Crop rotation is the scientifically based alternation of crops and fallow in time and space (or by year and field) or only in time.

The alternation of crops over time is their change over the years on the same field. Field rotation means that each crop in the rotation passes through all the fields in sequence.

Crop rotation is one of the main links in the farming system and represents the basis for all agronomic measures, in particular, tillage systems, fertilizer systems, measures to combat soil erosion, and protection of crops from weeds, diseases and pests.

Crop rotation helps replenish and better utilize soil nutrients and fertilize, improve and maintain favorable physical and biological properties soil, protecting it from water and wind erosion, preventing the spread of weeds, diseases and pests of agricultural crops, reducing the pesticide load on soil, plants and improving ecological state habitat, obtaining high-quality products.

Perennial legumes(clover, alfalfa, sainfoin, etc.) and their mixtures with cereal grasses, which have the ability to increase soil fertility, with good development(in areas of sufficient moisture and with irrigation) serve as an excellent precursor for all agricultural crops (except legumes); are used primarily for the most valuable and productive crops - wheat, cotton, flax, millet, corn, potatoes, etc. Positive aftereffect 3-5 years; with poor development, their value as a predecessor decreases.

Leguminous crops(lupine, vetch, peas, put, china, etc.) with good development shade the soil, improve its structure and choke out weeds; a good predecessor for all spring and winter crops (except for legumes). Positive aftereffect - at least 2 years.

Row crops(potatoes, beets, corn, sunflower, cotton, etc.) varied in biological features. The specifics of their cultivation (multiple inter-row cultivations that clear the soil of weeds and help preserve soil moisture) lead to an increase in the vital activity of beneficial microflora in the soil and improved plant nutrition. Row crops are a good predecessor for all spring grain crops, flax and hemp.

Corn and broad beans for silage, early varieties of potatoes are good predecessors for winter crops. Positive aftereffect - two years.

Winter grain crops(rye, wheat, barley) bush well, shade the soil and inhibit many weeds. Fertilized winter crops are a good predecessor for row crops, perennial grasses, spring grains, legumes, flax, etc.

Technical spinning crops of continuous sowing(flax, hemp, etc.) are demanding on soil fertility, because they use moisture and nutrients from the very top layer; hemp absorbs poorly soluble phosphorus compounds well; with optimal cultivation technology, satisfactory predecessors for cereals and row crops.

Spring spiked and cereal crops of continuous sowing(wheat, barley, oats, millet, buckwheat) remove nutrients from the soil to approximately the same extent, shade it slightly and are often heavily clogged. Satisfactory predecessors for other plants of the same group, as well as for row crops.

Pure (black and early) and drawstring pairs hold up well in spring and summer precipitation, provide successful fight with weeds, enhance the beneficial microbiological activity of the soil, increase the supply of nutrients in it; excellent precursors (especially in arid and semi-arid areas) for winter crops; in Siberian conditions - for spring wheat. The positive aftereffect lasts for at least 2-3 years.

“The wise man cultivates the crops, and the wise man cultivates the land...” (an old proverb)

Is crop rotation possible in the country? Of course, it is possible, although it is quite difficult to ensure it in the small space of our land plots. After all, traditional summer cottage plots are, as a rule, 6 acres of land, of which one hundredth is allocated for a house and outbuildings, 2-3 acres for trees, ridges with strawberries and berry bushes. And so, on the remaining 2-3 acres, we begin to pretend to be smart and change the location of our vegetable plantings, not quite understanding what crop rotation is.

In addition, most often the garden, vegetable garden, flower beds and lawns at the dacha are mixed in the most unimaginable way. Sometimes the owners themselves strive for such “lyrical disorder”, wanting to give their plots uniqueness and special charm.

The charm of the garden, of course, pleases the soul, but those summer residents who gave up on the “scientific approach” in planting placement sooner or later face the problem of soil depletion and, consequently, a decrease in yield. The second misfortune that awaits such gardeners is the increasing contamination of the soil with unwanted plants (weeds) from year to year.

These two reasons force us to look for compromise solutions and move vegetable plants and flowers from time to time.

What does it mean to “rotate crops”? Crop rotation is a scientifically based alternation of crops, based on knowledge of the individual characteristics of the cultivated plants and their relationships with each other.

Where to start drawing up a crop rotation?

You need to start by drawing up a plan of the site, indicating, first of all, its location relative to the cardinal points and drawing large objects. It doesn’t matter whether your site is developed or its development has just begun.

It is useful to put on the plan not only fruit trees, shrubs, the location of ridges with vegetables and flower plants, but also the lighting pattern by time of day, depending on the presence of buildings and tall trees.

One of the important features of agricultural crops is that different kinds plants consume different amounts of nutrients and, accordingly, deplete the soil in different ways.

For example, potatoes and beets from 3 essential elements plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) are extracted almost equally maximum amount potassium, but differ sharply in phosphorus consumption. Beets remove 2 times more phosphorus from the soil than potatoes. Both crops consume nitrogen equally, but less than most other vegetables.

Vegetable crops are divided into 3 groups according to the degree of consumption of soil nutrients:

1. Plants with a high need for nutrients: potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, spinach, rhubarb, celery, asparagus, zucchini.

2. Plants with average nutrient requirements: eggplant, cucumber, kohlrabi, horseradish, melon, leek, radish, beets, spinach, climbing beans, tomato.

3. Plants with low nutritional requirements: bush beans, peas, lettuce, radishes, onions, herbs.

Consequently, the owner of the site, seeking to introduce crop rotation, must divide the drawn up site plan into several parts, usually into 3 or 4.
This is exactly what our family did before the first plantings on the “virgin land” cleared of aspens in the Mshinskaya gardening. We made a plot plan, hung it on the wall, and over the next seasons we tried to return, say, beets or carrots to the same ridge only after 3 years. The most difficult thing at the beginning is to select a piece of virgin land with “rich” soil.

