Yesterday, we posted on the benefits of rotating your vegetable crops. Today, we’ll cover one way to go about rotating.

First, make a list of the vegetables you like to grow and group them by family. You’ll find a list of vegetables in yesterday’s post sorted by crop family.

Second, divide your garden into plots equal to the number of different crop families that you have. You’ll want a minimum of three plots. This way, as you rotate the crops, each year the crop will be planted in a plot every three years. Some experts say every four years is best.

A few vegetables that I don’t worry so much about following the strict every three year rule are: chard, lettuce, beans and peas.

Third, assign numbers to the plots and record what crops you are planting into each plot. You will want to write this information down so you can remember what you planted where from one year to the next.

Lastly, the following year plant what was in plot #1 into plot #2, moving each crop to the next plot. This is the simplest way to rotate.

What we’ve done in our garden is to divide the garden into three sun exposure zones with each zone having three plots. The sunniest zone will rotate tomatoes with basil, melon/cucumber and cruciferous vegetables. I may plant beans or peas in any or all of these plots as space permits. We’re still working on the details as this is our first year of full on crop rotation.

Of course we can plan for the things under our control but nature can toss in a monkey wrench or two…our vermin problems are still plaguing us- they’ve destroyed two newly planted winter beds and I had to preemptively pull out 20 broccoli and 6 chard plants! We hope to have this solved in the next few weeks. Argh! The full story to come.

In any case, there are many ways to accomplish crop rotation but remember to always amend each plot well after each crop no matter how small or quick the crop. It’s all in the soil…

No related posts.

Rotating is an age old practice dating back to Roman times where a crop family is planted in a different bed each year so that the crop is not planted in the same bed for at least 3 years.

Why do such a thing?

Crops are organized in plant families which share similar nutritional requirements and susceptibility to pests and diseases. So,

• Nutrients can be deplete over time as the same crop is planted year after year reducing yield, increasing susceptibility to disease and pests.
• Diseases and pest can build up in the soil over time eventually overwhelming your crop.
• Rotating dissimilar crop families allows the soil to replenish it’s nutrients, reduce disease causing spores and pest eggs

How are the crop families organized?

A few of the main families are:

Cruciferous: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Collards, Mustard, Radish, Turnips, Rutabagas

Night Shade: Tomato, Peppers, Eggplant, Potatoes

Legume: Beans and Peas

Lettuce

Carrot / Dill / Parsley

Beet / Chard / Spinach

Melon / Cucumber

Lily: Onions, Garlic, Chives, Leeks

Why Not Rotate?

Some gardeners don’t have the space to rotate their crops so what to do? On a recent trip to an organic farm, the farmer revealed that they did not rotate. I was piqued.

The farmer’s experience was you must properly amended the soil after each crop, continue to fertilize through the growing season and take extra care to prevent disease in the first place. Your plants will have the proper nutrition therefore be so healthy they would be able to fend off diseases and pests.  Since the plant does not get the dreaded diseases and pests then there is no build up in the soil for the next planting.

That sure makes sense…do the plants get the disease simply because the disease is present or must the plant be compromised in some way – poor soil, inadequate moisture management, depleted nutrients during the growing season, poor seed stock, wacky weather? – all these contribute to the health of the plant.

If you are faced with limited space, then

• amend the soil really well – use plenty of organic material
• continue to fertilize through the growing season
• take care to prevent disease
• and if you wish – select plant varieties that are bred to be resistant to disease

Taking these steps should allow you to grow a successful garden even without rotating.

What are we doing here in the Planet Veggie Garden? Honestly, I’m a bit wedded to rotating…still. Not to say I’m not tempted but given the current condition of our soil, I feel like a couple of years of rotating may help bring some balance back to our soil. Then, I’m all for trying to forgo the rotating.

Tomorrow, for those who wish to rotate, I will provide a how to guide for rotating crops.

No related posts.