[Scribbler]

So how CAN you rotate crops on an annual basis when leeks for instance are still being harvested from say November through to March or April the following year? Garlic's in over Christmas too if you plant in October.

Do you just have to work round them when it comes to manuring or liming etc? If so the whole rotation thing just falls apart, as these bits of ground will be out of sync with everything else!

Nature doesn't work in neat 12-month compartments from Christmas to Christmas. How about the fiscal year...?

Or a two-year rotation cycle?

[gregmcalister]

If you think of it more in terms of not growing, for example cabbages, in the same place for the next three years.  It doesn't matter if the cabbages were grown through the winter or in the summer, when they're harvested use the ground for other crops for the next couple of years.  It does make it easier if you have sections where you only grow brassicas then you rotate sections year by year.  There are plants that don't need to be rotated so use these to fill the gaps.

[brucesgirl]

I've sort of worked it out. when I clear my beans I will plant onion sets for next spring, potatoes will go into the root bed once most of the roots are cleared, and maincrop when all the rest are cleared. Once the potatoes are out I will manure the ground and plant the spring brassicas.
On paper it seems to work, but whether it works in practice remains to be seen.
Am I on the right track?

[Annie]

Many people put their leeks in once they`ve lifted their early potatoes.I grow all my garlic, onions and leeks in the same bed.I`ve lifted the garlic and since next year this will be my brassica bed I will sow spinach and chard  and 2 left over purple sprouting in there When the onions come out I will use that space for some overwintering broerd beans.My garlic will go in this years potato bed and most of my brassicas will befinished in time for next years potatoes.Theoretically.I put it all on paper and always change it.It is just making best use of you space andmaking avoiding build up of pest and disease in the soil.Many advocate a four year rotation but you would need plenty of space or be very well organised to manage that.

[jackiestagg]

Do you know scribbler I always thought the same but thought it was just me not understanding. At home I have 4ft square beds in three rows of four so I manage a 12 year rotation. In the allotment its more of a take-a-chance-but-be-careful approach. Nothing ever works like it does in the books, does it?

[Scribbler]

Tell me about it!

[Trillium]

Don't feel bad about rotations not working out exactly since rotations were mainly developed for farm cropping - wheat, barley, corn, etc. In theory, the practice is sound for home veg, but hard to implement at times considering our limited ground areas and variety of crops. Like the others, I try not to plant anything in the same spot 2 years running, and simply add more manure if needed, which never hurts. I just try to avoid extra manure where I hope to plant carrots and parsnips. Haven't had a problem yet.

[Annie]

It`s taken a few years for me to relax about it a bit because once you strsrt factoring in wintering crops your head starts to hurt!

[Jim T]

So how CAN you rotate crops on an annual basis when leeks for instance are still being harvested from say November through to March or April the following year? Garlic's in over Christmas too if you plant in October.

Do you just have to work round them when it comes to manuring or liming etc? If so the whole rotation thing just falls apart, as these bits of ground will be out of sync with everything else!

Nature doesn't work in neat 12-month compartments from Christmas to Christmas. How about the fiscal year...?

Or a two-year rotation cycle?

I'm not speeking from experience but just from some principles I've learnt over the past year:
1) Peas and beans have bacteria in their root nodules which fix nitrogen from the air. So i will dig these roots in and use this bed for the veg which most needs nitrogen ...
2) That is brassicas
3) Potatoes are vulnerable to scab disease so I will not put them in the same bed until 3 years have passed. Also I use flowers of sulpher and ferrous sulphate to lower the pH and protect spuds from scab.
4) I will check which veg needs a pH above 7 (eg brassicas), and add lime to those beds.

I would welcome advice if anyone thinks any of this is wrong

[jackiestagg]

yup, I do similar. Year one manure and plant potatoes. Year 2 compost and beans. year 3 lime and brassicas. year 4 nothing and parsnips and carrots. Doesn't always go like that, but the theory is good.

[Noah'strolly]

Thanks, just found this thread on the search. I was getting in a muddle over lime, manure and rotation.
But as this is my first year I didn't get a chance to manure year 1 or compost year 2 and want to prepare my pea/bean patch for brassicas next year. So should I add any manure? My plot was disused for a while and this year I only managed to clear it an plant. Most things have done well but I'm hoping improving the soil will produce cauliflowers bigger than tennis balls!

[muntjac]

manure now for spuds and brassic's . dont plant roots on freshly manured ground ......

[Noah'strolly]

Thanks, when should I lime the brassicas?

[muntjac]

when ya plant them

[Noah'strolly]

ok thanks