Pulling out old plants

retired member 2 4/21/2011, 6:24 pm

So, I am wondering about something. In the fall, when you pull out your old plants, how do you keep the root system from tearing up your SFG and taking all teh MM with it?

**Furbalsmom** 4/21/2011, 6:50 pm

I just pulled the plant up, shook the MM back into the square (maybe smacking it about with the trowel a bit) and went on to the next one. If it is a BIG plant like a tomato or squash, you might try digging around the base with your trowel. Most plants come out easily and the MM is so loose, it will come out of the roots easily.

quiltbea 4/21/2011, 9:52 pm

When I pull up anything from the cabbage family, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, I chop off the top to go in the compost, but toss the whole root system in the trash. There's always a chance it may have clubroot which is something you don't want spreading in your garden for next year. Better safe than sorry.
Then I put a handful of limestone in the hole.

**camprn** 4/21/2011, 9:57 pm

quiltbea wrote:When I pull up anything from the cabbage family, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, I chop off the top to go in the compost, but toss the whole root system in the trash. There's always a chance it may have clubroot which is something you don't want spreading in your garden for next year. Better safe than sorry.
Then I put a handful of limestone in the hole.

+1, except I put mine in the burn pile. To lift root systems at the end of the growing season I use my most useful and trusted garden tool, my fork.
Pulling out old plants Essential-garden-tools

Pulling out old plants Essential-garden-tools

http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/essential-garden-tools.jpg

Patty from Yorktown 4/21/2011, 10:30 pm

You can just leave bean and pea roots in your box. They add nitrogen to the soil.

Patty from Yorktown

quiltbea 4/21/2011, 10:32 pm

Patty, you're right on! I always leave mine there to add nitrogen to the soil.

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