Easy Peasy Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is falling out of fashion - and I'm glad for it, it used to be a stuffy, over complicated thing. But don't lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater! Both your soil, and your crops appreciate the moving about and mixing of crops.

My crop rotation pattern

This rotation is my simplified version of one I learned many years ago from Kay Baxter. I love it for its flexibility and ease.

GREENCROP ⮕ COMPOST ⮕ HEAVY FEEDER ⮕ LIGHT FEEDER ⮕

1. GREENCROP:
Sow a mix of seasonally appropriate greencrop seed.

2. COMPOST + HEAVY FEEDER
Alliums: onions, leeks, garlic, Brassicacea: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussell sprouts, Corn, Celery, Cucurbits: melons, cucumber, zuchinni, pumpkin, Leafy greens: silverbeet, chard, salads, Solonaceae: tomato, aubergine, pepper, potatoes.

Either plant amongst the standing greencrop by making pockets within, adding compost then planting the seedling. Or, clear the greencrop, spread compost then plant. This works well for direct sowing or for small crops like lettuce and onions.
Both these styles work brilliantly together. For instance you may plant broccoli amongst a greencrop, but along the picking edge, slash the greencrop down and plant leafys', celery and leeks.

3. LIGHT FEEDER
Legumes: peas, beans, broadbeans, Root crops: kumara, carrots, parsnips, beetroot
In good soil (you'll know it's good because growth is fab and your DIY test tells you so), you don't need to add anything before sowing or planting light feeders.
In not so great soil like sand or heavy clay, spread some compost and/or vermicastings before sowing or planting. Aerate first if soil is heavy clay.

This pattern is but a rough guide. Most helpful as a beginner vegie gardener, or if you are transitioning to a more natural way of gardening. It'll steer you in a good direction, but don't stick to it dogmatically!

The main message of my garden ways is to mix crops up together. Rather than growing light after heavy and heavy after green, all three are grown simultaneously - but that takes practice. Start with one after the other, and work your way into altogether. At which point you wont need rotation.

Plan one crop ahead

Good news! You don't need to plan the whole year - all you need do, is plan one crop ahead. Think about it as you start harvesting, what shall I put here next? This gives you time to grow the seedlings or gather the seed.

To help you choose, consider crop rotation, alongside what your dinner table/ pantry most needs and soil health - poor soil shouldn't grow heavy feeders.

• Pay special attention to moving these 3 vegie fam's: brassicacea broccoli, cabbage, mustard, kohlrabi, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, allium onion, garlic, leek and solanaceae tomato, pepper, eggplant. Especially if you are growing in mono culture rows, give the soil a bit of time before growing them on the same spot again, and in that space, grow as big a variety of crops + greencrops as poss.
• Aim to grow, at anyone time, a mix of heavy, light + green crops.

That's it! Don't get hung on the details, just mix and move. Keep a notebook to jog your memory. I always note down what I'm planting and where, cos I love a good record😊. Its interesting looking back and helps me decide what to put where.

Trouble shooting

You'll have a tonne of questions as you go - yay for the learning!
At times you'll feel confused - that's cool, normal even, just don't get stuck there,
take a breath and do the next thing - it's only gardening... the sky's not going to fall on your head if you grow a cabbage after a leek.