Topic: how do you plan a rotation plan if you don't know what has been grown before??

[Sparkly]

I am a newbie to this and should be getting the go-ahead on my allotment by Monday (hopefully!!!!). I was thinking about sketching out a rotation plan today but I am not sure where to start.  Surely what has been grown before will influence this? but what if you don't know what has been there? What should I do? Just set up my rotation plan and hope for the best? Dig up all the allotment totally mixing alot of the soil? Any advice welcome!

[sarah]

its a good question. can you do a bit of detective work.  are there any stray plants left over such as potato or onion lurking. alternatively and perhaps easier would be to ask your allotment neighbour if they recall what was grown last season. maybe the plot hasnt been cultivated for a season or two in which case it wont matter too much. (i know - there may be white rot lurking somewhere but you can only go by what you can gleen.) good luck.

[supersprout]

Hi again sparkly :)

If you're planning your new plot, plan it around you, the veg you want to grow, and to take into account soil variations.

After making a rough plan, take stakes, scissors and string, consider orientation, where you want your shed, greenhouse, paths, compost bins etc. Whoever had the plot before may not have followed a tall/short rotation, (North and South), or have the right areas (we hardly grow any spuds, so I include tomatoes in 'solanums' for rotation. If your soil is in good heart, a season's adjustment shouldn't hurt it. If the worst happens and you find you have e.g. onion rot on part of your plot, the only way to find out is to plant onions there - and 'red flag' the area for the coming season ::) I'd suggest staying with string and stakes for at least one season, as you may want to adjust your layout in the light of experience.

A bit like fitting out a new kitchen when you've bought a house - yes, ideally you'd build it around existing water inlets/outlets, but really you'd design it to meet your needs and consider yourself lucky if the plumbing was in the right place. My advice would be to plan from scratch. Good luck!

SSx

[kt.]

My first year was poor so I covered the plot with 3inches of manure after harvest time and left it for 3 months then rotavated it in, left it for another 2-3 weeks. The following years crop was a greater improvement.

Unless your neighbours can advise it will be pretty much hope for the best. You can get soil testing kits. If you wanted - divide the plot into your different areas and test each. This may help your plan if you want to start so technical. Though the yield of the first year may not be as you hope, the ground will eventually sort itself out as your rotation progresses, and the fruits of your labour will increase.

[Svea]

when i took over my little plot two years ago, ther were a few last plants left, a cabbage here, some parsley there, a bean trench, some oher bits and bobs. i pretty much started from scratch, orientating the beds differently, but when i filled in the rotation groups, kinds of took care to move things on from where i had known they had been. where i didnt know, i filled in as i pleased.

worked great, and now i am in a six yearly rotation cycle..

[Sparkly]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I may jsut go for the 'strings and stakes' approach. The guy that had the plot before was a friend of my other-half's dad so I may be able to get him to give me some information. I was just thinking of the worse-case scenario. I should know by tommorrow whether I can definately get the plot - very excited!!