What is it? 

Basically it is the name used to describe the system by which similar types of plants are not cropped on the same piece of land on consecutive years.

If possible, the timescale between similar crops should be as long as possible but in reality a gap of three years should be sufficient.

Why do it? 

All plants have different nutrient requirements; also many soil-borne pests and diseases are specific to certain plants.

It makes sense, therefore, to move crops around to stop the depletion of specific nutrients and to stop the build-up of the pests and diseases.

If we insist on repeat cropping, we must increase fertiliser and pesticide applications to maintain production levels – not very eco-friendly.

Also, some crops can benefit the garden: Legumes (peas, beans, etc.) actually produce nitrogen in their roots, which enriches the soil, and potatoes are very good at suppressing weeds. Rotating these crops just spreads that goodness around.

Also, deep rooting of crops, such as carrots, help ensure that the structure of the soil is improved to a good depth, so all in all, crop rotation is a good thing.

How? 

Many books and articles sing the praises of rotations of five or more years. In many cases, however, this is not practical. When you consider that a portion of your plot is likely to be planted with perennial plants (fruit bushes, etc.), we are not going to be left with very large sections. Also we all have our favourites and a small portion of your plot may not be enough for all of your desirables.

Do not worry. Your potatoes have never read a gardening book so they won’t mind.  Aim for a three-year rotation plan. In England, my Dad used to grow some of the best vegetables in town on his allotment with this, very simple rotation plan:

 The allotment was divided into three using rows of fruit bushes. The three sections were then cropped thus:

• Area one – Potatoes. This crop took up a third of his plot. He used to heavily manure prior to planting and he would plant into trenches and then “bank up” the plants as they grew. The plot would be dug again as the potatoes were lifted.

• Area two – Peas, beans, salads and flowers. The peas and beans returned nitrogen to the soil. Fertilisers were added around his flowers (mainly chrysanthemum blooms).

• Area three – Brassicas (cabbage, etc.) and root crops. Apart from liming prior to planting his brassicas, this section relied on the leftovers from the previous crops to sustain them.

The next year the potatoes went into area three, the peas, etc. into area one and the cabbages, etc. into area two.

This simple plan is easily adapted to any garden.

A word of warning!

Tomatoes and peppers are members of the potato family and have to be treated as such, thereby putting more strain on the potato section.

Good news:

Those bastions of the Mediterranean garden – the cucumber, courgette and melon – do not suffer from any specific problems and can be slotted into the plan wherever there is room.

I have not received any feedback from you, the readers, in a long while. This article will be posted on my blogsite: quality-gardens-crete.blogspot.com and I would be pleased to see some comments or questions posted on there.