Vegetable rotation

[hedgehogneil]

Hi, can anyone help me with rotation, please?
I have three vegetable beds and in 2018 they had:

1. leeks, peas, beans, salad leaves, chard. Bed had topping of compost and manure.
2. carrots, celery, beetroot. Bed had topping of compost.
3. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages. Bed had topping of compost and manure.

When we harvested the stuff in bed 3, I planted some winter brassicas so the bed is full again and coming on OK (bar the sprouts). The peas/beans harvested in bed 1 left space so I planted the remaining brassicas in there, which I guess we will harvest in the coming months.

The plan for 2019 was to do bed 1 to 2, 2 to 3 and 3 to 1. Because we have planted out again in 2018 to try and maximise harvest, I am confused about the rotation. Is it per year or per season?
Can someone advise, please? I can't really work it out despite a fair bit of reading but not sure what the consequence is of getting it wrong.
Any advice would be warmly received.
Thanks,
Neil.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Nell and welcome

Basically, don't plant something in the same place 2 years running. That's all that matters although someone who knows the proper way to do things will be along soon to advise.

[Small pumpkin]

I'm with VC. Keep it simple. Don't plant the same thing in the same place 2 years running. And rules are made to be broken! Not everyone does veg rotation. My runner beans will be get planted in the same place.

[Aberdeenplotter]

^^I'm with these two on this . I've got a very big allotment so I practice a 4 year scheme of rotation. I also have a fifth bit of the plot which I use for winter veg and this moves around the plot as well. The winter bed has leeks,sprouts and winter cabbage so there is always duplication of some sort but although that might mean I have some parts of the plot growing the same kind of veg in successive years, I never let it get to three years in a row.

[burnie]

Rotation was primarily used to stop build of pests/diseases and help with soil structure/nutrition levels, I don't follow the old rules strictly, you seem to have the basics covered. One thing I do in my raised beds is not mix up the rotation by planting secondary crops from the wrong group as it were. So the roots bed only has roots in it and so on.

[Thelma Sanders]

I just make sure to not plant say a Brassica in exactly the same place where a Brassica grew last year, sometimes it is just a case to move a crop 2 or 3ft further down the bed. I don't worry what follows what - just that I don't follow like with like. It gives me much more scope to use up the available space.
I tend to leave the pea and bean frames in the same place for a few years as well - mainly because it's such a PITA to keep moving them. Never had any problems with them either

[bramble]

It's not always possible to do the crop rotation thing if your space is limited.
I do try but it's quite challenging.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Here are the Basics!

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-t...crop-rotation/


Have fun!

[hedgehogneil]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies, it has helped a lot. Sounds like I don't have to be too precise, which is reassuring. Thanks again!
Neil.

[Doncasterpaul]

I had the same question a few years back and read everything. After the first year it just became a bit confusing and a pain. So as the other posts say. Just don’t plant anything twice. Especially spuds and onions.

[Teds Mum]

I started the year with a rotation plan much as you describe, had a drawing and everything. Most of it got planted in different positions according to available space.
I'm just going to try and make sure I plant everything in a different position next time.

Having said that my sister has runner beans in the same position every year with great results.

[4Shoes]

Here is one I prepared earlier. Like above don't grow in same location consecutive years other than the green section which can be anywhere. Brassicas after beans to get benefit of nitrogen fixing properties (don't dig beans bed)

Lime after potatoes (if needed) to prevent potatoes getting scab

All best

[Thelma Sanders]

Modern research suggests that little or no, Nitrogen is left by legumes for the following crop, even if you dig in all the leaves and stems of the plant, when most of us move these to the compost heap.

The legume uses most of the nitrogen it obtained to produce seeds – the beans and peas. If you harvest the seeds or any other part of the plant, you are removing most of the nitrogen before it gets to the soil.

https://www.gardenmyths.com/legumes-add-nitrogen-soil/

[4Shoes]

Modern research suggests that little or no, Nitrogen is left by legumes for the following crop, even if you dig in all the leaves and stems of the plant, when most of us move these to the compost heap.


https://www.gardenmyths.com/legumes-add-nitrogen-soil/

Interesting.... so that supports the idea of a field bean crop (green manure) over winter before brassica crop. i.e. you dig / compost it back in.

[Thelma Sanders]

That's the only way it could make a difference, as long as you don't take any beans to eat