Crop Rotation
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Crop Rotation
Crop rotation has other benefits which are just as important.: Nutrient availability- Vegetables differ in their nutritional requirements so rotating them around prevents the soil from becoming locally depleted. Crop rotation makes best use of the soil. Soil treatments- some vegetables need soil improvers to do well while others can do well from residual fertility of the previous crop. Grow crops with similar requirements next to each other so that all parts of the garden receive these soil improvers evenly over the years. Weed control – some vegetables produce weed suppressing foliage such as potatoes and pumpkins and are easy to weed while other such as onions and carrots are more difficult to weed and have a growth habit that does not compete well. Rotating crops with these types of habits helps keep weeds under control Soil structure - plant roots occupy different levels of the soil. Rotating crops with roots of different depths has a positive effect on soil structure.
Three to four years is the recommended minimum length of time for a complete crop rotation. If you know your soil has a serious problem such as club root it will certainly need to be much longer to grow susceptible crops with any success. Perennial vegetables that can stay in the same spot for many years obviously do not fit in the usual crop rotation. Asparagus and rhubarb are best given their own beds while perennials such as globe artichokes can be used as border plants. As with all perennial plants proper soil preparation , including the removal of all perennial weeds is essential before planting.
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