Crop Rotation but with no brassica bit

[Urban Ayisha]

I'm gonna pop down to the allotment later to get my onion and garlic sets in but i was wondering about crop rotation if u dont have the summers brassica beds free? i only did one brassica bed (and tbh i dont think il bother next year - too many caterpillars, takes up too much space, all bolted anyway) which is still in use, so the beds i was things of putting the O & G in were an ex-lettuce bed and ex-potato bed. I will chuck some compost on beforehand.

[MuddyWitch]

Although I've listed my rotation on here before, I don't stick to it slavishly. I think so long as you avoid the same crops on the same piece of land with-in a couple of years, any rotation is better than nothing. Just make sure you don't put the wrong soil treatment on before what ever you're planting (ie don't lime before spuds or you'll get scab) and go for it.

Growing stuff should be fun, if we get too obsessed with 'what goes where' it'll spoil it too much.

MW

[grahamhobbs]

The main thing about rotations, well two things, firstly that crops are not grown on the same plot on successive years so as to avoid nutrient depletion and build up of pests and diseases, the second is that legumes and brassicas like an alkaline soil and potatoes don't. Rotations are therefore designed so that if you lime the ground for legumes or brassicas there are some years (of other crops) before potatoes are planted on the same ground.
The only thing about eliminating brassicas is what do you eat in the hungry gap months, Feb, March, April. The brassicas for these times are generally fairly trouble free.

[Urban Ayisha]

great advice thanks guys! didnt actually bother liming the ground however will be leaving it all in anyway to see what happens! (mainly cos im lazy too)! cant wait to get those onions in today. perfect diggin weather here in london today!

[Millymollymandy]

I've never limed and have no problems growing any legumes or brassicas. Everything grows well here (apart from the many insect and disease problems) and the soil is the same for everything i.e. about neutral. Scab we get on spuds anyway because it's so dry here!

I gave up with trying to comrehend crop rotation as everyone has a different view of what should follow what. I just move everything along one plot every year but there's always something that won't fit in so it just gets shoved wherever I can find space - which is usually the spud bed after they come out in July.