Crop rotation rules

According to the rules of crop rotation, it is recommended to start planting “gluttonous” crops - cucumbers, zucchini or cabbage - in the most fertile area. Naturally, before planting, the usual soil preparation procedure is carried out - the required amount of fertilizers, microelements and ash is added to improve the acidity level. After the end of the season and harvest, it is useful to sow green manure plants in this area, which better than manure increase soil fertility after autumn or spring plowing of their green mass.

The second part of the plot, with less fertile soil, is suitable for onions, radishes, herbs or planting tomatoes (eggplant, peppers), if the greenhouse is not intended for such plants.

Then ridges are allocated for carrots, parsley, beets, turnips, which can give a good harvest even in thin soil. However, for clay soils intended for growing root crops, add a small amount of sand before digging and sowing.

The fourth piece of the garden is devoted to potatoes, where ash and compost or rotted manure are added locally to each hole.

The next year, we plant what grew in the first plot in the fourth. Plants from the second plot are planted in the first plot. And so on, in a circle.

The second individual feature of plants, including vegetables, is the depth of penetration of the root system into the soil. It varies greatly among different cultures. For example, in corn and alfalfa, the roots can penetrate to a depth of 2 m, in tomatoes - a little less than a meter, and in onions, cucumbers, and cabbage, the root system develops in the surface arable layer of soil.

This feature must also be taken into account with proper crop rotation and alternation of crops, so that nutrients from different layers of soil are used more evenly.

In addition, we must not forget that there are crops that enrich the soil with nitrogen. Legumes and some have this property. wild plants. If we take peas as a unit of comparison, then clover increases the nitrogen content by 2.5 times, lupine - a little more (2.7 times), and alfalfa - 5 times!
And finally, when distributing the main vegetable crops on the site, you need to set aside a small area for perennial crops - sorrel, rhubarb, tarragon, lovage, asparagus, perennial onions. These crops are shade-tolerant, so they can be sown near buildings or a fence.

For perennial plants There are periods of maximum productivity, after which the yield drops significantly, which means there is also a need to transplant the plant to another place and return it to its original location no earlier than three to four years, during which the land will “rest.”

Two additional recommendations:

1. Garlic, carrots, onions are vegetable crops that do not tolerate weeds. They need to be planted in a place free of weeds. Good predecessors for such crops would be potatoes, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkins, melons, and tomatoes.

2. It is not recommended to grow nearby crops that are characterized by common diseases and pests. For example, potatoes and tomatoes planted nearby are affected by late blight. And these vegetables are also very undesirable as predecessors for each other.

The influence of plants on each other

With crop rotation, everything is quite clear - it is necessary that the plants do not extract the same crops from the soil. nutrients from the same soil horizon and did not infect each other “inheritedly” with the same diseases. But with the “friendship and enmity” of plants the situation is more complicated, and modern science there is no complete clarity yet. It is known that plants not only absorb, but also release vital waste and protective substances into the soil.
These secretions in some cases turn out to be useful, but in others they can be very unpleasant for another plant. Unlike people, who can, due to mutual antipathy, stop communicating and not meet, plants are doomed to “tolerate” their neighbor for the entire season or even their entire lives.

An example of the first kind of beneficial coexistence is carrots and onion. Both plants can be affected by onion and carrot flies, respectively. But fortunately, the carrot fly cannot stand onions, and the onion fly cannot stand the smell of carrots, and they do not fly at the same time. Therefore, by planting onions and carrots in the same bed, you can successfully grow a good harvest of both.

But a typical example of the opposite situation is tomatoes and cucumbers. Planting them in the same greenhouse or in general nearby is not recommended; neither one nor the other will have a good harvest. Cucumbers need a warm, humid climate, and tomatoes need dry air and good ventilation. In addition, tomatoes release large amounts of ethylene into the air, which depresses cucumbers.

At the same time, it was noticed that when planting cucumbers next to corn, they have a beneficial effect on it.
As you think ahead to the start of the planting season, take a look at the table below:

Crop rotation on summer cottage, table:

Vegetable crop	Friends with...	Enmity with...
Eggplant	peas, beans, potatoes
Peas	eggplants, radishes, potatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, turnips, beans	onions, tomatoes, fennel, garlic
Cabbage	potatoes, onions, lettuce, beets, celery, dill	strawberries, beans, tomatoes, fennel
Potato	peas, eggplant, cabbage, corn, onion, nasturtium, parsley, radish, lettuce, beets, dill, beans, horseradish, garlic	cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, fennel
Carrot	peas, onions, tomatoes	fennel
cucumbers	peas, cabbage, lettuce, dill, beans	potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, fennel
Tomatoes	green crops, cabbage, lettuce, gooseberries, onions, asparagus, beans	potatoes, kohlrabi, cucumbers, peppers, fennel

Currently, it is very popular to arrange decorative vegetable gardens, in which the beds are often shaped like sectors of a circle, where vegetable crops alternate with plantings of flowers and herbs. In such gardens, it is very convenient to carry out a kind of crop rotation every spring by simply shifting one segment clockwise or counterclockwise.

Mixed plantings protect the soil from such a phenomenon as “earth fatigue.” In such plantings, plants are less affected by pests, due to the fact that they simply cannot find them by smell.

Properly selected vegetables in mixed plantings have a beneficial effect on each other and, due to this, grow and develop better. In addition, they greatly decorate the beds, turning them into colorful flower beds.

Personally, I am for a crop rotation in which the combination of vegetables with flowers and herbs leads to harmony of beauty and benefit.

Text: Margarita Turkina

When growing vegetables in garden beds, summer residents sometimes notice that harvests are becoming scarcer from year to year, and the plants themselves are being suppressed. Many people believe that this is due to poor nutrition. This is partly true. But the main reason for the failure is the lack of normal crop rotation vegetable crops when landing. In this article we will analyze all the subtleties and nuances of this important agricultural technique.

Main causes of soil fatigue

By violating the rules of crop rotation when planting vegetable crops in the garden, you cannot count on bountiful harvest. Plants planted in the same place bear fruit poorly and get sick, and applied mineral and organic fertilizers do not solve the problems. And this happens for the following reasons:

• The fertile layer of soil is depleted;
• Pathogenic bacteria and fungi accumulate;
• A large number of pests gather;
• The amount of toxins released by the root system increases.

