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Crop Rotation
posted by Annie B. Bond Mar 8, 1999 11:08 pm
Adapted from Straight-Ahead Organic,by Shepherd Ogden
The most basic form of crop rotation is also the simplest: never plant the same thing in the same place twice. A good crop rotation plan is a sort of seasonal dance in which the crops move from spot to spot, and it helps create a garden that is constantly new and intriguing.
The aim of rotation is threefold: to balance nutrient demands, foil insect and disease attacks, and deter weeds. Figuring out rotations, and finding an elegant solution to the puzzles of planning, can be fascinating work.
Nutrient Rotation
–Leaves: Thrive on nitrogen; examples include lettuce, salad greens, chicory, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi.
–Fruits: Need phosphorus; examples include squashes, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
–Roots: Love potassium; examples include onions, shallots, garlic, scallions, leeks, carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes.
–Soil builders and cleaners: Legumes are excellent for the soil because because they store nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil; examples of cleaners include corn and potatoes, examples of builders include beans and peas.
The first season of planting could be devoted to leafy plants, the next season to fruits, followed by the root plants and then legumes.
Prevention Rotation
–Squash: melons, squash, cucumber, and pumpkins.
–Mustard: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, kale, mustard, radishes, and turnips.
–Tomato: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes.
–Beet: beets, spinach, and chard.
–Legumes: beans and peas.
–Onion: onions, leeks, scallions, garlic, and shallots.
–Carrot: Carrots, dill, parsnips, and parsley.
Go to the Source
Straight-Ahead Organic, by Shepherd Ogden
This is a new and revised edition of Shepherd Ogden's Step-by-Step Organic Vegetable Gardening, a book that introduced thousands of gardeners to the benefits and techniques of organic processes. Although the author is by any definition a Master Grower, this book intended for the amateur enthusiast who is poised to make the leap to organics.buy nowrelated stories
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add your comment »i am new at this but what would be a good vegetasble to grow in a bed that we just finished our spinach from over the winter. any suggestions
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not only does crop rotation contribute to maintaining the appropriate balance within your soil, it also keeps it from eroding. When you have strip crops, such as corn, the wind tends to blow down the center of the rows, causing the un-used soil to blow away. So, the next year you may want to plant a solid crop, such as alfalfa or barley. You could possibly plant soybean, it is planted in small rows but there is little space between. We are really hitting this topic in my Wildlife class at my high school, and it has really made me consider jus how important crop rotation really is.
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