Giving you the gift of knowledge once again and this month it is the topic of crop rotation of your veggie beds. The concept is pretty simple . . . different types of plants take particular nutrients from the soil and then there are some plants that actually give nutrients back to the soil. In rotating your crops each year, the plant isn’t depleting the soil of that particular nutrient in that location year after year. Besides avoiding nutrient deficiencies in your soil, plants also have specific pests or diseases that can affect them. When you move your crops, the pest or disease isn’t building up in that location.
Here are the 4 types of crops that should be grouped together and rotated each year.
Leafy vegetables
These thrive on nitrogen from the soil. Examples would include lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, broccoli and salad greens.
Fruits
These thrive on phosphorus from the soil. Examples would include tomatoes, melons, cucumbers and peppers
Root Vegetables
These thrive on potassium from the soil. Examples would include carrots, turnips, onions, leeks and radishes.
Soil Cleaners & Builders
These store the nitrogen from the air and then they release it into the soil. Examples of cleaners include things like potatoes and corn and peas and beans are great soil builders.
For ease of mapping in your veggie garden beds, you can use a color coded system like this:
If you follow a pattern of planting leafy vegetables the first year then follow the successive year with fruits, then root plants the year after and then finally your soil builders and cleaners, you’re establishing a good crop rotation system which not only keeps disease at bay but also gives you tomatoes that will be the envy of all of your friend AND you will have healthier soils!
