Vegetable Garden Crop Rotation | An Easy Garden Guide
Plants need good soil, good nutrients, water, and sunlight. Nature provides the sunlight and rain, we provide additional water when necessary……so what about the soil?
In addition to soil additives, this simple Crop Rotation Guide demonstrates how to rotate your vegetable plants to fortify the soil!
Rotating your crops means creating an order in the planting of your vegetables so that higher feeders are followed by givers and givers are followed by low feeding vegetable plants.
“The three-field system is a regime of crop rotation that was used in medieval and early-modern Europe. Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.”
Crop rotation – Wikipedia
Vegetable Garden Crop Rotation
This system allows the plants to build organic nutrients in your garden soil with rotation crops.
Plus, rotation crops helps to naturally stop the pests and diseases by planting different plants in different locations instead of planting the same plants in the same location year after year.
For further reading on all things gardening make sure to get The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible as it is an extremely handy guide.
Consider starting a compost pile for beginners and easy diy compost tea.
Depending on your geographic location, soils vary tremendously and need different soil amendments.
Try this easy DIY method to find out how to test the pH of your soil. Or, you can use this inexpensive soil tester from Amazon.
Examples of Natural Soil Amendments.
- peat moss for alkaline soils
- compost for nutrient-depleted soils
- blood meal for added nitrogen
- green sand improves the soil structure
Overview of Crop Rotation:
Plants require varying amounts of minerals and nutrients to grow. Some plants are High Feeders, some are Low Feeders and then some are Givers!!!
Crop Rotation:
This simple idea is an easy-to-use reminder on how to rotate your garden plants year after year.
Plan your planting schedule with this rotation cycle in mind. This is such a great way for beginning gardeners to start when planning their garden design.
The high feeders take the most out of the soil while the givers had nitrogen back into the soil.
⇒High Feeders ⇒ Givers ⇒ Low Feeders and back to High Feeders
As stated above, simply rotating your crops on an annual basis is also helpful in keeping down plant disease by stopping the disease cycle for individual crops types.
Even though crop rotation is helpful, keep a watchful eye on your plants to make sure they stay healthy.
3-Year Rotation Cycle: what are crop rotations
High Feeders ⇒ Givers ⇒ Low Feeders ⇒ High Feeders
High Feeders include:
- Brussel Sprouts
- Squash
- Pumpkins
- Lettuces
- Spinach
- Melons
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Corn
- Garlic
Givers include:
- Clovers
- Peas
- Snow Peas
- Beans
- Pole Beans
Moderate to Low Feeders include:
- Root Crops
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Parsnips
- Collard Greens
- Swiss Chard
- Carrots
- Most Herbs
- Beets
- Kale
And, then it is back to High Feeders and the cycle begins all over again.
Fallow Bed:
If you have enough space, divide your garden plots into 4 beds and allowing one of your beds to rest for a season or plant a cover crop which is sometimes called a “green manure”.
A “green manure” is a fast-growing crop that is turned back turned under to enrich the soil.
GOOD COVER CROPS or GREEN MANURES ARE:
Green Manures are living, growing plants turned under just before maturity to add a variety of nutrients back into the soil.
Depending on your growing conditions and location, you will need to determine the best time to plant and turn your green manure back into the ground.
Green manure
Soil Amendments:
Organic matter is extremely beneficial in building a loamy, vibrant, healthy soil.
This organic matter is what creates a fabulous growing environment for your garden vegetables.
Having a compost pile is a super way to create this FREE rich beneficial organic matter that will build this rich loamy soil.
Mulch is another excellent way to build super complex living soil. Take a look at how to create rich garden soil by mulching.
Final Thoughts on Vegetable Garden Crop Rotation
In conclusion, rotating your crops is a beneficial practice that can lead to healthier and more productive vegetable gardens.
By strategically alternating high-feeding and low-feeding plants, you can prevent the depletion of soil nutrients and reduce the risk of pest and disease buildup.
This method also helps maintain a balanced ecosystem within the garden, promoting overall plant health and vitality.
With careful planning and attention to crop rotation principles, you can optimize your garden’s productivity while minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Consider implementing crop rotation in your garden to reap its long-term benefits for both the environment and your harvest yields.
My float garden is so small it is hard to get a crop rotation going. I augment my soil each year to compensate. The downside is that crop specific pests are harder to control. – Margy
Margy, thank you for your comment. I find the idea of a float garden to be fascinating. I appreciate you sharing this; I actually had to look up float gardens. The concept is great…..watering must be a breeze for you!!!! I really enjoy learning about these very ingenious ideas which enable others to garden and grow their own food no matter their location. I wish you all the best in your gardening adventure.
A ton of great information in this article!
Hi Lisa, glad you found this information of interest. Rotating my garden crops has also put me on a schedule of what to plant where and when!!! 🙂