Rotation
Rotation is critical for keeping diseases and pests from building up in the soil. I have four zones in the back and five in the front. I rotate in this order, using a rotation plan from http://www.growveg.com/growguides/crop-rotation.aspx :
Zone 1 – Solanaceae (tomatoes and potatoes). Enrich soil with compost before planting.
Zone 2 – Umbeliferae (carrots, parsnips, parsley).
Zone 3 – Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, rutabagas). Lime the soil first.
Zone 4 – Legumes (peas and beans).
Zone 5 in front is a freebie that gets included in the rotation.
So the second year, Zone 1 plants get planted into the Zone 2 beds, Zone 2 into the Zone 3 beds, and so on. There are dozens of rotation schedules, so find the one that works best for you and your area, depending on what you will be planting.
In the front, the potatoes follow the parsnips, which follow the cabbage and broccoli, which follow the shelling peas. In the back, the tomatoes follow the carrots, which follow the rutabagas, which follow the yellow (wax) beans. This way, all the Solanaceae or all the Brassica aren’t in the same section of the yard. There is less chance for the spread of disease this way.
Record Keeping
How do I remember what was planted where from year to year? I make a map of both the front and back gardens on graph paper. I have maps going back twenty-five years, all kept in notebooks, so I know not only what was where, but what I planted so I can keep track of the failures. I know. It’s an illness.
