crop rotation - annabel langbein langbein... · 2016-04-05 · crop rotation year 1 it doesn’t...

Crop Rotation It doesn’ t work to plant the same crops in the same plac e year after year. Differ ent crops have differ ent nutrient requirements, so growing the same crop in the same plac e year after year will drain the soil of the particular nutrients taken up by those plants. As a result the crop yields will reduce each year. Rota ting wher e you plant your crops helps keep your soil healthy and balanced, and at the same time disrupts the lif e cycle of pests and disease s and reduces the spr ead of soil-borne disease. Rota tion also allows you to prepare the ground specifically for the crop you are growing. For example, pota toes and br assicas need soil well-fed with a lot of manure, brassicas benefit if you add lime to the soil, and so on. Legumes pr oduce nitr ogen, which leafy green vegetables lov e, but root vegetables really don’t like (they end up putting all their energy into above-gr ound gr owth and not wher e you want it – in the roots). Ther e are all sorts of plans for rotating your garden but I have always loosely f ollowed John Seymour’s easy rotation, which is based on four beds and a four-year cycle. He says: “Manure that land heavily and sow potatoes. After the potatoes ar e lifted, lime the land heavily and the next year sow peas and beans. Once the peas and beans are lift ed, set out the brassicas immediately from their seedbed. The brassicas will have been eat en by the next spring and it will be time for the mixed crops, and follow these with the roots, then back to spuds wher e we started.” Under “mixed crops” I fit the solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers and eggplants), as well as salad greens. I plant corn and zuc chinis and other cucurbits in with the legumes, following the principles of the Thr ee Sisters garden. Pota toes love nitrogen-rich soil, but should not be planted alongside brassicas as they like differ ent pH levels, which is why they sit in a differ ent part of the ro tation. I don’t tend to plant tomatoes and pota toes in the same bed as you can get a transfer of blight.

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Crop Rotation

YEAR 1It doesn’t work to plant the same crops in the same place year after year. Different crops have different nutrient requirements, so growing the same crop in the same place year after year will drain the soil of the particular nutrients taken up by those plants. As a result the crop yields will reduce each year. Rotating where you plant your crops helps keep your soil healthy and balanced, and at the same time disrupts the life cycle of pests and diseases and reduces the spread of soil-borne disease.Rotation also allows you to prepare the ground specifically for the crop you are growing. For example, potatoes and brassicas need soil well-fed with a lot of manure, brassicas benefit if you add lime to the soil, and so on. Legumes produce nitrogen, which leafy green vegetables love, but root vegetables really don’t like (they end up putting all their energy into above-ground growth and not where you want it – in the roots). There are all sorts of plans for rotating your garden but I have always loosely followed John Seymour’s easy rotation, which is based on four beds and a four-year cycle. He says: “Manure that land heavily and sow potatoes. After the potatoes are lifted, lime the land heavily and the next year sow peas and beans. Once the peas and beans are lifted, set out the brassicas immediately from their seedbed. The brassicas will have been eaten by the next spring and it will be time for the mixed crops, and follow these with the roots, then back to spuds where we started.”Under “mixed crops” I fit the solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers and eggplants), as well as salad greens. I plant corn and zucchinis and other cucurbits in with the legumes, following the principles of the Three Sisters garden.Potatoes love nitrogen-rich soil, but should not be planted alongside brassicas as they like different pH levels, which is why they sit in a different part of the rotation. I don’t tend to plant tomatoes and potatoes in the same bed as you can get a transfer of blight.