On soils where for a long time Crop rotation was disrupted, and there was a significant decrease in yield. A vegetable crop planted in the same place over a couple of years deprives the area of ​​a certain set of microelements necessary for successful growth. Since the supply of these elements is limited, the soil is depleted, as a result of which the plants are forced to starve and lose part of the harvest.

Failure to follow the basic rules of crop rotation in the garden leads to the accumulation of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. A striking example of this would be the disease of planted seedlings with blackleg or fusarium. As is known, the causative agents of these diseases are spores of fungi found in the soil. By ignoring the rotation of vegetables, summer residents only contribute to the accumulation of their disputes in upper layers nutritious soil.

If crop rotation does not take into account the predecessors of vegetables when planting, then in addition to the accumulation of diseases in the soil, the army of pests increases. Each group of plants attracts its own pests:

• Bulbous crops attract;
• Solanaceae - Colorado potato beetle and wireworm;
• Many root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beets) - nematode;
• Umbrella crops - carrot flea beetles, carrot flies.

In the absence of alternating vegetable crops in the beds, a huge number of insect pests are concentrated in the soil, always ready to feast on your favorite plants.

Incorrect crop rotation vegetable plants leads to an increase in toxins in the soil. They are formed as a result of the release of colins by the root system. In small concentrations (which is observed when following the rules for alternating vegetable crops in crop rotations), these substances act as growth stimulants. Large concentrations of coline released by the same crop inhibit plant growth, which will affect their yield. This type of toxin, like herbicides, has a selective effect: some plants are inhibited, while others are immune. In the table we have provided a list of plants according to the degree of susceptibility to these toxins:

Table of susceptibility of vegetable crops to colin

ATTENTION: Neglecting the rules for alternating most crops during crop rotation for just a few years can negatively affect the condition of the soil and the plants themselves. To prevent this from happening, you need to know the basic rules for alternating plants.

How to properly organize crop rotation in garden beds

In order to properly organize the rotation of crops in the beds, it is very important to follow three rules:

• Botanical;
• Temporary;
• Fertility.

Guided by the botanical rule, it should be understood that related predecessors of vegetables when planting will only contribute to the oppression of plants. This is due to the following reasons:

• Same need for microelements;
• Identical diseases and pests;
• Similar toxins released by the root system.

Thus, if predecessors take a certain set of microelements from the soil, then subsequent vegetables, when planted within the same family the next year, will not have enough of them for nutrition. Accumulated colins can only be processed by plants of other botanical families.

The situation is similar with pests and diseases. In order to minimize the harm they cause, you should strictly adhere to the rules of crop rotation during crop rotation. In this case, serious damage to the grown vegetables can be avoided.

From this rule the next rule logically follows - temporary. Strict crop rotation implies a long-term absence of vegetables of one botanical group in one bed. The minimum period is 3 years. During this period, thanks to other predecessors, the soil becomes healthier, gets rid of toxins and most pests inherent in one family of plants.

NOTE: For carrots and beets, you should alternate the following vegetable predecessors for 4-5 years: in the first year - green manure, in the second year - cucumbers or cabbage, in the third - green manure again, in the fourth - onions.

Compliance with the rules of fertility during crop rotation allows you to accumulate in the soil the necessary nutrients for a particular vegetable crop. Adhering to this rule, it is very important not to plant nutritionally demanding crops in the same bed for several years. When alternating plants, you should know the characteristics of their predecessors:

• Using some (for example, legumes) you can improve the condition of the soil;
• Others (all) allow you to compensate for the lack of nutrients.

It’s quite difficult to keep all the recommendations for crop rotation in your head. Therefore, it is best to keep a notebook in which you can note which plants were planted where. And for clarity for our readers, we have prepared a table of predecessors, based on which you can successfully alternate vegetables when planting.

Which predecessors are best for vegetables?

What plants should precede when planting vegetables?
	Previous cultures
Culture	Good	Average	Bad
Eggplant	Green manure, Onion, Garlic, Peas, Beans, Cabbage	Greens, Beetroot	Pumpkin, Potatoes, Sunflower
cucumbers	Cabbage, Siderates, Onions, Cabbage, Celery, Tomatoes	Beetroot, Greens	Pumpkin
Tomatoes	Cucumbers, Carrots, Onions, Legumes	Beet	Eggplant, Potatoes, Pepper
Peppers	Cucumbers, Celery, Carrots, Legumes, Onions	Beet	Potatoes, Tomatoes, Eggplants
Potato	Green manure, cabbage, beets	Carrots, Greens, Garlic, Onions	Tomatoes, Eggplants, Potatoes, Physalis
Beet	Beans, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers	Peas	Beetroot, Carrot, Chard, Cabbage
Carrot	Zucchini, Cucumbers, Onions, Tomatoes, Potatoes	Dill, Beetroot, Radish, Cabbage	Beans, Carrots, Parsley
Zucchini	Green manure, Carrots, Radishes, Parsley, Dill, Onion	Beet	Pumpkin, Squash, Watermelons, Melons
Cabbage	Carrots, Green Manure, Beans, Peas, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Squash, Potatoes, Celery	Tomatoes, Salad	Turnip, Radish, Beetroot
Onion garlic	Tomatoes, Siderates, Potatoes, Cucumbers, Peas	Beetroot, Cabbage, Radish, Turnip	Garlic, Onion, Carrot
Peas	Cabbage, Turnips, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Potatoes	Greenery	Soybeans, Beans, Beans, Chickpeas, Lentils
Parsley	Tomatoes, Cucumbers	Peas, Beans, Beans	Carrots, Celery, Parsnips

NOTE: Green manures include green plants that contain large quantities of microelements necessary for nutrition (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), as well as proteins, sugars, and starch. When grown, their root system improves the soil structure. These include: Legumes, Vika, Mustard, Rapeseed, Alfalfa, Clover, Lupine, Oats, Barley, Radish, Buckwheat and others.

