In most cases, farmers utilize the four-course crop rotation, and for many decades, this rotation had been efficient. However, as the organic gardening movement continues, scientists have been studying the effects of the traditional rotations. Research shows that although the set of fours has numerous benefits, it has some shortcomings. This piloted research into a better set of rotations called the eight crop rotation. The eight-crop rotation is aimed at increasing the benefits of the traditional rotations while at the same time reducing the shortcomings. Whilst, crop rotation provides a way of reducing even weeds in the soil, the gardener may use some of the weeds as food for pet rabbit in the outdoor hutch that you can build using amazing rabbit hutch plans.
Crop rotation is one of the ingenious ways of reducing pest and insect infestation of your crops. The following are the reasons for insisting on crop rotations:
The sight of large fields full of one type of crop ripening in the sun may now be a quintessential part of the countryside, but this mass-production method of cultivating a single species has long been known to cause problems: 1. Large groups of the same crop make an easy target for pests. For this reason, non-organic commercial growers feel compelled to spray the whole area with pesticides.
2. Soil nutrients are depleted when the ground is occupied by a large number of the same type of plant. This problem is compounded if the ground is used for the same crop next season – often the soil becomes so impoverished that artificial fertilizers are needed.
3. Soil subjected to the same mechanical processes year after year will inevitably become compacted. Sourced from: http://www.growveg.com/growguides/crop-rotation.aspx
Crop rotation has numerous benefits to your organic garden; the following are some of the advantages: • Disease Prevention: The main reason to rotate crops is to prevent the spread of plant disease. Disease organisms can build up over time, resulting in eventual crop failure. Rotating crops keeps these organisms in check.
• Insect Control: Crop rotation also helps reduce insect infestations.
• Nutrient Balance: Different families of plants require different nutrients. By rotating your crops, you keep the soil from being depleted and can target soil amendments to keep your garden balanced.
• Nutrient Enhancement: Some plants actually enhance the soil, so rotating them through the garden can produce free organic soil conditioning.
Sourced from: http://www.todayshomeowner.com/vegetable-garden-crop-rotation-made-easy/ The traditional crop rotation involved four rotations of crops from season to the next. The rotations worked as follows:
The traditional advice is well intentioned, but also flawed. It recommends that you divide crops into four main groups as follows:
1. Legumes: Bush, pole, snap, fava and dry beans, peas
2. Root vegetables: radish, carrot, potato, onion, garlic, beet, rutabaga, sweet potato, shallots
3. Leafy greens: spinach, chard, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach
4. Fruit-bearing: tomato, corn, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, eggplant
Sourced from: http://www.growveg.com/growguides/crop-rotation.aspx In Spite of the success of the four-course crop rotations success, the system also had some flaws, which lead to continued research in the area.
Whilst it is certainly beneficial to move crops around, this practice on its own is somewhat hit and miss. What's more, such simplified groups do not tell the whole story, as the growth habit (i.e. root, fruit, leaf etc) does not bear on the classification of the plant. For instance, although they appear radically different, potato and tomato are in fact members of the same family. According to the traditional scheme, one could follow the other, but since they are so closely related, they will attract the same pests and use-up the same nutrients from the soil. To avoid this type of confusion, our garden planning tool uses a more sophisticated classification system, which is convenient color-coded for ease of use:
Sourced from: http://www.growveg.com/growguides/crop-rotation.aspx The solution to the four-course crop rotation was the eight course crop rotations, which gave the soil enough time to regain nutrients before the first crop is planted in the garden.
The eight-crop rotation plan developed by market gardener Eliot Coleman incorporates decades of farm and garden research, and it is a great place to start planning rotations for your garden. In order, Coleman’s plants unfold like this: (1) tomatoes (2) peas (3) cabbage (4) sweet corn (5) potatoes (6) squash (7) root crops (8) beans . If you grow only these eight crops in eight rows or beds, you now have your rotation plan. Simply line up your crops in the right order, and shift them one space over every year.
Sourced from: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/healthy-soil-crop-rotation-zmaz10fmzraw.aspx?PageId=2