How to clear out an old crop to sow a new one without distrubing the soil?

[max.dalex]

I am working as a volunteer in a no dig farm near Totnes. Today we have pulled out an old crop (chervil) from a bed to sow a new one (beetroot).

Pulling out the old plants with their roots using a fork has left the soil apparently traumatized, pretty much the same as it had been dug, I believe.

I am wondering if one could just cut the old plants at the collar and leave the roots to decompose in the soil. Would it be a correct procedure for nod dig gardening.

Could you sow new seeds in a soil full of old roots in decomposition?

Thanks a lot for the help.

Massimo

[charles]

 Hi Massimo, I am glad you asked this question as I think it does cause some confusion.

I twist all residues of old stems to remove as little root as possible and disturb the soil as little as possible, but to remove enough of the old plant that it will not grow again. Chervil for example would resprout if cut at soil level, and residues that are resprouting can get in the way, and offer little to eat., compared to new plantings.

I am puzzled that you needed a fork to remove the roots, perhaps you are trying to remove too many roots. The main bulk of them can certainly stay in the soil and will rot down to feed everything following, it is only the main stalk or stump of old plants that need twisting out. If soil is dry and hard, almost no roots will come out and that is fine, certainly better than digging the soil to remove them.

So TWIST and just be sure to have removed the base of stems, at soil level and just below, which could otherwise initiate new growth of the old plant. This applies to pretty well every above-ground vegetable.
 

[max.dalex]

Dear Charles, thank you very much for your answer which clarifies a lot. We only wonder if sowing on a bed where there are rows of clumps of old roots few millimeter under the surface may be an hindrance for germination and development of seedlings.

To be more specific, what happens to the seeds that end right on the surface of the clumps (an intricate and hard mesh of roots)?

Thank you very much for your help.

Massimo

[charles]

 Without seeing your soil I cannot be certain but as long as at least some organic matter has been applied during the past year, there should be sufficient life in the soil, worms and beetles moving around, even slugs, also fungi threading along etc, to provide sufficient passages for developing roots.

There is a major difference between compacted soil and firm soil, I suspect you have the latter which is great, and as those roots of old vegetables rot away, they will leave both organic matter and air passages, which new roots can then fill. I was extricating some carrots this week (Purple Haze and Early Nantes) whose roots are long,and the bottom three inches was covered in dense clay when I eased them out, really dense looking clay, but obviously they are rooting through it very well. Because the soil is so moist at present I did not even need a trowel to loosen the soil at all but in dry weather I do need to as the clay becomes even firmer. But everything grows fine! Incidentally the carrots were sown in compost applied to the surface, germinated strongly in it then rooted into the undisturbed clay below.

Many people believe that roots can only travel in fluffy, recently loosened soil; my experience suggest otherwise. Let us know how it goes!

[compostpope]

Hi Charles

Does the above apply to clearing a previous crop of brassicas? I took a fork to my psb at the weekend and caused a lot of disturbance, but to be honest they were so big the idea that they would simply twist out did’nt occur…

[charles]

 Flex your muscles compostpope.
I find that large brassicas can sometimes be snapped off, or moved almost 180 degrees to snap the main roots, leaving soil mostly undisturbed, or I use my sharp copper spade to chop just below stem level in the first layer of soil, again as shallow as possible, so most roots remain in the ground.

I hope you trod the loosened soil down again, its good to dance!

[compostpope]

So that was what you were doing with those people from the telly?

Have you experimented with different types of dancing? What style do you recomend? I can do a few basic steps in Salsa and Merenge, but I’m from the punk generation so that leaves the Pogo….

I assumed leaving brassica roots in situ would increase the risk of diseases such as clubroot.

[charles]

 Dancing punk on beds is not good, something gentle!
The radio lasy had high heels and that is not good either.

Don’t worry about roots making disease, it does not happen like that. Clubroot is so hugely discussed compared with the amount there is though of course if you have it, it is major – but I have met only two gardeners who suffered it.

[compostpope]

Thanks for the information Charles. The wife has repetitive delusions that we will learn Tango so the comment about high heels (apparently obligatory for Tango) was very helpful. We will try some classic last-dance-at-the-school-disco smooching.

Compostpope

[zuf]

Hello.

I have some experiences with roots. I’m a no dig gardener for 7 years, mainly with help of course mulch of seasonal leaves, hay and grass in places where slugs are not a problem.

No problems with planting seedling in course mulches, but i had many problems before i learned how to sow seeds in it. Thank you so much for compost method Charles, it made my gardening much easier this year, because i use only compost or leaf mold where i’m sowing and everything is so less complicated!

Beside covering ground my main goal is to leave as much roots in soil as possible – was inspired by Emilia Hazelip’s Synergistic garden. Some gardens i created with help of initial diging, most of them without.

So, here come the roots of brassica, i leave them in as i cut at soil level with big garden sheers at the end of plant productivity. Most of them resprout, which is fine, a bit of young spicy salad in spring time is nice. I harvest this and then plants are weakend a lot and don’t resprout anymore. You can imagine how much biomass and digging this roots do in soil for a gardener from spring to summer time, it’s amazing! There is also no problem planting or sowing right beside the spent plants.

I also leave all other roots inside soil, especially the ones i eat, hehe.

Aloha.

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