Crop rotation is one of the most important agrotechnical rules, which is an indispensable condition for obtaining a good harvest. The rotation of crops in the garden should be carried out taking into account the predecessor, the condition of the soil (acidity, level of fertility, moisture capacity, etc.) and the phytosanitary situation (whether outbreaks of fungal diseases or mass spread of pests have been observed). To improve the health and condition of the soil, it is recommended to include green manure in crop rotation.

Proper crop rotation significantly reduces the risk of plants being affected by various diseases, the process of accumulation of pests in the soil, and in addition increases soil fertility and allows plants to more fully utilize the beneficial substances found in the soil.

When planting vegetables in the same places in a row for several years, soil infections accumulate in the soil with gradual depletion of the soil.

The purpose of changing planting sites is to ensure that previous crops prepare the land for subsequent crops. In this case, the economic and business component is taken into account. For example, it is rational to plant winter garlic or rye, like green manure. And vice versa, it is physically impossible to carry out early spring sowing in the garden after crops are harvested late.

It is also important to take into account the peculiarities of soil cultivation for each crop (in particular, the depth of digging) and the structure of the root system. Garden crops with a deeply penetrating tap root system are planted after crops with a superficial fibrous root system.

We draw up an approximate diagram of a summer cottage with the placement of beds

Experienced summer residents begin preparing for summer season in advance. After placing vegetable crops on the beds in the previous year, a detailed plan for their location is drawn up. This work can be done on a sheet of graph paper and in a special country notebook. You should not rely on your memory, since in 2-3 years everything will get mixed up, and the crop rotation cycle should have 5 years (ideally, it is advisable to return each crop to its original place after 5 seasons).

Having a plan of our plot, we distribute the crops in the beds according to the principle of “getting along”. For example, it is not recommended to place eggplants and tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes, beets and beans in neighboring beds. Onions and carrots, cucumbers and corn, white cabbage and beets will be good neighbors. Zucchini and pepper coexist with all crops.

Since potatoes are often cultivated continuously, to restore fertility and improve the health of the soil it is necessary to use winter crops of green manure (for example, winter rye). We divide the plot into two parts: one is allocated for early potato varieties, the other for late varieties. In the second year, we sow the part of the plot freed up after early potatoes with green manure and the next year we occupy it with late varieties. This creates a simplified version of crop rotation.

It is very convenient to use a pre-prepared crop rotation scheme for 5 years in advance. Below is an example of a diagram for our plot with 16 beds for main crops. It is also worth marking in which bed and in what year fresh manure was applied.

Bed No.	1st year	2nd year	3rd year	4th year	5th year
1	carrot	corn	cucumber	bulb onions	radish and daikon
2	bulb onions	White cabbage		green	zucchini
3	White cabbage	beet	tomatoes	cucumber	peas
4	beet	zucchini	bulb onions	peas	pepper
5	garlic	carrot	zucchini	tomatoes	beet
6	tomatoes	bulb onions	pumpkin	carrot	eggplant
7	pepper	radish and daikon	garlic	zucchini	tomatoes
8	greens (lettuce, dill, parsley)	green	corn	radish and daikon	cucumber
9	radish and daikon	pumpkin	pepper	beet	corn
10	zucchini	eggplant	beans	garlic	pumpkin
11	beans	pepper	radish and daikon	beans	carrot
12	eggplant	cucumber	beet	corn	beans
13	pumpkin	garlic	peas	pepper	White cabbage
14	peas	tomatoes	White cabbage	pumpkin	garlic
15	cucumber	peas	carrot	eggplant	bulb onions
16	corn	beans	eggplant	White cabbage	green

Implement all crop rotation requirements in practice under conditions limited area actually very difficult.

But there are 3 serious mistakes that should not be made:

• return the culture to its original place earlier than after 3 years;
• choose a crop from the same family as a predecessor;
• After root vegetables, plant root vegetables.

It is imperative to take into account the compatibility of crops when planting close together, but sometimes an undesirable proximity may become inevitable. In our example, the eggplant bed is adjacent to tomatoes, which is undesirable from the point of view of the spread of diseases, but the plants themselves do not oppress each other.

When drawing up a crop rotation scheme for vegetable crops, it is necessary to take into account when manure was applied to the site. For example, planted after fresh application of manure, root crops will have a twisted, ugly shape, and the fruits themselves will have low taste.

It is recommended to apply fresh manure to cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkin. Therefore, these crops should be the first in crop rotation after filling the soil with fresh organic matter. In this case, potatoes can only be planted in the third year.

Distribution by families of main vegetable crops

When planning crop rotation, it is necessary to comply with the following condition: vegetables are planted in their original places belonging to the same family at intervals of 3 to 4 years, and the longer this period, the better.

The exceptions are: potatoes, strawberries, beans, which can be planted for years in the same place, provided there are no specialized pests and high degree development of diseases.

With a small garden area, most summer residents are forced to plant individual crops in a permanent place, especially for potatoes, which occupy the largest area on the plot.

In agricultural technology, the following distribution of the main garden crops is accepted into individual main families:

• onion – onions of all types, garlic;
• Solanaceae – physalis, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers;
• legumes – soybeans, beans, peas, beans, peanuts, cowpeas, china;
• umbrella – parsley, carrots, celery, dill, cilantro, cumin;
• cruciferous – radishes, cabbage of all kinds, daikon, radish, turnips, watercress;
• pumpkin – cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, melon, watermelon, squash;
• gonoeaceae – chard, spinach, beets;
• asteraceae – lettuce, sunflower, tarragon, Jerusalem artichoke, artichoke;
• Lamiaceae – marjoram, savory, hyssop, lemon balm, peppermint, basil;
• buckwheat - rhubarb, sorrel.

To prevent one-sided depletion of the soil, planting is alternated taking into account what nutrients they require. In a greatly simplified form, this is the alternation of tops and roots (for example, carrots are planted after cabbage or tomatoes).

After garlic and onions, planting any crops is allowed, but re-sowing them in one place is extremely undesirable.

Predecessor table

Each crop uses a certain amount of nutrients to form a harvest, while releasing toxic substances into the soil as a waste product. Toxins can accumulate and inhibit other vegetable plants. Taking this into account, each species can be grown after certain crops. The following table provides guidelines for selecting a predecessor.

