Crop rotation please

[vixylix]

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice on next year's crop rotation plan. I got a bit confused as one site said for potatoes (inc tomatoes / aubs / peppers) to follow brassicas and then another said to separate them as far as possible.

Would appreciate any tips / advice!

1 Legumes Follow by lime in Autumn and manure in spring

2 Brassicas Follow with overwintered brassicas

3 Curcurbits Follow with compost / mulch in autumn - not manure

4 Onions and Roots Follow with green manure over winter

5 Flowers Follow with manure and overwintering broad beans

6 Potatoes Follow with Leeks onions and garlics for overwintering

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to...crop-rotation/

Here's a bit of a basic guide Vix

[Thelma Sanders]

As long as you don't plant exactly the same thing again in exactly the same spot I don't think it matters really.

The thing about spuds and brassicas: because if you are liming for brassicas, it is a good idea not to follow them with spuds cos they don't like lime, that's all.

[jonny the plant pot]

I've planned my plot on a 3 year cycle but that's going out of the window as I've decided to ask permission to put another polytunnel on my plot as I get far more pleasure going peppers ect than I do growing cabages and leeks and so on .if I get permission that will leave 1 large beds for potatoes which I wouldn't of thought would be a problem as the farmer behind my house grows spuds there every year.

[Thelma Sanders]

Don't forget that the farmer will use a lot of artificial fertilisers and pesticide sprays in order to grow potatoes every year.

[jonny the plant pot]

I've also obtained these from him

[Alison]

My rotation is sequential rather than annual with potatoes, then legumes, then brassicas, roots & alliums then back to spuds. There is also rotation in the tunnel but that's a bit less stuctured. Outside squashes and salad go where there is a space and sweetcorn shares with beans.

[Jungle Jane]

potatoes, then legumes, then brassicas, roots & alliums then back to spuds.

This is a good rotation,potatoes are heavy feeders & the legumes put nitrogen back into the soil when they die down which is good for the brassica. Brassica release a biotoxic compound that exhibit activity against bacteria,fungi,insects,nematodes & weeds so following with roots is perfect.

[vixylix]

Thanks all - lets see if I can stick to it

[Cadalot]

I have 12 full beds and 4 odd shaped beds, usually I have 4 beds of potatoes and 4 of brassicas, 2 of sweetcorn 2 of beetroots and the rest of the veg go into the odd shaped beds so they literally travel around the allotment moving 4 beds along each year.

All great in theory until you drop in a bed of overwintering onions not really thinking about how it will affect your nice rotation system then it all goes to pot.

[Alison]

All great in theory until you drop in a bed of overwintering onions not really thinking about how it will affect your nice rotation system then it all goes to pot.

That's why I rotate sequentially so when the winter onions go in where the Autumn brassicas were with the remainder of the bed still full of brassicas. After they've come out the spring sown onions go in so for a while all alliums together. That bed will have potatoes in the following year but now the over wintering onions have come out I use the space for catch crops eg lettuce, stir fry greens etc

[vixylix]

that'll be me Cad - you need a phd for this lark. One off day and its all gone to pot!