to deeply loosen soil for next year: Maybe Daikon, something else?
rat tail radish. It is a harder radish than daikon so it is a better drill. The roots are too tough to eat but the young seed pods are edible in salads. They have a crispy bite but not really bad.
https://www.thespruce.com/rats-tail-edi ... sh-1403478
Oilseed radish is a cover crop with 10 inch deep roots.
Of course if the soil is not hardpan minowase daikon can go over 2 feet deep.
https://www.thespruce.com/rats-tail-edi ... sh-1403478
Oilseed radish is a cover crop with 10 inch deep roots.
Of course if the soil is not hardpan minowase daikon can go over 2 feet deep.
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applestar
- Mod
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- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
7a might be able to overwinter broad/fava beans if you use black plastic (or biodegradable corn film) mulch and with low tunnel protection (agribon, vented poly).
I want to try if I can manage the protection better INSIDE my hoophouse.
The idea is to grow them to about 4 to 6 inches tall then hibernate them under the tunnel for the winter.
I want to try if I can manage the protection better INSIDE my hoophouse.
The idea is to grow them to about 4 to 6 inches tall then hibernate them under the tunnel for the winter.
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Vanisle_BC
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- Posts: 1356
- Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 9:02 pm
- Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)
@applestar I do grow broad beans and they are almost winter-hardy here. With protection they might well survive. But I don't think they root deeply - at least in my soil. All in all I'd rather continue to harvest the last beans for drying in late fall, then pull the plants. For deep rooting I think I'm still tending towards Myashige Daikon.
My mother called broad beans 'haricot' beans and I think they were called that throughout the UK. Odd, because 'haricot' is just French for 'bean'. Maybe they were introduced to Britain from France. - Oh and I remember the wiry men who used to cross the channel and cycle door-to-door selling Spanish? onions that hung in braids from their handlebars. Times change!
By the way I'm not attracted to using hoop tunnels & such, so I can only protect small plants - and I'm lazy about doing even that!
My mother called broad beans 'haricot' beans and I think they were called that throughout the UK. Odd, because 'haricot' is just French for 'bean'. Maybe they were introduced to Britain from France. - Oh and I remember the wiry men who used to cross the channel and cycle door-to-door selling Spanish? onions that hung in braids from their handlebars. Times change!
By the way I'm not attracted to using hoop tunnels & such, so I can only protect small plants - and I'm lazy about doing even that!