Culture for planting	Previous cultures
	Recommended	Allowed	Excluded
Potato	Pumpkin, legumes, white and cauliflower cabbage	Beets, corn, carrots, onions	Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
Garlic, onion	Tomato, early white and cauliflower cabbage, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin	Pepper, eggplant, corn	Onion garlic
Tomatoes	Pumpkin, legumes, cabbage	Beets, onions, garlic	Potatoes, physalis, tobacco, pepper, eggplant
Cucumber, pumpkin, squash, zucchini	Peas, beans, early potatoes, early white cabbage and cauliflower	Green, tomatoes	Pumpkin
Peas, beans, beans	Cucumber, pumpkin, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes	Corn
Carrot	White cabbage, tomatoes, legumes, onions, cucumber	Garlic, eggplant, pepper	Root parsley, celery
Green and spicy aromatic	Cabbage, pumpkin, legumes	Onions, tomatoes, beets	Parsnips, carrots
Eggplant, pepper	Pumpkin, cabbage, legumes	Beetroot, green	Solanaceae
Table beet	Early potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, early white cabbage	Bulb onions	Carrots, beets
Cabbage	Beets, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, tomatoes	Carrots, pepper	Beetroot, turnip, radish, radish, daikon
vegetable corn	Beets, carrots, greens
Radish and daikon	Undemanding to its predecessor		Cruciferous

Previous, compacted and repeated crops

In small garden plots, it is important to obtain the largest possible yield per unit area. One of the expedient methods for achieving this is joint cultivation, repeated sowings and previous sowing of green manure, which makes it possible to cultivate several garden crops in the same area during one season.

Many vegetable crops ripen from one to three months after sowing. And the seeds of carrots, parsley, parsnips grow very slowly during the first 30-40 days, taking up little space in the garden bed. Unused area can be successfully used for compaction crops.

Re-seeding can be done after harvesting early varieties potatoes and cabbage, which are harvested in early June. Previous crops can be located in planned areas for planting seedlings or heat-loving plants, which are planted about a month later.

Dear owners of personal plots, do you know what crop rotation is in the garden? A table or diagram of the rotation of cultivated plants must be at the disposal of every self-respecting gardener. After all, every spring the question inevitably arises of how to place new plantings on the site.

It has been scientifically proven that following the principles of crop rotation increases productivity by 2 or even 2.5 times. I suggest that you look into this issue together and make a reminder for yourself, which will definitely come in handy while working on personal plot.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel and conduct long-term experiments; it is best to use the conclusions and developments of agronomists, which have long been used on an agricultural scale. This also applies to cucumbers and peppers. This also applies to alternating plantings in the garden.

Why is crop rotation important in the garden?

The table, which is easy to compile, clearly shows the order of crops, but it does not explain the reasons. And they are very serious. The thing is that different plants consume different amounts of mineral compounds during the process of growth and development.

For example, potatoes and cabbage “pull” a very large amount of nutrients from the soil during the growing season. Legumes, on the contrary, are distinguished by the fact that they leave behind a supply of nitrogen in the substrate.

This enrichment of the soil with nitro compounds occurs thanks to nitrogen-fixing (or, as they are more often called, nodule) bacteria living in special education on legume roots. After harvesting, the roots of these plants must be left in the soil - then all the available nitrogen accumulated during the growing season will remain for other plants.

In addition, there is a second significant reason. Continuous cultivation of the same crop in a permanent place leads to an increase in pests and infectious diseases characteristic of this crop. To avoid unnecessary problems, increase productivity and make your work easier, it is advisable to use the principles of crop rotation.

Predecessors of vegetable crops

It has long been noted that common agricultural plants feel great and bear fruit abundantly after certain crops were grown in their place last year. For example:

• potatoes give a good harvest after pumpkin;
• cabbage - after onions;
• carrots - after cabbage;
• beets - after potatoes;
• tomatoes - after zucchini;
• cucumbers - after cabbage;
• onions - after cucumbers.

Based on these plant preferences, you can independently create a chain of sequential cultivation of crops for several years. For example:

First option

in the first year cabbage is grown in the garden,

in the second - carrots,

in the third - tomatoes.

Second option

cabbage – potatoes – beets – zucchini.

Third option

cabbage – onion – pepper – cabbage.

Fourth option

cabbage – cucumber – onion – potatoes.

If you find it problematic to independently monitor patterns and draw up a crop rotation scheme for vegetable crops, then you can use ready-made templates that have been tested many times in practice.

Predecessors of vegetable crops

Table

± valid predecessors; ++ excellent predecessors;

- bad predecessors;

Green manure plants, which are also called “green fertilizers,” require special attention. After them, you can grow almost all vegetable plants. Green manure enriches the soil with valuable nutrients, improves its aeration and mechanical composition. In addition, many plants from this group secrete special substances that retard seed germination, and this is important in relation to the spread and growth of weeds.

All these qualities indicate that green manure plants are ideal as predecessors of vegetable crops. The table does not contain them, because they are beneficial to all crops.

Legumes (peas, beans, beans, lentils, soybeans, chickpeas and others), cereals (barley, millet, rye, wheat, oats and others), cruciferous vegetables (mustard, radish, rapeseed and others), as well as plants from other families (amaranth, buckwheat, mallow and others). Some of these plants (for example, mustard) are useful not only as fertilizer, but also as a remedy against other pests.

Timing of crop return during crop rotation

The table does not reflect the time after which one or another crop can be grown again in this particular bed. But you still need to know how many seasons later you can return a vegetable plant to its original place. These terms are individual for each culture.

For example, potatoes can be re-grown in an old bed after 1 or 2 years, repeated after 3, or better yet, after 4 years. But there are also some garden crops in the range that are not particularly demanding in crop rotation. They can be grown repeatedly in the same bed. Such plants include: lettuce, radishes, dill, onions (when grown for feathers).

If the plot size is small and every square meter is scarce, then inter-row planting can be successfully used. But in this case, it is necessary to take into account the phenomenon of allelopathy, the timing of crop ripening and the presence of common diseases.

