Topic: Rotation problem

[NightWish]

For various reasons I'm having to down-size and re-organise my plot.  I'm giving up a part of my "annual" growing area which will leave me with various perennial plants and compost bins and the like in one part of the plot and a 10m by 10m area purely for growing annual veg. I'm trying to view this as a positive thing as I think I'll get more produce out of a smaller area if it's better maintained.

However, I've got a crop rotation problem regarding my brassicas.  I either put them where the potatoes have been - but I've always understood that that was wrong because they like a compacted soil.  Or I can put them where the onion/roots were, but that would mean a bit of an overlap with where they have been grown this year.

I'm not sure which option is best.  Could one of you kind folks advise?  Or perhaps I'm overthinking this too much?

[laurieuk]

I know all the books say you should rotate on a 3 year programme but in all my working life I have never worked in a garden where this was possible or wanted. I do not  plant potaoes or brassicas where I have those crops this year but onions and runner beans I had in the same place for about 20 years with no problems and as far as brassicas following potatoes I see no harm in this at all. You might need a little lime but that would depend on your general soil condition.

[Ninnyscrops.]

Thanks for the advice Laurie - always rotated onions and beans and never needed to after all these years  ::)

Ninny

[chriscross1966]

AS long as you don't have a club-root problem then it doesn't really matter....if you lime your brassicas it's a good thing for them to follow spuds, it keeps the lime away from the potatoes...

[kt.]

I follow spuds with alliums,  all my onions leeks etc.   My brassicas follow my alliums.  I usually end up putting my spring cabbage along side my onions due to the quantity of brassicas I grow.  It does not make much difference to crop rotation then as they are always harvested by late spring early summer time.

[cornykev]

My 4 year rotation is Spuds, followed by Aliums then Brassicas then Peas, Beans, Sweetcorn Etc.   ::)

[Bill Door]

My rotation is
1) Potatoes, courgettes and sweetcorn
2) onions and roots
3) Beans peas
4) Cabbages

Seems to work for me.  I do have a problem with the compost fruit bushes.

However, i move the bins around to precede the potatoes.  I have one bin to precede the beans to put in the runner bean trench.

I have been thinking of making a permanent runner bean trench but I think i will miss out on the soil conditioning.

Bill

[NightWish]

You raised a brilliant point about moving the compost bin.  I have 4 Daleks which I've moved from spot to spot on "plot b" which is the perennial and overflow plot.  As parts of plot A are now clear and weeded and empty apart from green manure AND three of the four Daleks have just been emptied it would make sense to move them to potato patch over winter.  Hopefully we'll get a good manure delivery shortly which should fill them for the winter.
Cheers!