Revelation on Crop Rotation?

[Peggy Sue]

I've been struggling with the rotation thing in as much as how to follow when veg overlaps like purpel sprouting , leeks etc, thereby having no time to prep the beds (add manure) and having mixed beds for a few months (about now!)

My other bug bear has been separate tomatoes & potatoes as they don't like eachother, but are in the same blight-prone family and can't be followed in rotation.
Likewise brassicas have to be separated by years to prevent clubroot.

I've decided maybe a 6 bed rotation is better...
1. Squash & corn
2.Potatoes
3. Short term brassicas (turnips, radish, summer cabbage&cauli, broccoli)
4. Peas & Beans
5. Roots for summer/autumn (Onions, carrots, garlic) also tomatoes
6. Winter Veg ( Purple sprouting, spring cabbage & cauli; Leeks, Parnips)

That way I can fresh muck straight after the purple sprouting etc come out in May which the Squash like, dig that in with extra compost in Autumn when the squash is over- plenty of time to seetle before potato planting in March/April. I can follow the spuds with lime then mustard green manure (brassica) for the winter then follow with short term brassicas for the summer. Lightly muck in the autumn apart from overwintering beans which can go straight in, then rest the mucked part til bean planting in spring.
Rest overwinter (or maybe a few winter lettuce)
5th year is onions alternately with carrots, also garlic and any roots not too late into Autumn, plus tomatoes (to separate them from spuds) so as they are finished in Autumn half the ground can be mucked (the earliest pulled) then the later carrots etc can be left. The mucked bit can be limed in spring for the purple sprouting, spring cabbage,spring cauli. The bit that didn't get mucked would be for leeks, parsnips and other long term roots. All this finished and the fresh muck goes on for squash!

OK that rambled alot, but have I missed anything? I know it means a small potato patch relatively speaking but I think thats not too much of a tragedy!

[snapdragon]

Sounds very clever and technical
(this from snapdragon who can't remember which pots had the blighted tomatoes in last year and therefore have to buy new potting compost and will have to plant'em up in the front garden plot not in the south facing backyard - pah!)

[Peggy Sue]

You know it's only a plan, I have lots of those but have several lots of seeds germinating already that I can't remember what they are

[Annpan]

lol - I did that last year and ended up with carrots I thought were parsley.... This year most seeds are being started n yogurt pots I got a black permanant marker for writing what is in each one - and I have written on the covers of the propagators too - it is going to confuse me next year though I fear.


I like the rotation... I think I am settling on a 4 bed system... following rough guide given by muddywitch.

[Peggy Sue]

Yes I did try to find that thread to add to it but is was long drowned by all the others..what a bust lot we are!!

I swore this year I would mark all sees correctly & clearly.... resolutions hey!

[MuddyWitch]

Much as I'd love to take credit for my system I didn't think it up...a certain Mr Seymour did.

& I LOVE Peggy Sue's, but I need too many spuds I fear.

MW

[Annpan]

Yes, I am sure folks were using it even before Mr Seymore did... but Muddywitch, you explained it better. I could never understand where the extra year came from before - not realising that brassicas are grown over winter.

[MuddyWitch]

Awwwww shucks!

Glad to be of use

MW

[frozenthunderbolt]

sounds good. read it again another 4 times and i should be able to follow it - mite draw it - often helps me get my head around things lol 10/10 for effort and ingenuity though

[Millymollymandy]

I find drawing out your plot and marking what's going where helps. Trying to work out in your head what will be where in 3 years time is too hard on the old brain cells!

[JulieSherris]

Now then, I'm renowned for just doing & not thinking, not planning.... but not this year!!

I cut up old milk cartons into plant tags & have a big bundle for when I pot the seeds up, so I know what seeds are what...

Then I got a bundle of copy books & have 2 on the go at the moment - one is filling nicely with tips & hints for the different crops - like what companion plants go with what veggies.... what family they belong to, whether they like fresh muck or not, etc etc.... and WHEN I'm doing things with them on a monthly basis.
The 2nd book has all my bed plans - As Andy finished my beds off, I went around with string over the top & have divided the beds into little plots... my main ones are 1 foot wide by 3 foot long.. so then I drew each bed in the book, labelled the mini plots 1 - 20 & every time I plant into the plots, I write down what's gone in there & when I planted it.... so, in Bed 3, plot 6, is Wk1 sowing of Turnips - plot 7 is Cabbages - ok, it takes a bit of time, but I'm sure it'll help LOADS in the long run! Especially as I was searching plot 4 in Bed 7 for signs of life from the beetroot seed...... then looked in my book & went back to plot 12... which is where I'd REALLY planted them

I'm starting to wonder if Andy's OCD is catching, actually......

[Peggy Sue]

The 2nd book has all my bed plans - :

[Peggy Sue]

Sprry couldn't resist that
Yes I've got lots of platic part cut into strips from pots and bottles but why can't I use them It seems thats always a job for later

[Helsbells]

I have a rather adhock approach (not sure of I spelt adhock correctly).

I just thingk "well I planter potatoes there last year, so wont plant them there this year."

Its all very amatureish, but havent had any problems just yet.