So, planting cucumbers can be combined with peas, radishes, cabbage or peppers. And in the spaces between the tomato rows it is beneficial to sow cauliflower, parsley, basil, garlic, celery or lettuce. For zucchini, it is better to take broccoli, corn, beans or spinach as neighbors. And fill the spaces between the potato rows with beans.

Crop rotation in the country and a competent spatio-temporal combination of garden crops greatly facilitate work and increase the yield. These important agricultural practices should not be neglected.

Let the predecessors of vegetable crops, the table, diagrams and all the necessary useful tips on crop rotation in the garden remain in your bookmarks on your computer or in your notebook.

Rich harvests to you!

Ecology of life. Estate: Crop rotation of vegetable crops is the necessary alternation of plants grown in your beds. Crop rotation in the garden should ideally be annual and continuous. This means that nothing should grow in the same place for two or more years in a row!

Crop rotation of vegetable crops is the necessary alternation of plants grown in your beds. Crop rotation in the garden should ideally be annual and continuous. This means that nothing should grow in the same place for two or more years in a row! This, of course, is ideal, and not every summer resident can realize such a utopian vision. However, “Gardener and Ogorodnik” will try to help you in this difficult matter.

We have definitely prepared for you useful diagrams and tables, which you can download, as usual, from the link at the end of the article. For now, let's get down to theory.

Crop rotation of vegetable crops: table for busy gardeners

In general, establishing crop rotation is not a quick task and requires a certain amount of time. This is due to the fact that when alternating crops, it is necessary to take into account quite a few factors: the plant’s need for nutrition, belonging to a biological family, soil contamination by pests, etc. For those who do not have enough time for lengthy calculations and construction of diagrams, we offer a quick and easy solution.

“Crop rotation table: successors and predecessors of vegetables when planting” will help you navigate the choice of plants for a particular garden bed, without going into details. The only thing you need to remember when using it is that the crop can return to its original place after at least 3 to 4 years.

Crop rotation table: successors and predecessors of vegetables when planting

As can be seen from this summary table of crop rotation, there are the best predecessors of vegetable crops, acceptable and bad:

The best predecessors of tomatoes are colored and early cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, greens, carrots and green manure. It is permissible to plant tomatoes after onions, garlic, herbs, beets, late and medium-sized cabbage. After other crops, it is no longer worth planting tomatoes in the garden.

Wonderful predecessors of cabbage are cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and legumes. But then comes the division. Good for late and middle varieties early potatoes and carrots, and for early cabbage and cauliflower it is better to sow after green manure and onions with garlic.

Good predecessors of onions and garlic (which you do not grow for greens) are cauliflower and early cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, early potatoes, peas, beans, beans and green manure.

The best predecessors of cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, etc. are onions, garlic, legumes, corn, early cabbage and cauliflower.

Good predecessors of peas are any cabbage, early potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins and squash.

Excellent predecessors of carrots are cabbage, potatoes, herbs and spices, cucumbers, zucchini and green manure.

The best predecessors of peppers and eggplants are cucumbers, onions, carrots, green manure, etc.

Good predecessors of beets are spices and herbs, potatoes, cucumbers, etc.

Wonderful predecessors of potatoes are zucchini, garlic, legumes, green manure, etc.

It seems that you managed to figure out how the table works without much difficulty. So, the “hurries” leave us, and we move on.

Crop rotation of vegetables in the beds: necessity or whim

For those summer residents who are not limited in time, “Gardener and Ogorodnik” invites them to “dig deeper.” First, let's look at the objective reasons that speak of the undoubted practical benefits and need for crop rotation in the country.

Causes of soil fatigue:

1. Accumulation of pests and pathogens.
If, for example, potatoes are planted in the same place for a long time, then the number of wireworms, Colorado potato beetles and late blight pathogens will inevitably increase in this area. The same is true for other crops. By growing the same vegetables all the time in the same beds, you run the risk of getting onion flies on one, cabbage clubroot on another, carrot flea beetles on another, etc. What can we say about root and leaf nematodes, rot and other “minor” troubles.

2. Accumulation of toxins.
Another reason that speaks of the need for vegetable crop rotation is the inevitable toxic root exudates - colins. Many vegetable crops are very sensitive to their own toxins. If you continue to plant them in one place, the harvests will become worse and worse every year, even despite the absence of pests and diseases. For example, spinach and beets are most susceptible to their root secretions. Parsley, radish, radishes, celery, carrots and pumpkin crops react a little more easily to them. The least affected crops are corn, leeks and legumes. A lot of toxins remain in tomato, cucumber, carrot and cabbage beds.

3. Nutritional needs.
The supply of nutrients on the site is not unlimited. Each plant has its own nutrient requirements. Some cultures are less demanding, while others are more demanding. Therefore, it is very important to know “who is who” in order to track the condition of a particular bed. So, if you plant related plants in the same place, then in a few years they will “suck” out of it everything necessary for growth, depleting the supply of some elements. As a result, productivity will fall.

All these factors together give rise to the so-called soil fatigue. We can and should fight this. The most effective remedy is this very crop rotation of vegetables at your dacha.

Crop rotation in the garden: combating soil depletion

To prevent the horrors described above from becoming a reality at your favorite dacha or plot, it is enough to remember and adhere to three simple rules crop rotation.

1. Rule of botany.
You should never plant not just the same plant one after another, but even related crops belonging to the same species! This is the very first, most important and important thing.
Judge for yourself:
— Their diseases and pests are most often the same. Therefore, the first reason will not be eliminated.
— Their toxins are also similar. Colins of one plant are processed only by cultures of another botanical species. This means that the second reason will remain in place.
— The nutrition and need for microelements in crops of the same family are also almost identical. It turns out that the third reason is here to stay.
Conclusion: Crop rotation of vegetables within the same botanical family is useless!

2. Rule of time.
The longer the culture does not return, the better!
The minimum period after which the plant can be returned to its original place is 3 years. For carrots, parsley, beets, and cucumbers, it is better to increase it to 4-5 years. Cabbage, when clubroot appears, can only be returned after 6-7 years. If there is an opportunity (there is enough space, many crops are grown), then feel free to increase these numbers, it will only get better.
Otherwise, the same three causes of soil fatigue will again not be eliminated.

