[Seagull]

I only have a very small allotment plot, so crop rotation is quite difficult.  Does anyone have any thoughts on its importance, or alternative solutions?  Thanks!

[Christine]

Why do you find it difficult? It's hard to help if we don't know what you think the problem might be. 

[Subversive_plot]

On a very small plot, crop rotation may be different from what you do on a large plot.

Hypothetically, let's say you only have a 4 meter × 4 meter plot. You grew tomatoes on half of that, French beans on the rest of it.  Scenario 1: everything grew normally, no apparent diseases.  Scenario 2: the tomatoes had blight, the beans had rust.

You might be able to get away with no rotation in Scenario 1. 

Scenario 2, rotation becomes more important, you would be better off growing something else for a couple years (get tomatoes and beans from somewhere else). Hypothetically, courgettes and corn one year, something else the next year.

[mumofstig]

On a very small plot I wouldn't worry too much about any particular order for crop rotation, just try to avoid planting another crop (of the same family group) in exactly the same place one was grown last year.
Even moving that row of cabbage further along the bed/plot by 40 - 50cms next year, might make all the difference I've done that, in the past, when I only had a small bed. Eg a row of cabbage, one of peas, one of tomatoes, one of beans for example and moved everything along a row when planting out the year after.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/crop-rotation-plant-families-groups/

[Growster...]

Seagull, if you can, get hold of a copy of Peter Seabrook's 'Complete vegetable gardener', as he specifically discusses crop rotation in a very small plot - 10ft x 12 ft. There's one on Ebay right now...

On the other hand, you'll probably find everything you need to know from a certain Mr John Harrison, who just happens to do something similar in his extensive books! His email order form is somewhere on this page...;0)

[Seagull]

Seagull, if you can, get hold of a copy of Peter Seabrook's 'Complete vegetable gardener', as he specifically discusses crop rotation in a very small plot - 10ft x 12 ft. There's one on Ebay right now...

On the other hand, you'll probably find everything you need to know from a certain Mr John Harrison, who just happens to do something similar in his extensive books! His email order form is somewhere on this page...;0)

Thank you.  I have ordered a copy

[Seagull]

On a very small plot I wouldn't worry too much about any particular order for crop rotation, just try to avoid planting another crop (of the same family group) in exactly the same place one was grown last year.
Even moving that row of cabbage further along the bed/plot by 40 - 50cms next year, might make all the difference I've done that, in the past, when I only had a small bed. Eg a row of cabbage, one of peas, one of tomatoes, one of beans for example and moved everything along a row when planting out the year after.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/crop-rotation-plant-families-groups/

Thank you.

[Seagull]

On a very small plot, crop rotation may be different from what you do on a large plot.

Hypothetically, let's say you only have a 4 meter × 4 meter plot. You grew tomatoes on half of that, French beans on the rest of it.  Scenario 1: everything grew normally, no apparent diseases.  Scenario 2: the tomatoes had blight, the beans had rust.

You might be able to get away with no rotation in Scenario 1. 

Scenario 2, rotation becomes more important, you would be better off growing something else for a couple years (get tomatoes and beans from somewhere else). Hypothetically, courgettes and corn one year, something else the next year.

Thank you.

[Growster...]

Good luck, Seagull!

We gave up both our plots a couple of years ago, and just garden at home on a much reduced area!

It's amazing what you can do with - say - carrots in buckets (high up to deter carrot fly), large pots in a tray on the path for tomatoes and cuces, and getting longer canes for runner beans.

Keep asking the questions, and someone here will know the answer!