5 simple rules for crop rotation

How often have you encountered the fact that, despite all the efforts made, the harvest does not please with abundance? You have diligently raised excellent seedlings, fertilized, watered, weeded all summer, and the result is disheartening? Most likely, the reason is non-compliance with the rules of crop rotation, since this is often the key to success. Let's talk about how simple crop rotation rules can help you succeed.

Crop rotation rules: what is crop rotation

So what is crop rotation? In short, this is the order. You cannot endlessly plant, for example, carrots in the same place - in the first year they took everything they needed from the ground, and every year the soil is depleted, the yield decreases. And another vegetable after carrots in this place will feel great, since it requires completely different nutrients, because everyone prefers certain trace elements.

A similar situation with diseases and pests - something that is dangerous for one plant may not affect another. During the growing season, plant roots not only absorb, but also release substances that can adversely affect plantings in the next season. This must also be taken into account. It is important to know what can be planted after that, this is called predecessor crops.

With this knowledge and following the rules, you will greatly facilitate the life of yourself and the plants, and they, in turn, will delight you with the harvest. So get a notebook where you will write down information about the plantings of each year (there is always a risk of forgetting or getting confused) and proceed.

Alternation of vegetable crops

The earth is restored for 3-4 years, the supply of nutrients is replenished, pathogens die and pests disappear. Only after this time can the plant be planted in its original place. Although there are exceptions to each rule, in this case it is beans and strawberries - they can perfectly grow for several years in the same garden. All other cultures must be alternated.

Since the garden plots are usually not very large, and you want to grow a lot of everything, some people practice the neighborhood of different vegetables in the same garden and sometimes it works - they provide a favorable neighborhood, scare away pests from each other, disinfect the soil, thanks to the secreted phytoncides. But this cannot fully replace the crop rotation, you still have to follow the sequence, but take into account more crops. And besides, not every plant can "be friends" in the garden, sometimes the neighborhood can do more harm than good.

Crop rotation rules: green manure plants

Sideration allows you to preserve and improve fertile land without using fertilizers. There are plant species that, during the growing season, release nutrients into the soil and disinfect it. That is, it turns out that siderates are green fertilizers that enrich the land with nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, and other microelements. There are three groups of green manure and they all have a different effect on the soil.

-Cereals are enriched with nitrogen and potassium, very effective in suppressing weeds. For these purposes, it is recommended to plant wheat, oats or rye.

Cruciferous plants heal the soil, convert phosphorus compounds and make it available to other plants. In this case, plant white mustard or oil radish. But after these plants, do not plant cabbage, as it also belongs to the cruciferous family, which means there will be no harvest.

- Legumes are champions in soil saturation with nitrogen, the soil after them is light, weeds are minimal and the nematode pest disappears. Plant peas, beans, beans, and lupines.

Crop rotation rules: family ties

This is an extremely important point, since when crop rotation it is necessary to take into account the family to which the plant belongs. If you decide to plant cabbage after the turnip next year (seemingly completely different crops), then you will be disappointed - it will feel very bad, since both plants belong to the cruciferous family, therefore, they have the same needs, pests and diseases ... Therefore, let's list and remember these families in order to avoid some mistakes.

- Butter crops: potatoes, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, eggplants - Legumes: lentils, beans, peas, beans, chickpeas, clover

-Umbrella: all types of celery, carrots, cilantro, parsley, dill and fennel. -Pumpkin plants: squash, cucumbers, pumpkin and melon.

-Marevye: beets.

-Cruciferous: all varieties of cabbage, radish, radish, turnip, mustard and horseradish.

-A genus of onions: all types of onions and garlic.

With this classification in front of your eyes, you can easily plan everything and not plant carrots after celery, eggplants after tomatoes, and zucchini after cucumbers, since related predecessors have already taken everything that followers may need from the soil.

Tops and roots

In addition to the family, consider the type of culture. Pay attention to the root system of plants and take this factor into account when crop rotation. Root crops and other plants with a powerful root system loosen the soil, make it more fertile, transferring important trace elements closer to the soil surface. After them, crops with a weak root system grow well, in which the upper part is used for food.

For example, planting beets after cauliflower, you alternate not only crops belonging to different families, but also “tops” and “roots”. Soil requirements. Of course, all plants prefer light fertile soil, but it is impossible to make it so that it is evenly fertile throughout the garden. Somewhere you applied more fertilizers, and somewhere a greedy crop sucked all the juices out of the ground. And this point must also be taken into account when planning landings. Of course, the depleted soil must be fertilized and fed, but while it comes to its senses - plant legumes or root crops there, they will grow on such soil. And place capricious tomatoes, cucumbers, all kinds of cabbage on the best fertile beds. Only all this - taking into account the crop rotation!

In conclusion, I would like to add that adherence to simple rules of crop rotation will not only reduce your labor costs in the battle for the harvest, but will also help over time to abandon a large amount of mineral fertilizers and chemicals. Having studied all the strengths and weaknesses of plants, you will not allow toxins to accumulate in the soil, colonies of harmful insects to develop and minimize the risk of all kinds of diseases. Believe me, this is much easier than it seems at first glance!