Crop Rotation

Crop rotation requires a lot more space than is usually available in a backyard, but I can discuss it in concept. It is a natural gardening method that allows the soil to maintain its balance, so it doesn’t get depleted over time due to the repeated cultivation of a crop that makes heavy use of a specific nutrient. Growing crops this way also maintains the general hygiene of the growing medium by controlling weeds, keeping the soil light and airy and discouraging pests and diseases.

A basic crop rotation system consists of four equal size plots and four crop families: legumes, bulbous roots, carrot and tomato types and brassicas. The crops are moved one plot over each year, respecting the order of families listed above; in practice they are more likely to be “rotated”, since vegetable gardens are usually laid out in a grid and not in a line.

Obviously, crop rotation does not apply to perennial vegetables and herbs, and your annual herbs will be fine when grown in the same place year after year.

Crop rotation can get a lot more complex than that, further sorting the vegetable families into six categories instead of four and keeping track of the varying size of the plots that get allotted to different crops. I understand that this tends to get confusing after a few seasons, even when keeping meticulous records of the planting layouts from previous years.