Crop Rotation Confusion

[PipSqueek]

Hi everyone,

I've just started planning for next year and while I thought I had a basic understanding of crop rotation it seems I don't. I get that you typically have 4 or 5 areas, each with a different family of plants that you rotate on a yearly basis, but what happens if I want to plant more than one crop in the same place within the year?

E.g. In bed 1 I have beans and peas. When my early peas are done should I plant another legume in their place because bed 1 is the spot for legumes this year? Or do I carry on with my rotation and follow the peas with roots, which will mean that I'm moving things around more quickly than once a year? Confused!

Thanks,

Pip

[Bigmallly]

Personally, if there is no sign of disease then I don't worry about rotation. Some folk have dedicated structures for Beans & Peas which are left in situ year after year. Obviously I try not to plant the same crop in one place continuously to reduce the chance of diseases but if that's the only space available then I will plant whatever I have...............hope that makes sense to you as it confuses the heck out of me..................I know what I mean.

[Greenleaves]

The only crop i really worry about rotating is onions, as BM suggests, my beans grow in the same spot every year....just feed the ground in between crops

Others will have different ideas.....but its called choice

[hamamelis]

I'm with Bigmallly on this one!

On a homegrowing scale I don't thinks it's critical to get perfect rotation, and so long as I'm not getting problems, I don't try and over think it.

I rotate the plan around once a year, mostly, unless I forget or run out of space. Some things just get plonked in anywhere they'll fit every time to be honest.

[Jay-ell]

Onions, potatoes and brassicas are the ones I think need rotating the most - which are often in the ground for a while anywhay. You can always put in a catch crop which dowsn't require rotation like lettuce or spinach after one part of the rotation has been harvested.

[Snadger]

There are various types of crop rotation but the two that cause the most confusion are Annual Crop Rotation and True Crop Rotation.

ACR is where you stick with one crop for a single calendar year. Ie January to December you grow nothing but, roots,Legumes or brassicas or others in that area, even planring up with a similar crop a second time in the same year.

TCR is different in that as soon as a crop is harvested, you plant the area up with a crop from a different group and carry on varying the groups as one finishes planting with another.

Brassicas are supposed to follow legumes to benefit from fixated nitrogen, but the miniscule ammount involved hardly seems worh it.
Liming for brassicas, and mucking for certain veg also dictate what is supposed to follow what.

Personally, I don't try to get anal about it and try whenever posssible not to follow like with like.

It must be remebered that crop rotaion was desined for farmers with large tracts of land set down to a single crop and stopped pests and diseases building up to a certain degree. In a garden or allotment we should be growing a more diverse mixture of vegetables in a much smaller area. This often dictates that multiple crops are grown in a single bed, so the true crop rotation (or as near as damm it!) would seem the way to go?

Each to there own in the end. Some people use monoculture for certain crops especially onions and Runner beans.

I personally mix flowers and green manure into the equation and just mix everything up. It works for me is all I can say!

[Snadger]

Onions, potatoes and brassicas are the ones I think need rotating the most - which are often in the ground for a while anywhay. You can always put in a catch crop which dowsn't require rotation like lettuce or spinach after one part of the rotation has been harvested.

Robinsions, growers of massive onions would disagree with that as they have used the same area for growth for umpteen years.

On the much smaller scale of a garden or an allotment I would deffo agre with yopu though!

PS Come to think of it, how about all the leek trenches in NE England which have had leeks growing in them for many year. A lot of work to keep nutrient levels up, soil structure in good shape and pest and disease free, but worth it for some!

[Bigmallly]

One of my old allotment neighbours only used to grow spuds year after year so crop rotation was never an issue.

[Thelma Sanders]

Robinsions, growers of massive onions would disagree with that as they have used the same area for growth for umpteen years.

But they also disinfect those beds, with the dreaded stuff, something we're not allowed (and don't want) to do.

The ground will also benefit from a watering of J***s Fluid after the crop has been harvested; this again will kill any unwanted bacteria or fungi.

[Alison]

I don't see rotation as an annual thing at all but a follow on thing so different crops will go in after the last one. I have 4 sets of beds on a 4 stage rotation but at given times they might have more than one family in there. For example, one of my beds currently has sprouts and autumn cabbage in there. The cabbages will be harvested next month and garlic and over wintering onions will go in that spot. I don't tend to do outdoor Spring cabbages anymore as I find they do better in the tun so but when I did they went in the bed which currently houses this year's French beans. If the main crop isn't ready or there are any spaces they get filled with various leafy things or squashes, depending on the time of year. The simple rule I work to is try not to follow line with like and keep the beds planted up. When you've done it a few years it becomes second nature.

[Snadger]

One of my old allotment neighbours only used to grow spuds year after year so crop rotation was never an issue.

Bet he rotated with earlies and lates!

[Snadger]

But they also disinfect those beds, with the dreaded stuff, something we're not allowed (and don't want) to do.

Wondered what that smell was from a leek trench that has just had its leeks removed for the local show at the allotment site..

I should have remembered it from the smell of the outside netty when I was a bairn!

[Jungle Jane]

I wouldn't follow peas with more peas because of pea moth,when something's been growing for a couple of months the pests start to know about it! I'm quite interested in companian plants & rotation etc some plants help other plants,it's all good to know. Growing a different crop takes different nutrients from the soil,I'd carry on rotating,move things round quicker than once a year. Although I have followed my potatoes in bags with tomatoes in the same year but I didnt have any disease or pest issues,if I'd had potato blight I wouldn't do that.

[Bigmallly]

Bet he rotated with earlies and lates!

Main crop only Snadge, his idea of rotation was one year to plant NS & the next he would plant EW..........

[KevinM67]

So anyway PipSqueek - I hope the above advice has been useful to you.