Crop Rotation Practices by David Schulze, Owner of David's Garden Seeds

In this article we will discuss crop rotation. When we think of crop rotation, we usually think of something that happens in commercial farming. Well, the home gardener needs to practice it as well. We will talk about three areas:

What is crop rotation? In layman's terms, it is the process of not planting the same type of crop in the same place several years in a row. For example, not planting just corn in the same area year after year. Or only carrots in the same area year after year, and so on.

The reason why is that the crop will deplete certain nutrients, including micro-nutrients. After a few seasons the crop will begin to suffer and not grow correctly.

Most people will compensate for this by putting on commercial fertilizers which only exacerbate the situation. This is what farmers did before they know about crop rotation. After a while, they would say the soil had died and move on to the next farm. And repeat the process.

The places that do not need to worry are those that flood because the flood washes away the old and brings in the new. Remember talking about the Nile river and how fertile the land was around it in high school. The floods brought in new life and washed away the old.

The benefit it provides is replenishing the nutrients used by one crop. If crop rotation is not used, there is the possibility of not only depleting nutrients from the soil, but the chance of plants and soil building up non-resistant controls to pest and disease.

The plants and soil become immune to the natural processes of disease and pest resistance. The crop is then susceptible to disease, pests and depletion of soil nutrients. In other words, the soil is dead. But we have learned ways to keep the soil alive.

The first way is just to let the garden area not be used for a season. This will usually revive the soil with needed nutrients. Pests and diseases will die out because there is nothing to eat. I realize that this is not a perfect world.

There will always be disease and pests to deal with. You may have to use organic fungicides, insecticides and fertilizers.

Another way is to use fertilizers that put micro-nutrients back into the soil. We are talking about fertilizers like seaweed, fish and garret's juice. These are what we use. We get these from Medina Agriculture. Most good nurseries carry their products. You can also get them from Amazon.

I am fortunate that they are only 40 miles from me so I can go and pick up what I need. However, because my buying power is not very good, I can only buy for myself. I cannot buy to re-sale.

Practice crop rotation in your garden. Plant different crops of different families in the garden area. For instance, we will plant corn in the spring, carrots in the fall, followed by tomatoes in the spring, beets in the fall and so on.

Making sure we never plant the same family in the same area year after year. And since we have over 16,000 square feet of raised beds, some will sit a season or two with nothing planted in them. We just do not have the people to work them.

Practicing good crop rotation will help keep your garden healthy.