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| Crop Rotation |
Crop Rotation
The process of crop rotation is used by both amateur and commercial gardeners for one primary reason: to reduce the impact of repeated growing seasons on the same piece of land by the same style of crop. Soil is primarily composed with three key trace nutrients which contribute in different ways to plant growth and development.
Nitrates, Phosphates and Potassium are all required in differing quantities by differing crops and plant species. As a result, it is vitally important to ensure that there is a plentiful supply of these nutrients in the soil at any given time for suitable and productive growth and cropping. A lack of nitrates will be indicated by stunted plant growth and yellowing older leaves. A lack of phosphates will be symptomatic of poor root growth and purple coloured young leaves (in usually green leaved species that is). If there is insufficient potassium in the soil then plants will become yellow, both leaves and eventually stems and will also have dead brown/black spots over the leaves too.
Crop rotation, by virtue of different plants using different amounts of the three key nutrients each season, allows the soil to naturally recover from year to year. In particular, nitrate hungry plants such as those from the cereal family and grasses require occasional crop rotation in order to convert excess nitrogen into ammonia in the soil. This is a achieved by using nitrogen-fixing legumes (such as lupins, peas, beans and lentils) in order to improve the quality of the land in these situations, ready for the next crop of the alternative species the following year.
In the garden, common forms of crop rotation merely involves using one’s common sense and ensuring that crops are rotated accurately and efficiently each year. A key and easy way of doing this is to label the individual plots and number the plant varieties that you wish to continuously grow and then keep a rolling rota of crop rotation. As noted below as an example:
Year 1
Plot 1: By the greenhouse: Carrots
Plot 2: In front of house: Potatoes
Plot 3: Raised veg plot: Runner Beans
Year 2
Plot 1: By the greenhouse: Runner Beans
Plot 2: In front of house: Carrots
Plot 3: Raised veg plot: Potatoes
Year 3
Plot 1: By the greenhouse: Potatoes
Plot 2: In front of house: Runner Beans
Plot 3: Raised veg plot: Carrots
Such a rota for crop rotation in the small scale garden is not difficult nor too time consuming to create and may actually reduce the time spent considering where plots and plants are to be created year upon year. In addition it will ensure that to the best of your ability, you have reduced the strain on the soils in your garden to accommodate the differing needs of the plants and species that you wish to grow. Combined with regular enrichment of the soil too using compost and well rotted manure, the growing and cultivation of your vegetables should be hugely improved using this method. |
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