Topic: classification for rotation

[trickydiggy]

Hi, This is my 1st posting. i'm about to strim my 1st ever allotment plot and have been reading about rotating legumes, potatoes, roots and brassicas...what are lettuce,  garlic and onions classed as please?  :-\ 

[norfolklass]

hi trickydiggy and welcome to A4A
finally, a question I can answer! garlic and onions are alliums - some people treat them as a fifth separate group, others include them with one of the other four groups you mentioned. it's usually down to space and choice, I do a five year rotation of potatoes, legumes, brassicas, roots and alliums last.
congrats on getting your 1st plot, I got mine two years ago and I can't imagine life without it ;D

[trickydiggy]

 ;Dthanks norfolk lass for the speedy reply, I'll probably group onions with spuds then, as I believe they're the only group i can't sow in Sept/Oct? (hopefully the weather and new job will allow me to get the plot active by then).

[Susiebelle]

Welcome & well done you. You will never have enough time now you have your lotti but it will bring you great joy :) :)

[trickydiggy]

thanks :D

[caroline7758]

Hi and welcome! You could actually sow overwintering onions in September if you want.

[calendula]

I put my onions into the roots section of rotation and if I am doing 4 it will be spuds (lots of manure), brassicas, roots, legumes and if 3 then legumes, brassicas, roots  :)

[kt.]

what are lettuce, 

Hi & Welcome.  Lettuce are anywhere veg.  Just slot them in where you have a space as they do not belong in any of the rotation groups. ;)

[GodfreyRob]

If you base your crop rotations on botanical family groups (there are 8 main ones) you get a much more flexible rotation scheme. Basically you operate a rotation scheme on each individual bed and don't grow anything from the same family on a bed within 2 years.
I have written a small article about it here:
http://www.thevga.co.uk/the_shed/howto/article2.cgi

Vegetable families are here:
http://www.thevga.co.uk/the_shed/howto/getfamilies.cgi

It really helps of course if you record what you have grown - especially if, like me, you have an unreliable memory ;)

[Tulipa]

I would also add it is worth taking photos, then if you mislay your records you can always look at the photos to see what you grew where.

I am not hinting that you might be forgetful just thinking of what happens to me. ;) :-[ :-[

Enjoy your plot.

T.

[Barnowl]

I photograph my seed trays as well so I have sowing dates.

[cornykev]

Welcome to the madhouse Tricky, I put my onions with my roots, my spud area is too big to mix and it has too much manure in it.  ;D ;D ;D

[Andy H]

I rely on the wife remembering where stuff went! I bet she gets it wrong too.

It is not vitally important with rotation as people think, it just increases the chance of a problem. We are converting one plot to raised beds slowly so rotation is easy to remember as they are numbered.

[electric landlady]

Hi there

I try and operate a 4 bed spuds/aliums'n'roots/brassicas/legumes system but it is slightly messed up by the fact that I seem to grow far more legumes than anything else, so they spill over into the other beds. I always put the carrots in with the aliums as this is said to confuse the carrot fly (and it does seem to work!)

So it's not very strict...but as long as nothing is grown in the same place 2 years running I reckon it'll be OK.

Happy rotating!

[pippy]

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, my plot neighbour always plants his onions in the same place, year after year.   Apparently if you find somewhere they really work for you and there's no sign of disease, the experts say stick to it!  He gets a good crop off the too!!

[saddad]

So did my predecessor and now I have a plot that won't grow onions for a decade... while the white rot dies out....  :-X

[thifasmom]

So did my predecessor and now I have a plot that won't grow onions for a decade... while the white rot dies out....  :-X

Saddad why not try growing them in shallow containers.

[pippy]

Yep ... there go the pigeons!!  Or as an old friend used to say to me "that's prodded the bee hive with the walking stick!"

But seriously - he gets good onions, no problems.  I'm not personally advocating it, but if you are worrying about rotation, they are one crop that you can put into any of the groups.

Sorry about yours tho saddad ... is the whole plot affected?

[tonybloke]

get some shallots in on the autumn equinox!!