Crop rotation

[Oliver Buckle]

Crop rotation usually classes crops as growing types, like root crops, brassicas (Leaf crops), beans and peas (nitrogen fixers) but it was suggested to me that other classes might be equally valid, such as susceptibility of the plants to a particular pest such as leaf miners or aphids, or cultivation method, so crops you trench for like runner beans and celery as a group group. It had never occurred to me before, but I suppose it doesn't matter as long as things go round.

 

[redback]

Crop rotation was also for soil residuals. The famous example is corn, peas, carrots. Because corn is a heavy feeder it could leave the soil bereft of nitrogen, so peas were added for nitrogen. By the time for the next crop came around the soil needed no further fertilizer if you planted carrots that like a well worked soil not particularly rich (or poor) in anything.

To overcome pests the planting of diverse crops to encourage a wide range of predators and pollinators is now considered better than rotating monocultures. The addition of perennials provides long term shelter for a varied eco-system.

The cottage garden of olde looks remarkably like the polyculture 'natural' garden coming into vogue now.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The suggestion was that the rotation could be used to treat other conditions, such as pests, and the gardener could make up soil deficiencies by manuring or fertilising.