Rotation Rotation!

[photo: my moonglow pear in bloom]

Rotation, rotation.

The old saying in real estate is that what matters is “location, location.” Well what matters in organic gardening is “rotation, rotation!” What is rotation? It is the practice of planting crops of the same family in a different location or garden bed each year, trying to work it out so that the same family does not occupy a bed or area but one out of every 4 years.

Why rotate?

Rotation takes care of two problems, soil fertility and pests/diseases. Members of different plant families are heavier or lighter feeders and some strip the soil of one particular nutrient. Rotating gives you time to get the soil back into shape before that particular crops comes through again.

If you rotate, you may avoid certain pests or diseases. Some pests overwinter in the soil and, when they come up in spring, will be disappointed to not find their fave crop in the same place. Some diseases are soil borne and splash up into the leaves of plants and infect them during watering or a rain (many tomato diseases do this). If you rotate the plant family, there is no nearby susceptible host for the disease to infect.

What plant families should be rotated together? Here are the main ones:

Solanaum: eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes.

Curcubits: cucumbers, squash, gourds, melons

Root crops: carrots, turnips, beets

Brassicas: broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale

Alliums: onions, leeks, garlic.

Cover crops

One part of the rotation, if you can manage it, should be the use of cover crops. In late fall, after harvest, sow some cover crops to help fix nitrogen in the soil, break the soil up below, keep the soil on top from running off in a heavy rain, and provide organic matter for the soil when tilled under. I tend to use clovers, but you can use buckwheat (if you have a tiller to dig it under), vetch or other leguminous plants (legumes, you know, peas and beans- they fix or lock nitrogen into the soil).

Happy gardening!