Crop rotation in home vegetable garden –

Crop rotation in home vegetable garden Crop rotation is one of the gardener’s oldest secrets for a beautiful and bountiful harvest. You are already practicing simple crop rotation if you avoid planting the same vegetable in the same place each year.  Most gardeners practice crop rotation for several important reasons. By rotating crops, you will prevent the build-up of pests that might result if the same crop were grown in the same spot year after year.  Some plants are susceptible to diseases, therefore planting in the same location continuously, the soil may harbor the disease, waiting to infect the next year’s crop. You will also make better use of soil nutrients, since different crops remove nutrients from the soil at different rates.   Vegetable Family Categories Plants are categorized into families according to the growing habits, requirements, and sometimes the parts eaten.  There are many families in the plant world, but below are the most common garden vegetables grown.  Each family should be grouped together in your garden.  Some have only one member that can grow in a home vegetable garden such as corn or okra.  These vegetables are in a family all their own making them an easy fit to grow wherever another family has been lately. In a small garden, you can group some families together such as Cruciferae with Leguminosae to make rotations easier.  

• Chenopodiaceae – beet, spinach, and Swiss chard.
• Composite – lettuce, and sunflower
• Convolvulace – sweet potato
• Cruciferae – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, turnip, rutabaga, radish, Chinese cabbage, mustard green, and collard
• Cucurbitaceae – summer squash, winter squash, cucumber, pumpkin, melon (cantaloupe and watermelon), and gourd
• Gramineae – corn
• Leguminosae, Legume – bean, pea, lentil, peanut, and soybean
• Liliaceae – onion, leek, garlic, and asparagus
• Malvaceae – okra
• Polygonaceae – rhubarb
• Solanaceae – tomato, potato, pepper (sweet and hot), and eggplant
• Umbelliferae – carrots, celery, parsnip, fennel, parsley, and dill

  Planning Before you start your garden, planning where each vegetable family will be planted is a wise step.  Regardless of garden size, raised beds, in-ground, container, or whatever situation you may have, the plan will be the same. On paper, divide your vegetable choices into different categoties according to the list above.  Keep in mind how many plants of each vegetable you are planning a space for.  Also, how far apart each plant will be placed due to how wide and tall they will be at harvest stage.  If you don’t allow enough space for the plant’s needs, the plant will be stressed and will not produce well. Divide your garden space into four plots.  Draw a map of your garden with this plots.  Your plots will probably not be all the same size unless you have raised beds.  In that case, you may need more than four beds if you want a large variety of vegetables.  For example, corn and okra need more space to grow and produce well than beets and spinach need.  Periennial plants such as asparagus and rhubarb should have their own permanent bed and not rotated with the rest. Plant one type of vegetable, or a group of vegetables, in each area or plot of the garden.  Record on your map where each is growning for the year.  Next year, move each crop or grouping to a different area.  Choose crop rotation plan A or B to start your planning.   Crop Rotation Plan A For a simple crop rotation plan, simply plant each Family group above in their own plot for the first year.  Then, for Year two, rotate the crop to a plot to the right.  Remember, to keep a garden journal where you planted your crops, so the same plants will not be in the same plot until after the fourth year.  Each year, rotate your crop one plot to the right for Years 2, 3, and 4.  After that, the plots start over at Year 1.  If you have any questions, please contact us.   Crop Rotation Plan B This crop roation is a little harder to plan, but the results will be better than the plan above.  The plants are categorized in four groups:  Legume, Root, Leaf, and Fruit.

• Legume – bean, lentil, peanut, soybean, and pea
• Root – carrot, onion, turnip, garlic, beet, sweet potato, kohlrabi, rutabaga, potato, and radish
• Fruit – cucumber, tomato, squash, eggplant, peppers, sunflower, boccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, grourd, and melons
• Leaf – lettuce, greens, herbs, cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, collard, and spinach
• Extras – corn and okra

  The extra vegetables may be planted wherever you have space but remember to rotate in that group each year.  Plan your plots using the formula below.  After year 4, start over.  Always keep a garden journal so it will be easy to plan next year.  If you need help, consult with us.   Year One Plot 1.  Legume Plot 2.  Root Plot 3.  Fruit Plot 4.  Leaf   Year Two Plot 1.  Leaf Plot 2.  Legume Plot 3.  Root Plot 4.  Fruit Year Three Plot 1.  Fruit Plot 2.  Leaf Plot 3.  Legume Plot 4.  Root   Year Four Plot 1.  Root Plot 2.  Fruit Plot 3.  Leaf Plot 4.  Legume   End of Season To replenish the soil, grow a cover crop at the end of season if time allows.  If not, a heavy compost application, over-wintered and tilled into the soil in early spring will replenish nutrients.  Be sure to come see us for your gardening needs.