by Sharon Brook

Created on: June 15, 2009

The first step in the rotation of crops requires anyone to divide the vegetable garden into 4 or more planting beds. The size of each bed depends on what plant he/she wishes to grow in that plant bed in the vegetable garden. Plants like lettuce require less space while plants like corn require a lot of space for pollination takes place through air. Be sure to rotate the soil for a plant that requires the type of soil left behind by it's predeceding plant.

If 4 to 5 vegetable planting beds are planned it is best to start planting a crop by first studying its category. Plants like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants which cause a lot of soil infections, pests and diseases should be planted together in one planting bed. After the season when they are harvested, it is best not to use the same soil to grow this category of vegetables for at least 3 more years. It is best to plants like onions, garlic, leek and shallots along with them. Rotate a corn plant in the next year.

Legume plants like legumes like peas, beans, lentils, soybeans, peanuts; cover crops like alfalfa, vetch, and plants like clover, carrots, dill, coriander, parsnips, and course parsley could be planted together in the same bed in the vegetable garden. Legumes and cover plants need fewer nutrients but help to fix nitrogen in the soil to improve the quality of soil. These plants discourage growth of weeds and excess moisture in the soil. Parsley's can be rotated the coming summer after legumes. Plants like Spinach, chard, beets and radishes could be planted with legumes. The same bed could be rotated with plants like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants the next year.

The category of plants like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, and kohlrabi and the cucurbit; Squash, pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers require space and can be planted shortly after the other is harvested. Split them and plant small squash and cucumbers after cabbages have been harvested. Let legumes and parsley be rotated after they are harvested in the same bed of the vegetable garden.

Corn could be the plant in the fourth bed of your vegetable garden. Corn requires a lot of space, water and food. It is also impossible to consume all the corn as soon as it is harvested. So it would be advisable to divide the plot of vegetable garden into 3 to 4 parts and plant them with seeds at intervals of 2 weeks. This could also help wind pollination and more effective crop. Be sure to rotate this bed with cabbages and cucurbit in the next year.

The practice to rotate crops is very essential for each plant to get the effective nutrient it needs. When one crop is harvested, some of the nutrients of the soil in the vegetable garden get depleted, but this would be good to grow another type of plant. Hence it is best to rotate the type of plant grown in a bed at least every other year if not every year.

The best gap to rotate a type of plant is to not grow the same crop for at least 3 years. The maximum could be until 8 years. It is best to assure that the same plant is planted at least 10 feet away from where it was previously planted. To rotate plants in a vegetable garden means a hindrance to garden pests and a healthy and better crop elsewhere. To conclude, learn the tips to rotate plants in your vegetable garden to grow healthy fruits and vegetables.

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