Now while the snow lays thick on the gardens it is time to firm up just what goes where in the garden. This is critical to those concerned about keeping the soil healthy.
Potatoes cannot be planted where potatoes have been in the last 3 seasons and 5 seasons would be best. The Cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, turnip etc) have a similar requirement. Rotating the crops around to meet this requirement is like a big jigsaw puzzle. The picture of the spread sheet is my attempt to log what has been in each plot in the past and what should go in each plot in the new season.
Why is this important? Each crop has different nutritional needs and takes different nutrients, in different quantities out of the soil. Some crops have deep roots and bring nutrients up from a much deeper level then those with shallow roots. Planting the same family of vegetable in the same plot year after year also helps the bad bugs find their dinner much easier! It also promotes diseases that are peculiar to that vegetable and causes them to be persistent in the soils.
So, when one grows vegetables without chemical fertilizers, pesticides & fungicides it is important to change up the game on the bad little bugglies and move their dinners around the garden to confuse them! It also helps ensure the soils stay healthy and soil health is the most important aspect of growing naturally.
So on snowy February Sundays you will often find me with my spread sheets planning the what goes where. It is not as much fun as weeding but it is a job that has to be done!
Potatoes cannot be planted where potatoes have been in the last 3 seasons and 5 seasons would be best. The Cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, turnip etc) have a similar requirement. Rotating the crops around to meet this requirement is like a big jigsaw puzzle. The picture of the spread sheet is my attempt to log what has been in each plot in the past and what should go in each plot in the new season.
Why is this important? Each crop has different nutritional needs and takes different nutrients, in different quantities out of the soil. Some crops have deep roots and bring nutrients up from a much deeper level then those with shallow roots. Planting the same family of vegetable in the same plot year after year also helps the bad bugs find their dinner much easier! It also promotes diseases that are peculiar to that vegetable and causes them to be persistent in the soils.
So, when one grows vegetables without chemical fertilizers, pesticides & fungicides it is important to change up the game on the bad little bugglies and move their dinners around the garden to confuse them! It also helps ensure the soils stay healthy and soil health is the most important aspect of growing naturally.
So on snowy February Sundays you will often find me with my spread sheets planning the what goes where. It is not as much fun as weeding but it is a job that has to be done!
