[Jaynel]

Hi there, my allotment is split into 6 main beds and I am trying to do a crop rotation with these. The soil is very sandy and it's only about 6" before you start hitting the subsoil. I plan to have a rest year planned into my rotation. I have put the 'rest bed' after the brassicas and before the roots and onions.mplan to do no dig on that bed and layer up with garden compost, leaf mold and car board. Any thoughts? Am I making any glaring mistakes there? Thanking in advance for any advice....

[BabbyAnn]

I plan to have a rest year planned into my rotation. I have put the 'rest bed' after the brassicas and before the roots and onions.

personally, I'd grow a root crop (not swede or turnip) AFTER brassicas - most brassicas produce variations of isothiocyanates even if just small amounts (mustard being the crop most associated as a biofumigant green manure against nematodes)  I also class onions and garlic as a "root crop" so would be my first choice as they like a soil pH close to neutral which the lime put down for brassicas will have helped - I used to grow potatoes as normally recommended but too many problems with scab so switched crops round.

As for when to rest the bed - I think I'd grow a bean/pea crop next but if you need to start layering your bed with compost etc, I suppose before or after would be fine (though you could use the legume plant material as part of your compost material ...)

[sunshineband]

I have a five bed rotation:

Squash & Sweetcorn - heavy on rotted manure the previous Autumn
Brassicas - lime if needed and lots of chicken manure pellets for nitrogen (includes Swede & Turnips)
Peas & Beans - kitchen compost, leaf mould & Potassium Sulphate
Potatoes - heavy on rotted manure/ leaf mould
Roots/ Onions - no additional fertiliser for carrots or parsnips; Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salts) for Onions or leeks, plus some chicken manure pellets while they are growing leaves.

It is not necessarily a traditional pattern, but it helps me keep track of what goes where, what follows on next and what to add to the soil. All except the roots bed also had BFB a couple of weeks before planting/sowing. I ma sure there are some who will say it is the "wrong" order, but it suits us and things grow 

The logic is:

We have quite stony soil still, and we de-stone the beds as the potatoes are dug, and then again in the Spring, which means we can actually grow straight(ish) carrots!

Potatoes don't follow Brassicas as any additional lime makes them scabby

The soil is really hard after brassicas and adding the compost etc for peas & beans breaks it up again.

You could add your Rest Bed anywhere really.

Whatever you decide, once it is in place life is simple really