3. Rule of fertility.
When determining the order of crop rotation in a crop rotation, remember about nutrition and plants that help enrich the soil with the necessary elements.
All crops use nutrients for their growth, some more, some less. Plants that are very demanding on nutrition should not be planted one after another.
Some crops improve the fertile layer by the very fact of their growth in this place. These include almost all legumes. They not only loosen the soil, but also fill it with mineral elements. No wonder many vegetables love them as predecessors. By the way, plants of other species, whose root systems are deep, powerful and developed, also have similar qualities.
Others contain essential substances in their roots and leaves. These plants need to be known and, if possible, composted. Although this is a separate topic, we will still give a few examples.

In accordance with this rule, we advise you, when drawing up the order of alternating crops in a crop rotation, to pay attention not only to the botanical species and timing, but also to the nutritional requirements and improvement of fertility. Thus:
- after each plant that requires nutrition, next year it is worth planting legumes or seriously fertilizing the garden bed,
- after a less demanding vegetable, you can plant a more demanding one, moderately fertilizing the soil.

To make it more convenient to navigate when alternating crops in crop rotation, “Gardener and Gardener” has prepared a special memo for you.

Memo: “What to consider when alternating vegetable crops in crop rotation”

Vegetable crop rotation scheme at the dacha

Giving any options for crop rotation schemes is a waste of time. Each gardener’s dacha plot is unique, which means that few standard crop rotation plans will suit anyone. And it’s not even about the size of the plot or the number of beds. It’s just that the vegetable crops that are cultivated are different for everyone. Someone plants a lot of cabbage different types, and some literally have 5-6 plants. Some people plant 5 acres of potatoes, while for others 5 square meters is enough. meters. Some people plant many crops in a greenhouse, while others have a greenhouse only for tomatoes and cucumbers. Therefore, it is more advisable for each summer resident to independently plan crop rotation and draw up individual schemes for himself.

We outlined the basic principles that should be adhered to above. Now let's step back from the ideal and plunge into reality. Next, “Gardener and Ogorodnik” offers you a list of practical tips on arranging crop rotation.

Crop rotation at a summer cottage: practical advice

1. Human memory is not limitless. Remembering what kind of vegetable was sitting in this garden bed five years ago is an impossible task for most summer residents. Therefore, the first piece of advice is not to be lazy and draw up a plan of your plot with all the beds in a notebook. On this plan, you will mark the planted crops every year. Those with a lot of free time can immediately mark plants that are likely to be planted a year, two or three in advance. For the rest, it will take 5-6 years to draw up a complete crop rotation map (according to the average time of crop return).

2. During the sowing process, decide and write down in your notebook how much space each crop takes up.(a third of the bed, a quarter, half, a whole, etc.). This is necessary so that in the following years you can “put together” suitable plantings, like pieces of a mosaic. After all, it is not necessary to sow the entire garden bed with one crop. If you can plant cabbage and greens after the onions, do so - half a bed of one, half a bed of the second. Just remember to check the compatibility of neighboring plants.

3. If it is not possible to change the place of some culture(well, this happens too), don’t despair. Just add a “neighbor” from another family to her garden bed (don’t forget to check the compatibility table). Thus, self-poisoning plants (beets, spinach, carrots, etc.), which we talked about in the second reason (Accumulation of toxins), can grow in one place completely calmly and without loss in yield for up to 3 years. After all, neighbors of another species are good at processing and absorbing their destructive toxins. Mixed planting works best when it is truly mixed. That is, not half a bed of beets and half a bed of carrots, but a row of this, a row of that. Or better yet, fill the row spaces with the same beans.

Here, perhaps, is all the information you need to organize correct and effective crop rotation at your dacha. The table will help you quickly decide on the crop to be sown. Reminder - plan everything in advance. Practical advice- solve problems that arise during the process. Have a good harvest! published

Source: la57.ru

Great harvest all year round Serikova Galina Alekseevna

Crop rotation - competent alternation of crops

In addition to crop compatibility, a competent gardener should have an understanding of such agrotechnical techniques as crop rotation, and be sure to follow it in your garden. The need to rotate crops is due to the fact that prolonged cultivation of the same vegetables in the same place has a number of consequences. negative consequences, among which we name the following.

1. Deterioration of plant nutrition and as a result, a delay in the growth and development of vegetable crops. This is explained by the fact that plants of the same family, as a rule, need the same nutrients, which they actively remove from the soil, depleting it.

2. Accumulation of harmful microorganisms in the soil - pathogens and pests. If, for example, you designate the same bed for cabbage for a number of years, you can expect that the acidity of the soil will increase and the risk of developing a disease of this crop such as clubroot will increase; if onions are grown in the same place, then it is quite predictable that the number of nematodes, etc., will increase in the soil.

Vegetables belonging to the same botanical family usually suffer from the same pests and diseases that are safe for plants in other families. Therefore, you should not keep not only the same crop in the same bed, but also representatives of the same family, for example, after cabbage, it is not recommended to grow radish, rutabaga, turnips or turnips; if cabbage is affected by clubroot, then it can be returned to its original place after 3–4 years, and the bed can be used for crops of other families; Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers suffer from the same diseases, so they can be planted in their original place no earlier than after 2–3 years; the same applies to carrots, celery, parsley.

3. Soil fatigue. It is almost impossible to name crops that would not affect the composition of the soil in one way or another. But this can be avoided if you ensure regular rotation of crops, or crop rotation. The need for it has a scientific basis and consists in establishing the mechanism of “indirect interaction of plants through the soil.” The influence of the plants of the previous year on the crops planted in the next year is detected in the form of changes in the properties of the soil, which can be enriched or depleted in nutrients, loosened or compacted, etc.

