The Importance Of Rotating Plants In Your Garden
Most of us in the early planning stages of our 2018 garden season and we all want to have the best harvest, the healthiest plants and more of a bounty than last year. But when that doesn't happen, what do we do? Well, if you're like me...
- A) You swear under your breath.
- B) You research why your tomato plants aren't doing well this year
- C) You begin blaming Mother Nature
- D) You sigh, take the loss of the harvest and swear to yourself that next year will be better
Last year I made a beginners' garden mistake. I planted my tomato plants in the exact same location as the previous year. Why was that a mistake? Let me tell you why...
The top reasons you should rotate your garden plants and crops include decreasing potential pest control and issues, reducing the spread of soil-borne disease and avoiding nutrient depletion and deficiencies in the soil.
My problem with my tomato plants was by planting them in the same location, and not feeding back certain nutrients into the soil, the soil was no longer healthy enough for tomatoes.
According to the YARA data base for growing tomatoes:
Nitrogen is needed at early stages of development to encourage good strong seedling and plant development. Peak requirement is just before flowering. Most Phosphorus is required early on in the plant’s development to ensure good root growth and flowering. Potassium is needed in greater quantities than nitrogen. Calcium is also needed in relatively large quantities. In many situations, it is equally as important as nitrogen. Over 60% of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium taken up by the plant, is utilized by the fruit
So last year's tomato plants, as well as the previous year as I used the same area of the garden for the plants, sucked the phosphorus and potassium from the soil. The plants were doomed from the moment I transplanted them into the ground.
Plans For Change While Considering Crop Rotation
- Since sunflowers are known for eating up the extra nitrogen in soil, they will be planted where the tomato plants were the last two years.
- I will be planting my tomato plants into 5-gallon buckets so I can control the extra nutrients they will need throughout the season
- Same with my pepper plants- they will be 5-gallon buckets as well for the same reason
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In one of my gardening books (The Everything Grow Your Own Vegetables Book by Catherine Abbott- this chart is listed as a way of showing you how to rotate your crops and plants according to the Four Bed Rotation.
I'll be following along with the above chart to reorganize the 2018 garden plan. Now that I have seeds sowed and seedlings sprouting, I'll be working on the new sketch of the proposed garden this weekend.
To be successful this year, I will have to plan carefully.
