How to Rotate Your Crops For Healthy Plants and Soil

Last week we talked about how much easier it is to plan your vegetable garden, and figure out how you'll rotate your crops, when using sticky note pads.

This week we'll finish up with why it is important to rotate your crops, and give you a sample four-year plan to help.

Crop rotation is when you plant your annual crops in different areas of your garden every year to avoid the buildup of soil-borne diseases and pests like potato scab, or nematodes.

When you grow different plants on the same site every year, pests and diseases won't have the host plant that they prefer, so their populations tend not to build up to critical and damaging levels.

The most important thing about crop rotation is to have a plan on paper, so you can remember what you planted, and where you are going to move plants the following year.

One easy way is to separate your crops into 3 types: root, leafy, and fruit crops. Even better, is to group your crops by botanical family (like in the Solanaceae family you have tomatoes and peppers, in the Leguminosae family you have peas and beans etc.).

Following is a sample rotation with 4 growing seasons. Each year includes tomatoes, and a soil improving crop (buckwheat, clovers, oats, rye, vetches, and wheat). You can add other crops as space permits in your garden.



For more Gardening Tips and Gardening Advice visit our main gardening website at Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine - www.weekendgardener.net

Talk to you next week!