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Everyexperienced gardener you talk to will know the principles of croprotation. Basically if you grow the same crop or crop type in the same placeyear after year, you are heading for big trouble. When plant yields start to fall,this is often known as 'soil sickness'.

The pests and diseases which thrive on that particular crop will build up andup, while at the same time the nutrients in the soil willbecome less and lessresulting in weedy sickly plants that are of no use to anyone, and cannot evenbe composted! .Often the end result willbe to dig up and burn the affectedvegetables.

Although you may think the answer is to just throw more chemicals at thebugs to control them, what about the damage to the soil? In most cases, it isthe gradual build up of soil pests like stem and bulb eelworm, and cabbageroot fly which cause the problems. Soil diseases include canker, club root andany of the various virus diseases.

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Most bugs can be seen and squashed, but what about the invisible bugs in thesoil which cannot be controlled so easily? This is where crop rotation comesin. As each particular soil pest and disease only attack a close range of familyplants, growing a different type of crop in that site will help stop the problemsfrom establishing, and building up to damaging numbers.

Crop rotation is also invaluable for allowing the soil to rest and replenishitself, maintaining the soil's fertility. Leguminous crops like peas and beans

. add nitrogen to the soil, so it makes sense to followthese crops with nitrogenhungry Brassicas.

The easiest method of crop rotation is to use raised beds. Not only does thismake the areas to be planted much easier to maintain, but it's also easier tokeep a record of what went where each year.

There are many ideas on how often beds should be rotated. The most basic isthe 3 year rotation, while the most complicated (and confusing) is the 6 yearrotation.

In most allotments, the 3 year plan is often impractical and too inflexible. Noteveryone wants to devote a third of the site to anyone crop, and moreimportantly, crops would only be moved a couple of yards in one direction oranother - not really rotated at all. This'small movement is not enough toprevent the build up of soil pests and diseases, and totally defeats the object ofcrop rotation! Some soil pests and diseases can live longer than just 3 years inthe soil: potato eel worm can survive for up to 6 years while club root andonion white rot up to 20!!

Alwaystry to plan your allotment so that the closelyrelated vegetables aregrown in a different place each year, only returning to the starting point onceevery 4 or 5 years.Where possible, try to group together crops which will be harvested at roughlythe same time. This makes it easier to clear a good sized patch ready for thenext sowing.

Perennial vegetables like rhubarb, asparagus and globe artichokes are best leftout of crop rotations, and should be grouped together out of the way at oneside.

Basic ~ Year Plan

Basic 4 Year Plan

In this 4 bed rotation, 1bed is left either fallow, or has an appropriate greenmanure grown on it.

Yearl Year 2 Year 3 Year 4Bedl Brassicas, inc Beans & Peas Onions & Repeat

Swede & Tomatoes, Roots Year 1Turnip New Potatoes

Bd2 Beans & Peas, Onions & Brassicas, inc RepeatTomatoes, Roots Swede & Year 1New Potatoes Turnip

Bed 3 Onions & Brassicas, inc Beans & Peas, RepeatRoots Swede & Tomatoes, Year 1

Turnip New Potatoes

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3. Year 4Bedl Brassicas, inc Beans &Peas Onions & Leavefallow

Swede & Tomatoes, Roots or grow.Turnip New Potatoes Green

ManureBed 2 Beans &Peas, Onions & Leave fallow Brassicas, inc

Tomatoes, Roots or grow Swede &New Potatoes Green Turnip

ManureBed 3 Onions & Leavefallow Brassicas, inc Beans &Peas,

Roots or grow Swede & Tomatoes,Green Turnip New PotatoesManure

Bed 4 Leavefallow Brassicas, inc Beans &Peas, Onions &or grow Swede & Tomatoes, RootsGreen Turnip New PotatoesManure

Alternate 4 Year Plan

Just because the same crops families cannot be groWnin the same place eachyear doesn't mean that that they cannot be grown together at the same time. Itmakes the best use of the available space to have the same family types withthe same needs together.

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The most economical method of growing plants and vegetables is by usingbeds and raised beds. Because the growing area is contained~all the manureand goodness you put into the soil will only be :usedby the plants you want toencourage.

The typical, traditional method of vegetable gardening is based on a large areaof ground with widely spaced rows within more widely spaced rows. The

. entire area wouldbe carefullydug over,manured and then planted up. Muchof the effort is then wasted when the carefully prepared soil is repeatedlytrodden on when the plants are tended and then harvested.

When using a bed system, the garden is divided into narrow strips which areseparated by permanent pathways. The plants are then grown equally spacedapart across the bed.The standard bed can be any convenient size, although they are usually 3-5feet wide. The general idea is that you can always reach into the centre of thebed from either side, so the actual size ultimately depends on how far you canreach!

