Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: garrarufa on April 11, 2021, 20:59

Title: 2022: Ideas for Bean Crop Alternatives
Post by: garrarufa on April 11, 2021, 20:59
Hello everyone, I hope you're all well and enjoying this beautiful time when our eagerness levels may be through the roof. I know mine are.  :lol:

Regarding the title. It may seem a little odd, but I've planned out most of my 2021 greenhouse, trellis' and beds (apart from one area, which I like to use as an impulse/experiment space), and have found most of the full sun outdoor areas are devoted to beans. My chilies, "cukes" and "tom's" are in the greenhouse, and various onions and herbs as fillers. But I find myself thinking ahead.

I grew beans last year in a few of the same spots as this years crops will be, but the areas were grass for... all of my adult life, I guess. I understand reasons for crop rotation, but on looking at the subject more deeply; it would seem the actual risk of disease is disproportionate to the level of banter and fearmongering out there. Like most other things in life.  ;) It seems more aimed at the agricultural scale, and the cost of maintaining the soil qualities that you would need for the long term. Not exactly the same as spending twenty odd quid and doubling up to buy 6 bags of multi-purpose compost in a 3 for 2 BS deal.

But, if I have a reasonable year, I will have fresh beans and peas to last, and later, enough bush beans to dry and keep me happy well into 2022. But then what?

Bah... long ramble for a simple enough question, but I feel the context matters. I love my beans, and don't have the space to rotate crops as well as I might like. My chilies will do their thing in the kitchen, but what could I possibly grow to replace beans next year, if I do plan to be prudent?

Space, handsomeness, productivity, nutrition, wide range of use in cooking... what could replace the beans?

Any suggestions would be very appreciated. I ask now because time is ticking, and what free time I do get... I might need several months to look into alternatives and come up with some plan, haha.

Regards
Title: Re: 2022: Ideas for Bean Crop Alternatives
Post by: Yorkie on April 11, 2021, 21:58
The pea/bean family is not as wedded to the need for crop rotation as other plant families.

It is a bad idea to be quite so cavalier with brassicas or potatoes, for example.

Very difficult to suggest an alternative for the pea/bean family if you wish to explore - it entirely depends on what you like to eat, what space you've got, etc.!
Title: Re: 2022: Ideas for Bean Crop Alternatives
Post by: garrarufa on April 11, 2021, 22:28
The pea/bean family is not as wedded to the need for crop rotation as other plant families.

Yes. Well, that is what I've recently bean (pun there) reading about. I'm still very new to growing my own nibbles, and last year (my first full year of growing) became (another pun coming) bedded down with so much reading, and often contradictory information, that I gave up for the most part, and went with my gut, and personal experimentation. I found myself having more fun that way, but the bean thing has stuck. Maybe because it seems to be so widely adopted. But I have yet to come across and real biological basis for overt long term effects with regards to any specific soil etc...

Very difficult to suggest an alternative for the pea/bean family if you wish to explore - it entirely depends on what you like to eat, what space you've got, etc.!

Indeed. I have a tendency to either stir-fry or make a soup/stew/curry out of almost anything.  I am just throwing it out there. Maybe there's something out there that I have no idea about. Like last year I grew tomatillo's, and eight plants was way too much. Same with cucamelons... one plant in a crappy plastic mini greenhouse destroyed everything, and I couldn't eat one again right now under pain of... my arm being twisted behind my back at a certain angle. :)

Maybe trained squash up my bean trellis', but what type good for multi cooking use?

In my beds... from what you say, I just think beans again and not care, but I at least have to ask. I got turned on to pepino fruit last year. Wow!
Title: Re: 2022: Ideas for Bean Crop Alternatives
Post by: Plot 1 Problems on April 11, 2021, 22:33
It is a bad idea to be quite so cavalier with brassicas or potatoes, for example.

Yep, a former plot neighbour ended up with club root because they didn't rotate their crops properly.
Title: Re: 2022: Ideas for Bean Crop Alternatives
Post by: garrarufa on April 11, 2021, 23:20
Yep, a former plot neighbour ended up with club root because they didn't rotate their crops properly.

Did it involve a divorce, or was it amiable? ;)