Crop rotation is the apply of emerging different crops, somewhat than the an identical vegetable or individuals of the an identical family of vegetables, within the an identical place each 12 months.
To reduce pest and sickness problems and to have the same opinion renew soil nutrients, individuals of the an identical plant family should not be planted within the an identical part of the garden more than once every 3 or 4 years.
Vegetable insect pests tend to feed on similar plants and individuals of the an identical plant family. For example, an insect pest that attacks and eats cabbage will lay its eggs previous to it dies. If cabbage or a member of the cabbage family is planted within the an identical spot the next 12 months, the eggs of the insect will hatch and the pests will to find exactly the foods they wish to continue the pest life cycle. Soilborne diseases–fungi, bacteria, and viruses–moreover can be hosted by means of explicit plants as neatly. Eliminating host plants or alternating unrelated plants into the garden can ruin the cycle of pests and sickness.
Crop rotation moreover helps prevent soil nutrients from being depleted. Vegetables draw upon relatively numerous soil nutrients for growth: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the vital factor or number one soil nutrients. People of the an identical vegetable family usually draw the an identical nutrients from the soil.
Crop rotation will prevent the soil from wearing out: heavy nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium feeding crops akin to tomatoes are became round with soil-building crops akin to beans which add nitrogen to the soil and then with light-feeding crops akin to onions.
Major plant families and a couple of notes on crop rotation:
• Onion Family (Amaryllis Family, Amaryllidaceae): Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots. The ones are gentle feeders. Plant the ones after heavy feeders or after soil enrichers akin to beans.
• Cabbage Family (Brassica, Cruciferae): Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese language language cabbage, collards, cress, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips. The ones are heavy feeders. The ones crops should follow legumes. After the ones crops allow the garden to transport fallow for a season or plant a cover crop or add a lot of compost and herbal subject to the garden.
• Lettuce Family (Composite, Daisy Family, Asteraceae): Artichokes, chicory, endive, lettuce. The ones are heavy feeders. Follow the ones crops with legumes.
• Beet Family (Goosefoot Family, Chenopodiaceae): Beets, spinach, Swiss chard. The ones are heavy feeders. Follow the ones crops with legumes.
• Grass Family (Graminae): Grains–corn, oats, rye, wheat. Follow the ones crops with individuals of the tomato or Solanaceae family.
• Bean Family (Legume, Leguminosae): Beans and peas, clover, vetch. The ones crops enrich the soil, soil builders. Plant the ones crops previous to or after another crop family with one exception–do not plant beans after onions.
• Tomato Family (Nightshade Family, Solanaceae): Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes. The ones crops are heavy feeders. Plant the ones crops after individuals of the grass family. Follow the ones crops with legumes.
• Squash Family (Cucurbitaceae): Cucumbers, melons, summer season and wintry climate squash, pumpkins, watermelon. The ones crops are heavy feeders. Plant the ones crops after individuals of the grass family. Follow the ones crops with legumes.
• Carrot Family (Umbellifer Family, Umbelliferae): Carrots, celery, anise, coriander, dill, fennel, parsley. The ones are gentle to medium feeders. The ones crops can follow another workforce. Follow the ones crops with legumes, onions, or let the garden take a seat down fallow for a season.
You are able to use the notes above to accomplish crop rotation or you can simplify the rotation as follows:
Simple 4-Year Crop Rotation Plan:
To follow a simple four-year crop rotation, divide your garden into 4 areas or plots: Plot One, Plot Two, Plot 3, and Plot 4. In each of the next 4 years, increase a novel crop or different individuals of the 4 crop families in a novel plot following this rotation:
• Plot One: Tomato family (12 months 1); Others–see checklist beneath (12 months 2); Bean family (12 months 3–on the other hand keep away from planting beans where onion family crops have merely grown); Cabbage family (12 months 4).
• Plot Two: Cabbage family (12 months 1); Tomato family (12 months 2); Others–see checklist beneath (12 months 3); Bean family (12 months 4–on the other hand keep away from planting beans where onion family crops have merely grown).
• Plot 3: Bean family (12 months 1–on the other hand keep away from planting beans where onion family crops have merely grown); Cabbage family (12 months 2); Tomato family (12 months 3); Others–see checklist beneath (12 months 4).
• Plot 4: Others–see checklist beneath (12 months 1); Bean family (12 months 2–on the other hand keep away from planting beans where onion family crops have merely grown); Cabbage family (12 months 3); Tomato family (12 months 4).
This four-year crop rotation intersperses individuals of the other vegetable families among individuals of the Tomato, Bean, and Cabbage families, and Others. This is how they are grouped:
1. Tomato Family and others (Solanaceae family)
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Potatoes
Beets
Carrots
Celeriac and celery
Parsnips
Salsify
Scorzonera
2. Bean Family (Leguminosae family)
Peas
Huge (fava) beans
French (green) beans
Runner beans
3. Cabbage Family and others (Brassica family)
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbages
Calabrese (Italian sprouting broccoli)
Cauliflowers
Radishes
Rutabagas (Swedes)
Turnips
4. Others
Sweet corn
Squashes, zucchini, and pumpkins (marrow and courgettes)
Lettuces
Garlic–keep away from planting beans within the an identical location after garlic
Leeks–keep away from planting beans within the an identical location after leeks
Onions–keep away from planting beans within the an identical location after onions
Shallots–keep away from planting beans within the an identical location after shallots
Perennial Vegetables
Not included in crop rotation are perennial vegetable crops that increase within the an identical spot for a lot of years in a row. Perennial crops include:
Asparagus
Globe artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes
Perennial herbs
Rhubarb
Seakale
Small garden crop rotation:
No garden is simply too small for crop rotation. A simple garden map showing where each crop is planted will assist you to plan and plant a novel crop in that spot next 12 months. To plan crop rotation in a small garden, map out strips or blocks–rows or sq. feet–and keep away from planting vegetables from the an identical crop family in that spot more than once every 3 years.