There are two types of beds, the standard narrow and the raised type. Theprinciples are exactly the same for both types. The only difference being, asthe name implies, one is higher up than the other. Traditional rai~ed beds

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4Bed! Potatoes Beans &Peas, Cabbage, Carrots, Beet,

Leeks, Winter Turnips,Lettuce Greens Parsnips

Bed2 Beans &Peas, Cabbage, Carrots, Beet, PotatoesLeeks, Winter Turnips,Lettuce Greens Parsnips

Bed 3 Cabbage, Carrots, Beet, Potatoes Beans &Peas,Winter Turnips, Leeks,Greens Parsnips Lettuce

Bed 4 Carrots, Beet, Potatoes Beans &Peas, Cabbage,Turnips, Leeks, WinterParsnips Lettuce Greens

were about 4ft at the base, sloping up to 3ft across the top, with the sideseither level or rounded. Nowadays raised beds are bordered with old railwaysleepers or scaffolding plants.

The main advantages of the bed systems:. All the work can be carried out from the paths, eliminating the

need to tread on the soil, compacting and damaging the soilstructure.

. All the manure and composts are concentrated where thevegetables are being grown instead of benefiting the weeds orfertilising the paths.

. Over the years, the beds will become more and more fertile asthe bulky manures and humus improve and preserve the soil&ructure. .

. Because the soil is more fertile, the crops will be healthier with. stronger root systems.Thiswillboth encouragehigheryields

and improve drought resistance.. Over the course of time, the soil levels in the beds will become

naturally raised due to the addition of all the organic matter,improving drainage which in turn warms the beds up faster inspnng. .

. Time and energy is saved by only digging where the crops will begrown, .

. Regardless of the soil type in the allotment, you will createexactly the right type for what you want to grow,

. Narrow beds can easily be covered with long, low cloches orfleece for added protection

. Crop rotation is easier to plan and maintain. The permanentbeds can be numbered for ease of listing which crops are inwhich beds, and the rotation plans can be made a couple of yearsin advance.

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. The Plant Family Grou~'.

Beetroot Family Beetroot, Quinoa, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Spinach Beet These crops can be fitted in anywhere in aChenopodiaceae rotation plan, as they are not susceptible to

soil pests and diseasesCabbageFamily Broccoli &Calabrese, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, These crops must not follow on from eachCruciferae Kale, Kohl Rabi, Mustard, Radish, Rocket, Swede,Turnip, other. They are all highly susceptible to soil-(Brassicaceae) Agricultural Mustard &Fodder Radish ( used as green borne pests and diseases

manures)Roots (Carrot) Family Carrots, Celery,Fennel, Parsnip, Parsl,ey These crops must not follow on from each_Umbelliferae other. They are all highly susceptible to soil-(Aviaceae) borne pests and diseasesDaisyFamily Chicory/Endive, Jerusalem Artichoke, Lettuce, Salsify & These.crops can be fitted in anywhere in aCompositae Scorzonera rotation plan, as they are not susceptible to(Asteraceae) soil pests and diseasesMarrow Family Cucumber, Marrow &Courgette, Melon, Pumpkin &Squash These crops will fit in anywhere in a rotationCucurbitaceae planOnion Family Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Shallots These crops mtIst not follow on from eachAlliaceae other. They are all highly susceptible to soil-

borne pests and diseasesPea and Bean Family French Beans, Runner Beans, Broad Beans, Peas These crops must not follow on from eachLeguminosae Green Manures: Alfalfa, Field Beans, Clovers, Fenugreek, other. They are all highly susceptible to soil-(Fabaceae) Lupin, Tares, Trefoil borne pests and diseasesPotato Family Aubergine, Pepper, Potatoes, Tomatoes These crops must not follow on from eachSolanaceae other. They are all highly susceptible to soil-

borne pests and diseasesThe "Rest" Sweet Corn These will fit in anywhere

Other Green Manures: Buckwheat, Phacelia, Grazing Rye, Other crops like Asparagus are in permanentAnnual RyeGrass beds and do not apply

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Crop rotation is an important part of allotment cultivation, and mostgardeners are well aware of the hazards of growing the same thing in the sameplace time and again. Pests and soil diseases build up to overwhelmingnumbers, devastating crops for years to come.This is where crop rotation comes in - different plants with different needsand diseases are grown in a different place each year, allowing the soil toreplenish its reserves and strengths for the next growing season. What somepeople don't realise is that it's not just certain crops which cannot be grown inthe same site BUTTHE SAMEFAMILYGROUPScannot be grown after eachother in the same site.

. There are 9 basic family groups. They are:

. ..Chenopodiaceae -SolanaceaeUmbelliferaeAlliaceae.Cucurbitaceae .'

.Leguminosae

CompositaeCruciferaeMiscellaneous

The Beetroot FamilyThe Potato FamilyThe Carrot FamilyThe Onion FamilyThe Marrow FamilyThe Pea & Bean FamilyThe Daisy FamilyThe Cabbage FamilyThe 'Rest'

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