[Snoop]

My summer veg patch is planned down to the very last detail pretty much. But I'm left pondering the issue of what to do with my overwintering legumes and brassicas. I have a patch higher up and about 2-3ºC warmer than down in the valley, where the main plot is. I can put cabbages, leeks and onions down in the valley over winter, but it really is too cold for legumes and caulis. The patch higher up would be just the right size for caulis, purple sprouting and legumes.

So the question is, is it realistic to have a two-year rotation for just brassicas and legumes, with a few minor bits and bobs like lamb's lettuce thrown in there? I don't have club root, nor does anyone I know in this area. I grow some of my caulis from seed, but some come as plug plants from a local nursery that uses what looks like coir as its compost.

Is this a goer of an idea, or am I just daft?

[viettaclark]

I don't grow spuds which are technically one of the rotation years so I'm just making sure the same thing doesn' t get planted in the same bed for at least 2 years running. I use each bed for 2 crops a year (eg over-wintering brassicas then carrots, over-wintering roots then bean/peas)  I prepare the soil for each particular crop (lime for cabbages, manure for onions, trenches of stuff for beans etc) . Any nutriments are either used up or leach out in 6 months so you're back to where you started. I'm hoping to put over-wintering brassicas in the onion bed because they should be ready by July and the winter onions etc will go after the beans. This is not strict rotation because beans would provide lots of nitrogen and should be followed by brassicas!
Works for me!