HI 5 ROD HERE
DID ANYONE PICK UP THE BIT ON G.W.
ABOUT NOT PLANTING POTATOES AFTER
CABBAGE BECUASE OF THE LIME LEFT IN
THE GROUND. THE ROTATION I USE IS
POTATOES,ROOTS,BEAN,CABBAGE. SO WHAT
ROTATION WAS THAT HE WAS GOING USE.
DOES ANYBODY USE A DIFFENT ROTATION
we use the same as you, with squash after potatoes but our carrots and parsnips have their own beds, the turnips, kohl rabi and swede are grown in with the brassicas and beetroot goes wherever I can find room, with the peas this year so we don't have a root bed..it's worked for us for years so won't be changing anytime soon ;D
Me too. Pots, roots, legumes. brassica. The potatoes and the roots (in which I include onions) take up more space than the other two. We eat humungous quantities of onions and garlic.
I manure for the potatoes and the beans alternate years. I usually test the soil before adding lime though. Not too keen on lime really.
The potatoes open up the soil nicely for carrots and parsnips and the nitrogen from the beans is there for the cabbage.
I noticed that as well. With three beds I rotate potatoes, Alliums & legumes, Brassicas & 3 sisters.
I don't lime the bed unless it needs it but I do grow my brassica's in pots, and add lime to the growing and planting out compost.
I would nearly always be putting in the brassicas AFTER the spuds, never the other way round, so for me it is usually (although not always as some veg need separate and special attention) spuds, brassicas, roots, legumes
I don't use lime by itself, I use loads of mushroom compost which contains a small amount of lime overwinter, and then use Calcified Seaweed before planting out and planting holes for brassicas.
I also have a different rotation because I grow a lot of overwintered alliums and not so many roots, and always have squashes or late flowers to follow on from potatoes in the same season. My plot roughly has 5 areas (plus 1 permanent fruit area) so my rotation is;
Alliums
Potatoes
Legumes & Roots
Brassicas
Others (Sweetcorn, tomatoes, salad, melons/cucumbers, squash)
I manure heavily before potatoes and 'Others', use spent compost over the roots bed, mushroom compost before brassicas....works for me! ;D
some legumes don't like a lot of manure, peas for example, like a bit of lime
Yes I'm putting down a load of mushroom compost on the brassica beds just as soon as it arrives.
I don't actually think the order of rotation is critical: it is more important that you do rotate.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/schools_organic_network/leaflets/CropRotation.pdf (http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/schools_organic_network/leaflets/CropRotation.pdf) Good info on the HDRA website.
Mine is: [legumes, sweetcorn, peppers, winter squash] - [brassicas] - [roots, alliums, summer squash] - [solanums].
I think that it is better to grow the brassicas after the potatoes, not only because of the lime issue-it really marks the potato skins-, but also it avoids the problem of overwintering brassicas holding up the planting of the potatoes.