New gardeners often sow for summer without thinking about what comes next. But in gardening, we should always be looking ahead. Planning can be important, though of course we should be flexible and adapt to change, and not stick too rigorously to the plans we make. This combination of planning and flexibility can be challenging for decision making – especially when it comes to crop rotation. In the link, you will find an article I wrote with some practical tips for crop rotation.
One key idea from this article is that, though crop rotation is very important for certain crops – tomato family plants, cabbage family plants, annual onions and certain root crops – it is not essential for all. You can adhere to the practice of crop rotation without being too rigorous. And there are exceptions to be made. Notable exceptions include perennial cabbage family plants, and perennial onion family plants. These can often be grown for several years in a perennial bed.
Another very important thing to understand is that, though it can bring up certain complexities, it is possible to rotate crops and companion plant. In fact, companion planting, like crop rotation, is a key strategy to implement to ensure the long term success of your garden.
There are only a few hard and fast rules about what to plant where, and when. Of course, there are plenty of variations involved. How exactly you should implement your plans depends on where you live and your own specific situation.
Tomorrow, I will share some plans I recently created, and use these to delve a little deeper into crop rotation and companion planting and how to integrate both ideas in annual beds. If you need some help to work out a layout for your garden next year, and in the years to come, please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
EWSP Consultancy 