4 plot crop rotation

[davee52uk]

Most vegetable books recommend a three year crop rotation cycle: Legumes - Brassicas - Roots. Unfortunately I have two allotments which have four equal parts to them. Can any one suggest a four year crop rotation? Permanent crops such as soft fruit are in a different part of the plots.

[davee52uk]

[redimp]

I use legumes-brassicas-roots-solanums and fit my squash in whereever.  Sweetcorn goes with my legumes.  Most other things fit in whereever.

[silverbirch]

Do you count potatoes as roots redclanger?  I've wondered about that.  I tend to thinkof them as a start point, they get the manure / compost, followed by brassicas, legumes and roots (carrots etc).

That's in theory mind you.  Like a lot of people I know it all goes to pot because I end up having to shove things in where there's space.

[djbrenton]

I count the onions as a 4th rotation.

[saddad]

Looks like he counts spuds in Solanums as his 4th rotation to me.. Silverbirch
:)

[silverbirch]

Possible saddad!!  Mind you, it is late, and I've had a hard week.

[saddad]

and I've had a couple "" of beers

[djbrenton]

Peasant! I'm on malt whisky, far classier!


I tend to find ( with permanent bean rows) that lettuce etc takes up so little space that onions are more of a rotational equal to poatatoes, brassica and other root crops.


edit - which is why I've just had to add an s to the word whiky  also change the rerst of my post from

I tend to find ( with perm'nent bean rows) that lettuce ect takes up so little spaceercrops.

[grawrc]

Me too dj  - mine's Glenlivet, what's yours?

I do 4 bed rotation. I count the potatoes as one quarter because they take up a lot of space, then follow with roots including alliums, then  legumes and then brassica. I don't grow a lot of brassica so can use their space for lots of things that don't fit in the rotation like sweetcorn and lettuce.

I also have beds for globe artichokes, asparagus, strawberries and rasps/goosegogs/blackcurrants. The rhubarb kind of lurks half between the shed and the fence. :-[

[djbrenton]

In a perfect world mine's Laphraoig ( spelt correctly whilst pi**ed) cask strength with plenty of water.


Hijack over unless grawrc comes back with a better offer.


TBH you can have rotation plans and they all go out of the window when you find out that the 4 groups don't all take up exactly the same space. That's what flowers are for ( as I've explained to my wife when she wants them in the plan to start with)

[grawrc]

Sorry dj: I can't cope with the peaty whiskies any more. I used to really love Talisker but  now prefer the milder Speyside malts.
I probably grow more alliums than anything else but i don't grow that many other root crops. I think rotation needs to be worked out on the basis of what you actually want to grow rather than rules drawn up by others. Nevertheless you need to take others' knowledge into account when you plan given their different nutritional needs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

[Trevor_D]

Yes, I've found that the important bit is getting them covering roughly the same area; and, of course, trying to make sure that as one crop comes out, the next is ready to go in.

I've ended up with:
1 - potatoes, followed by winter brassicas (I don't grow summer ones), leeks, garlic
2 - peas & beans
3 - roots, onions, shallots
4 - tomatoes, sweetcorn, courgettes, squashes
Salads & flowers go in wherever I have gaps. Plus permanent beds for fruit, herbs, asparagus, artichokes. And tomatoes, peppers, aubergines under glass.

I do like the idea of including Scotch in the rotation, by the way. Should it be in a separate group, or should I include it in every rotation? (And if so, will I rotate faster?)

[redimp]

Re-read mine.  Roots includes alliums.  Solanums is potatoes and tomatos - chillis and peppers go in with my legumes.  Hope that clears it up. :)

[grawrc]

I like your rotation Trevor. It's very similar to mine except you've thought through the clever "what comes after?" bits. OK if I use it?

Scotch doesn't do much for the crop rotation but it gets the gardener "birlin'" after a few! ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

I know that there are ideals but, for over 40 years, our things have gone in wherever there is the right space - & not growing the same thing last year.

We get by!

[cornykev]

Four beds for me spuds, brassicas, roots and legumes. You can keep your whiskey I'm a stella man.  :P ;D ;D ;D

[Trevor_D]

I like your rotation Trevor. It's very similar to mine except you've thought through the clever "what comes after?" bits. OK if I use it?

Oh, sorry, didn't know I was clever.... Be my guest.

In practise, there's this grand scheme on paper and, like Tim says, you end up putting things in where - and because - there's a space.

[cleo]

Rotation to prevent disease is an irrelevance on plots less than field size,rotation according to plants nutritional requirements is worth trying though

[bupster]

I start with spuds, followed by peas, beans and lettuce, and onions and leeks, followed by brassicas and then by roots. In practice this means that I plant spuds, peas, beans, onions and leeks, and run out of steam by the time I've got to roots, and also have to replan my plot four times a month...

[Kea]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with rotation. You think you've got it working then you realise something is going to be in long enough to block the next crop you were going to plant there.

The best idea is work the rotation on each plot, just make sure you're not planting up a particular plot with something you grew on it the time before last. It means keeping a record of what you've put where though.