Simplified Crop Rotation

[veggiechicken]

In a book of advice to new gardeners, written in wartime, the Weatherbeaten Lady (WL) who tells the newbies how to garden says:-

Follow Tap roots with Fibrous roots and Fibrous roots with Tap roots.
Don't follow brassicas with brassicas.

That's it!!
The WL says that, before the war, gardeners would divide their plot in half. Grow potatoes in one half and Tap rooted veg and Fibrous rooted veg in the remaining 2 quarters. The following years, the rooted things move into the potato half.

Farmers grew all the spuds in the war, so the newby gardeners ahd more space to grow seasonal crops.

Wondered whether you thought this was a practical rotation plan - or not!!

[Matt94]

It’s got to be worth’s try/ experiment VC, to be honest I take plot rotation with a pinch of salt, I know it’s best practise but from my experience with some crops I don’t think it’s essential - my legumes (peas and beans) go in the same bed every year and I always seem to get a good crop and touch wood don’t suffer from any diseases. That leaves me with 3 beds - 1 for brassicas, 1 for onions and the other for root veg which I rotate every year. I wonder if they didn’t follow brassicas with brassicas because of club root? Did it say why in the book?

[veggiechicken]

I don't worry about crop rotation - but I don't plant in rows/beds either!

Quite a few people ask about it though! What can I plant after ??? It would be great if there was a really simple answer.

[Penellype]

It’s got to be worth’s try/ experiment VC, to be honest I take plot rotation with a pinch of salt, I know it’s best practise but from my experience with some crops I don’t think it’s essential - my legumes (peas and beans) go in the same bed every year and I always seem to get a good crop and touch wood don’t suffer from any diseases. That leaves me with 3 beds - 1 for brassicas, 1 for onions and the other for root veg which I rotate every year. I wonder if they didn’t follow brassicas with brassicas because of club root? Did it say why in the book?

I don't think rotation would make any difference to clubroot as it persists in the soil for years. The more logical reason for rotation in my opinion is that several of the more damaging pests such as cabbage root fly and carrot fly lay their eggs and pupate in soil. If you have the pest one year and plant the same thing again in the same place the next you are likely to increase the problem by providing the pest with a nice convenient source of food.

[veggiechicken]

I wonder if they didn’t follow brassicas with brassicas because of club root? Did it say why in the book?

The book just says that crops must be rotated or the "ground will grow sick".

[greenishfing]

I do my best to rotate crops and take lots of photos so I can remember what was where. My main problem is that I grow lots of brassicas for Winter/Spring which tend to be the second crop in a lot of the allotment (following onions and potatoes in theory) and as I can never bear to compost the extras they seem to take over the allotment. So although brassicas don't follow brassicas (there is a crop in between) they tend to be everywhere every year. Touch wood I've been lucky with diseases.

[Greenleaves]

Rotate or don't rotate, dig or no dig. So many theories, I just do what I enjoy

[Bren In Pots]

I rotate my parsnips, pea row and brassica to a new bed each year and everything else gets slotted in the remaining spaces.

[Snoop Puss]

The locals here would follow that kind of advice, VC.

[Thelma Sanders]

I don't worry about crop rotation - but I don't plant in rows/beds either!

Quite a few people ask about it though! What can I plant after ??? It would be great if there was a really simple answer.

The simple answer is anything from a different family. Soo easy if you think of it like that