The Root of it All: Rotating vegetable crops every spring

We try to rotate our plants in our vegetable garden each spring. Is there a preferred method for this? For example: is it best to plant a certain vegetable where the tomatoes were growing the previous summer? What is the best way to rotate vegetables in a small garden?

Although there are plants that can be antagonistic towards other plants because they excrete toxins from their roots, such as black walnut, Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower, what is commonly referred to as "companion planting" is based more on anecdotal evidence rather than research. So it may be that basil and tomatoes really love each other in spaghetti sauce, but there is no research showing that they benefit each other in the garden. Crop rotation and crop succession are best decided by the plant families.

Tomatoes are in the Solanaceae family along with eggplant, pepper, potato and petunia, so don't rotate those plants with each other. They are practically the same plant when it comes to nutrient use, diseases and insects. Something from the Fabaceae, or bean family is a good crop to rotate with tomatoes. There are other crops that can be rotated with tomatoes also.
Cucumbers, melons, squash and gourds are all in the Cucurbitaceae family, so they can also be rotated with either tomatoes, beans or a cool season crop such as broccoli.

Broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower and collards are all in the Brassicaceae family. These are commonly referred to as cole crops, and prefer to be grown in the spring and fall. Their flavors will be much sweeter if developed in the coolness of those seasons, and these plants can handle a hard frost.

Consider doing succession planting in small areas also, to make the most of your space. That is when you start with a cool season vegetable like lettuce, radish, or broccoli, and follow with a warm season vegetable like bush beans. Then, when the weather starts to cool again and the beans are harvested, plant another cool season vegetable such as English peas or carrots.

And to keep your soil as healthy as possible, remember to add good quality compost each year. Think about growing a cover crop such as oats and peas also. After just a few weeks of growth you can turn that cover crop into the soil for many healthful benefits. The peas will provide a substantial nitrogen source and both will increase the organic matter.

Rotation is a good thing to do each season in the vegetable garden, even if your garden area is small. Alternating crop types helps keep nutrients balanced in the soil and can help control the insect and disease population. To do this successfully, it is helpful to know a little about which vegetables are related to one another.

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Home gardeners should make a plan first

In the case of home gardens, planning may not guarantee a more fruitful plot, but it will surely make the process run smoothly with less pests and errors.

Susan Hyland, Master Gardener coordinator for the county's Penn State Cooperative Extension, said anyone considering home gardening should first create a garden layout, choosing the location, the type of garden and the fruit and vegetables to plant.

"Planning will keep you from making errors that can lead to much disappointment and low production," Hyland said, adding that improper planning can "invite a pest and disease problem" if vegetables are planted too close together.

Planning begins with knowing what you want to plant, Hyland said.

"Decide what you're going to eat, what your family is going to eat," Hyland said.

A North Carolina State University extension horticulturist, Larry Bass, warned that it is easy to bite off more than you can chew as a first-time gardener, and suggests that the typical family need only a 25-square-foot plot for a home garden.

The garden should be placed in an area that gets "six to eight hours or better" of direct sunlight a day, Hyland said.
"This is a great time to (pick a spot for a garden) because there are no leaves on the trees, so you can see where the sun is at 8 o'clock in the morning or in the afternoon," Hyland said.
Hyland said it is essential to consider the space required by each plant and what plants "play well with others."
"Some plants just don't do well next to each other," Hyland said.
Incompatible plants placed near each other tend to produce less and often have more disease and insect problems. Some examples include cabbage and tomatoes; beans or peas and onions; potatoes and tomatoes or squash; and peppers and fennel.
Beginning a home garden with a proper plan will also make it easier to keep records to pinpoint success and failure and prepare each successive season's rotation of crops.
"If you at least keep a running record by date or write it on a calendar, you can better plan. In your second year and beyond, crop rotation is essential so that plants can get the required nutrients and to avoid soil-born diseases," Hyland said.
Proper planning can also make the home garden easier to maintain.
"You can make sure you have easy access to water, it's easier to maintain and groom and, of course, pick your fruits to enjoy," Hyland said.
Hyland said cooperative extension staff and other master gardeners can assist those interested in starting a home garden with planning and record keeping. Also, there are many resources available online, although Hyland said sources that end in .gov, .edu or .org are often better than those ending in .com.
"These sites are organizations, government institutions or education institutions, and we hope, we assume, the information is balanced. If you go to a commercial site, they want to sell you something, so they will be

slightly slanted in their recommendations often," Hyland said.
The best place for resources for those new to home gardening, Hyland said, may be the local library.
"Because a lot of people who get into home gardening are looking not to spend money, go to the library. Crop rotation, guides for vegetable gardening, these are as old as man himself. It's all there," Hyland said.
Finally, Hyland said plan for the unexpected guest.
"Plant what you think you'll eat, then plant one more plant in the ground for the rabbits and the deer," Hyland said.
INFOBOX
Susan Hyland, the county's Penn State Cooperative Extension master gardener coordinator, said those planning a home garden should have the following when starting the process:
- Some information on gardening
- Seed packet or information on plant requirements such as light, water, soil depth and spacing
- Graph paper and a pencil
- Calendar with big boxes you can write planting times, varieties and the outcome of that plant
- Measuring tape to find dimensions of planting area
- Compass if you don't know the cardinal directions of your property
- Sun gauge or time to watch the proposed garden area for a few days to determine how much sun falls in that area each day