Keep Track of Crop Rotation - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Rotating your annual crops—even in a small-scale home garden—can help thwart potential gardening woes. If you plant the same crop in the same spot every year, overwintered pests, disease spores and nematodes can build up in that bed’s soil.

The first step to establishing successful rotation practices is to get to know the crop families. Plants should be rotated based on family, because crops in the same family generally have similar nutrient requirements, and they also attract many of the same pests and diseases. Avoid planting crops that are in the same family in the same spot in your garden more often than once every three to four years.

To start keeping simple crop-rotation records, draw out your garden beds on graph paper or in a gardening notebook or journal, and fill in what you’re planting where that season.
Another record-keeping option is to plan your garden with MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ Vegetable Garden Planner (http://www.motherearthnews.com/garden-planner/vegetable-garden-planner.aspx), which can track your crop rotation for you.

If you’d prefer to plan your plot on a mobile device, try the Grow Planner for iPhone or iPad: http://www.motherearthnews.com/grow-planner-gardening-app.aspx

Learn more about crop rotation at: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/crop-rotation-zmvz15amzsor.aspx

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