Should I Rotate Crops In My Vegetable Garden?

In the early days of agriculture, farmers planted a variety of crops in the previous year's fields, and some crops grew better. They also learned that growing the same crop in the same place every year often results in low yields. They used this knowledge to develop crop rotations that we can use in our home gardens.

What is crop rotation?

Practice crop rotation, changing locations in the garden each season depending on which plant family they belong to. (Botanists grow plants together in families based on common traits.) You can grow sweetcorn where you grew green beans last year, or squash where tomatoes grew.

I often grow legumes like chickpeas or peas where I grow corn, although there are no set rules for crop rotation. This is because sweet corn needs a lot of nitrogen to grow well and legumes increase soil fertility.

Why is crop rotation important?

It is important to rotate crops in the garden for the following reasons.

Reducing insect pests and plant diseases

Plant diseases and insect pests often fall to the ground. If you grow the same crop in the same location every year, diseases and pests will increase over time and a host of choices will always be available.

You may find that your tomatoes are always swollen or your pumpkins are gaining weight every year. Planting crops in a different location will slow them down.

increase soil fertility

Different plants get different types of nutrients from the soil, and growing the same plants in the same places means that nothing is done to replace those nutrients. Crop rotation increases soil fertility. Some plants like green beans, peas, and other legumes add nitrogen to the soil!

How to plan a garden with crop rotation in mind

Determine which plant family the plant belongs to and avoid growing anything in that family for three to four years.

Bell peppers, eggplants, potatoes and tomatoes are all members of the nightshade family. All pumpkins, squash and zucchini belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. Cabbage, broccoli, cabbage and turnips belong to the Brassicaceae family. So peppers, cucumbers and cabbage alternated for three years.

Keep a record of where you grow your vegetables each year, perhaps in a gardening journal. Use it to plan next year's garden. Several years of records will give you a good idea of what they are up to.

Is your garden too small for crop rotation?

Many gardens, including mine, are too small to grow crops. Fortunately, other practices can help reduce pests and diseases and increase soil fertility.

Remove greens as soon as they stop growing. Healthy culture. If you see any signs of illness, throw it in the trash.
Green bean or pea plants are very good forage plants for growing sweet corn. It enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Plant cover crops in bare soil.
See if your vegetables are growing well. If you have problems, test your soil to see what nutrients are missing.

Can crop rotation be practiced in container gardens?

Yes, if you have lots of large containers.

Keep track of what grows in each pot and plant seeds from a different family each year. Or you can replace some or all of the potting soil before planting.

If only partially replacing the top layer, remove at least 15 cm or more. Then mix it with the soil in the container and add new potting soil.