[Shaun and dawn]

Hi just got a plot  June last year that was very over grown  got it back to soil now so planning where to put things  is there a rule on what veg is the best to go behind what veg and what you can grow in the same spot two or more years in a row thanks

[peapod]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/index.php

Theres helpful crop rotation advice here

[3759allen]

my main rule is to change the brassica and potato bed round each year.

i know ideally i should do more rotating but the soil condition aren't ideal everywhere, the brassica and potato bed are both roughly the same size so easy to rotate with out changing paths or anything.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

Quick tip - don't grow your purple sprouting where you intend to put potatoes the year after as you'll just be getting a crop when you want to put spuds in! 

[engineer]

My simple rotation is, 3 plots, plot 1 onions/leeks, plot 2 spuds, plot 3 greens. Then rotate 3 to 1, 1 to 2 and 2 to 3, then over a 3 year period you are back to square one. the one you are putting greens in manure the previous autumn, if you have 4 plots leave one fallow and manure or grow sweetcorn etc.

[Steveharford]

Can't be doing with three and four year rotation , and fallow, malarkey. I just put stuff where I havent grown it the year before. With the exception of runner bean, garlic, and onions, which I have grown in the same spot for 3 or 4 years. Works for me.

[Shaun and dawn]

Thanks for the input it all helps

[mumofstig]

It's easy to dib leeks in after early potatoes are lifted.

If you can get peas sown early (end of March) then you can get another crop in after the peas are harvested.(eg dwarf beans)

The sowing harvest chart helps with follow on planting, like these
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-month-help/sowing-harvest-vegetable-chart.php

[Kristen]

In my crop rotation I am fortuante to have 4 equal sized beds.  So it is easy to rotate the beds each year

... But ...

I need about twice as much Brassica space as the other things - each plant needs a huge amount of space, and there isn't any room at all for Spuds. I get around that by having a separate set of 7 beds which contains one for [overspill] Brassicas, two for Spuds, and the rest for Cut flowers etc.

In terms of following-on I do have problems with late-harvest crops in one rotation needing to be followed by early-planting crops in the next.

I have solved this by alternating the planting of Late Harvesting crops at alternating one ends of each bed.

The trouble makes are:

Onions following Roots - e.g. Garlic (autumn planted) which follows Parsnips (Winter harvested). Leeks and Onions are OK as the other root crops are not for Winter harvest, and the Parsnips harvest finished before Onions are planted (just!)

Peas/Beans follows Onions - the Beans are late-plant (after last frost) so they easily avoid the over wintering crops (Leeks), so I only have to position Broad Beans and Early Peas clear of where the late Leeks are still being harvested

Brassicas follow Peas/Beans.  All the Peas/Beans are harvested and cleared before Winter, so no problem planting Brassicas in the Spring.  However:

Roots follow Brassicas. The Brussels Sprouts can be harvested into the Spring, but the Sprouting Broccoli much more so (only just started harvesting mine) and I have already planted out the Parsnips - so Sprouting Broccoli and Parsnips need to be at opposite ends of the bed.

So I basically have:

Winter Cabbage / Sprouts / Sprouting Broccoli (harvest Early-to-Late)
Parsnip / Celeriac / Beetroot / Carrots (harvest Late-to-Early)
Leeks / Onions / Garlic (harvest Late to Early, plant late to very early [end of previous season])
Climbing beans, Peas, Broad Beans (plant Late to  Early [end of previous season])

(Seems very complicated as I've been writing it ... hopefully I have written it down as I actually do do it! Pictures would probably be easier than words ...)