How And Why We Do Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is use to prevent pests and diseases forming spreading. One of the best way to do this is that I will need to group annual vegetables that require similar conditions or they attract the same diseases or soil pests. Always grow these vegetables in the same part of the vegetable garden. Transfer these vegetables around in a set order each  year so that they will occupy the same place in my garden only every three to four years.

There are many different benefits. If I am growing the same crop year after year the soil will be deplete of the nutrients. Another thing about this is that different vegetable roots at different  levels and use  different quantities of nutrients from the soil so moving them around will help in not draining your soil of nutrients.

Different types of vegetables such as cabbages, and beets need a lot of like carrots and peas only need few nutrients . If I decided to grow these vegetables together. I will need to add  fertilizer and concentrate organic matter

By growing the same crop year after year in the same place, this allows pests to build up to real bad levels. Cabbage root maggot is one of the soil diseases and pests. Now if I rotate crops and grow unrelated vegetables in the same part of my garden for two years, this will keep the pest from the first year and they will not be able to live.



Insect pests are more mobile than soil pests. Some pests will overwinter beneath the crops that they attack. So moving crops around in my garden will prevent this from happening.
Crop rotation will not prevent all soil diseases  and pests, but using this method will help

The way that I start creating my rotation  plan is to first make my list of vegetables that I will be planting. Put each vegetable into their family group and then assign each group to one of the four years. For example, I can put potatoes and roots together and well as pea and carrot families. One simplified method is a three year rotation plan and I would be putting them into three different groups which are cabbage family members, roots and all others.

Next year when it is time to rotate my vegetables I will need to put  light feeders following heavy feeders. Cabbage family members or squash are heavy feeders. Peas and beans that are light feeders. When this does not work I will need to keep the crops with all the worst soil problems together which is onions, potatoes, and members of the cabbage family.  Once I get all of my vegetables into groups, which are cucumber family, pea, family, carrot family, onion family, potato family, and unrelated crops. I will  need to keep changing the spaces so the same crops are not grown in the same space. ">