Topic: What is the best order for crop rotation?

[kt.]

I have been doing my crop rotation as Potatoes - legumes - brassicas - aliums/misc.  As per a book I read a few years ago.  Now some are books are saying different.....  to put brassicas after potatoes.  My cabbages and caulis are hit and miss, usually small in comparison to some on other plots.  Would I be better changing so my brassicas follow the spuds.  I have never put muck on beds for brassicas,  only ever limed.

[chriscross1966]

potatos followed by brassicas so that the lime from the brassica package dissipates before the next potatoes, then I'd go alliums, legumes then roots..... if it's a four-way then potatos and corn, brassicas and cucurbits, legumes/alliums, carrots/parsnips and fit the salads in with the last two.... manure before spuds, manure if you have some plus lime before brassicas, compost before the legumes/alliums and something like blood fish and bonemeal for everything.....

chrisc

[Trevor_D]

I generally follow early potatoes with winter brassicas, mainly because the brassicas are ready to go in as the potatoes are lifted. Then I follow with roots, as the soil is nice & friable - the early ones go into the beds that had maincrop potatoes; the later roots follow the brassicas. Then I manure and plant peas & beans.

But I bet you get several dozen different answers! The important thing is that the 3 or 4 (or even 5) areas are roughly the same size. If you want to grow the same acreage of potatoes, brassicas & roots, the older systems made sense; most of us don't - and we grow a wider variety of crops (I'm thinking courgettes, sweetcorn, outdoor tomatoes.) than appear as regulars in the old books.

[hopalong]

Most people seem to agree on putting brassicas after potatoes, not before. Potatoes don't like lime - they get scab - so I never follow brassicas with potatoes.  Carrots and parsnips don't like land that has been manured recently - they "fork" - so I wouldn't put them in after potatoes or peas. Some people plant onions and climbing beans in the same place year after year: opinions differ on this, but it seems to work all right on my allotment site. Fast growing salad crops can be slotted spare spaces just about anywhere. Onions, garlic and chives help to keep carrot fly away so they work well with carrots as long as the ground has not been manured.

[1066]

Interesting question ktlawson as I was going to put in some of the early brassicas into 1 of my potato beds, largely because that will be available soonest, and I was going to lime it before hand. So the replies on this post have given me a bit of encouragement.
I have heard that the whole thing about crop rotation is to litterally rotate, and not get too hung up about the exact order. But hey -what do I know- I'm new to this veg growing lark  ;D

[Tee Gee]

I have heard that the whole thing about crop rotation is to litterally rotate, and not get too hung up about the exact order.

I basically agree with the others i.e Brassicas after potatoes because of the liming issue.

But then I go along with 1066 to a point.

A lot might depend upon the space you have and what you plant.

For example each year my brassicas take up roughly twice the area that my potatoes do.

Now to me because I have two allotments this is not a great problem because I can still juggle the rotation without much trouble.

But the same might not apply with someone with minimal space so common sense would have to prevail so don't get hung up about it..............rotate as best you can.

If I faced such a problem I would always keep the following in mind;- potatoes do not like lime, and you shouldn't lime & muck at the same time!

By remembering this you can be a bit more flexible!

[1066]

Tee Gee, appreciate your thoughts on this. re the lime how far in advance would you lime a bed that was going to have brassicas in? Or maybe best put the other way round - whats the minimum of time that I can lime and then plant my brassicas?!

[Tee Gee]

how far in advance would you lime a bed that was going to have brassicas in? Or maybe best put the other way round - whats the minimum of time that I can lime and then plant my brassicas?!

I apply my lime immediately after planting as seen here;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Brassica%20planting/brassica%20planting.html

Others prefer to put the lime down the planting hole and others rake in in weeks & months before.

For reasons I have discussed elsewhere I prefer immediately after planting!

[1066]

Thanks TeeGee - I'll see what happens, and how far ahead I can actually plan! The guys on site seems to rake it in weeks and months before so I'll have a look at how you do it
1066

[daileg]

i was told my a allotment holder in his seventies who has been doing it for at least 50 years told be to apply the lime after you put the brassicas in and have stood up sprinkle a little in a circle around the plant for two reasons keeps the slugs off and stops clubroot

[Tee Gee]

i was told my a allotment holder in his seventies who has been doing it for at least 50 years told be to apply the lime after you put the brassicas in and have stood up sprinkle a little in a circle around the plant for two reasons keeps the slugs off and stops clubroot

Do I know you daileg?

Its sound exactly what I would say plus I fit the other criteria as well! ;D