Crop Rotation
Rotating your vegetable crops is very important in maintaining nutrient balance in your soil and ensuring that your plants continue to receive the proper nutrients.
Plants are divided into categories based upon their use of nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth. Heavy feeders use enormous amounts of nitrogen; light feeders a lesser amount; and soil builders add nitrogen (through nitrogen fixation using root bacteria) to the soil.
Rotating crops will help to ensure that all plants from year to year receive the optimal amount of nutrients with the least outside input, and will create healthier soil and plants.
Plants
are
divided into:
1.
Heavy
feeders - These
plants use
enormous amounts of nitrogen in their growth.
Examples are:
asparagus,
broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, kale, lettuce,
okra,
parsley, pumpkins, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, squash - summer &
winter, and
tomatoes.
2. Light feeders - These plants use a lesser amount of nitrogen during their growth.
Examples are: beets,
carrots,
garlic, leeks, mustard, onions, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas,
shallots, sweet
potatoes, Swiss chard, and turnips.
3.
Soil
builders - These
plants
add nitrogen to the soil by nitrogen fixation.
Examples are: alfalfa,
broad beans,
clover, lima beans, peanuts, peas, snap beans, and soybeans.
For crop rotation, it is necessary to cycle planting these plants from year to year. Follow heavy feeder by light feeders the second season and soil builders the third. You may also follow heavy feeders by soil builders then light feeders. Do not follow light feeders with heavy feeders.
Heavy feeders ˆ
Light feeders ˆ
Soil Builders
Or
Heavy feeders ˆ
Soil builders ˆ
Light feeders