The root system of plants is by no means passive; it functions continuously, stimulating the activity of soil microflora; changing the structure of the soil; carrying out the exchange of substances between plants and soil; releasing organic compounds into the soil (vitamins, sugars, enzymes, hormones, etc.). The latter passes with different intensity in different growing seasons in the life of plants and differently in different cultures. Among the root secretions there are also toxic ones. These are phenolic compounds called colines. The longer a plant stays in the same bed, the more colins accumulate in the soil, and the more pronounced the processes of soil fatigue become. As a result, the culture suffers from its own secretions and gradually degenerates. This applies to the greatest extent to beets and spinach, to the least extent to legumes, leeks, corn, etc. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc. also leave colins in the soil.

It should be noted here that mixed plantings solve the problem of crop rotation in a certain way. If beets and spinach cannot remain in the same bed from year to year, since they are self-poisoned by colins, then if they are grown with compatible crops, the location of beets and spinach can not be changed for several years (we have already mentioned this above ). The explanation for this phenomenon is that partner plants, belonging to other botanical families, are able to absorb root secretions of the main crops, preventing them from accumulating.

There are vegetable plants, the appearance of which signals a lack of one or another substance in the soil. These are indicator plants, for example, beets, cauliflower can indicate a lack of potassium, etc.

4. Degree of nutrient removal. Plants receive nutrition from the soil, and some crops can be called champions for this trait, which inevitably leads to soil depletion. In order of reducing the impact of plants on the soil, they can be arranged in the following sequence:

1) cabbage, carrots, beets;

2) zucchini, tomato, pepper, onion, eggplant;

3) peas, spinach, lettuce;

4) radish, cucumber. Therefore, it matters in what state the soil remains after certain vegetable crops. There are plants that increase soil fertility. A striking example is legumes (beans, peas, beans), on the roots of which there are specific bacteria that are capable of binding nitrogen coming from the air and accumulating it in nodules, and in a form that is most fully absorbed by other plants. (That’s why gardeners don’t pull out legume stems by the roots in the fall, but cut them so that the nodules remain in the soil and enrich it with useful fertilizer.)

Plants with strong, deeply penetrating root systems improve the soil because they are able to absorb useful material from the lower layers of the soil and bring them to the upper layers, where the roots of most garden crops are located. Along the way, they positively change the structure of heavy clay soil, making it more loose and permeable to water and air. Therefore, plants such as buckwheat, rapeseed, caraway and others are excellent predecessors of vegetable plants (we will return to green manure later).

If you constantly plant crops in the same bed that require the same nutrients for nutrition, then one-sided depletion of the soil will occur. To prevent this, it is necessary to observe crop rotation.

Green manure plants grow quickly and can be sown several times during the summer. After mowing, their roots rot in the ground within 1–2 weeks and leave channels that make the soil loose and also facilitate the flow of air and moisture into it.

Crop rotation must be planned , i.e., for each crop, select predecessors, which is determined by various factors, in particular the compatibility of crops, the commonality of the botanical family, susceptibility to certain diseases and pests, the degree of soil depletion, etc. In the process of studying the impact of plants on each other, the most and the least favorable, as well as acceptable precursors for various vegetable crops (Table 10).

Table 10

Precursors for the most common vegetable plants

It will not come to the point of soil depletion if you take at least minimal measures, for example, divide vegetables into three groups and plant them for 3 years, observing the following sequence: the most demanding in terms of nutrition - legumes - the least demanding in terms of nutrition. As an option: legumes can be replaced with crops characterized by an average removal of nutrients from the soil.

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Crop rotation is the order in which crops are grown year by year in a certain area. Even a novice gardener knows that one crop cannot be grown in the same place for a long time. By correctly alternating vegetables in the garden, you can achieve excellent results: increase soil fertility, protect plants from pests and diseases, and improve agricultural technology. It is useful for any gardener to know what crop rotations are and how to create own plan rotation of crops.

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The need to change cultures

The soil in which the same type of plant is grown every year becomes exhausted and yields decline. Crop rotation is designed to prevent soil fatigue. If crops are grown for several years in a row in the same place, the following negative consequences arise:

• Each vegetable uses certain substances for nutrition, so after a few years the soil will become depleted, and the plants will begin to suffer from a lack of necessary elements.
• Pests that overwinter in the soil and attack a certain crop, coming to the surface in the spring, will immediately find plants suitable for them and quickly destroy the plantings. The same applies to diseases.
• The root system of each plant releases certain substances into the soil. After a few years, these compounds will accumulate in the soil and begin to interfere with the development of this species.

Correct crop rotation allows you to:

• restore microflora and natural soil fertility in one year;
• remove the problem of cultural incompatibility;
• increase water permeability and hygroscopicity of the soil;
• rationally distribute organic fertilizers;
• rationally use the area during one season, obtaining several harvests of different crops from the garden;
• clear the soil of perennial and annual weeds.



Crop rotation in organic farming

In organic farming, crop rotation is exclusively important, since this system does not use chemical methods protection and mineral fertilizers. A high yield is achieved not through the use of “chemistry”, but with the help of competent and well-organized agricultural technology.

To maintain crop rotation, the site is divided into three zones. The first is occupied by crops that require soil fertility and require a lot of nutrients: cabbage, pumpkin, celery. In the second zone, legumes are planted, which in organic farming should occupy large areas. These are peas, grain and asparagus beans, beans, peanuts. The third zone is reserved for root crops.

In each zone, crop rotation occurs in next order: demanding crop – legumes – root crops. If you need to include potatoes in your rotation, the rotation will be as follows: potatoes – demanding crop – legumes – root crops. Strawberries can also be put into circulation. Then the garden will have to be divided into 5 zones, and the area occupied by strawberries will have to be planted with potatoes in the fifth year.



Features of monocultures

There are areas where I grow the same crop year after year. Most often these are potato or cabbage plots.

The field should be divided into 3 parts and annually sow each part in turn with green manure - herbs that clear the soil of soil pests and increase fertility. A good green manure for potatoes is winter rye. It is sown in August-September, and in the spring or mid-next year it is incorporated into the soil. The part of the field that is resting this year can be sown with marigolds, calendula, and nasturtium. These plants heal the soil, suppress weeds, and decorate the site. In autumn, after flowering, they are buried to a depth of 15-20 cm.

If there are areas on the site that are heavily overgrown with perennial weeds, you can plant pumpkins in them. This aggressive vegetable crop occupies a large area and large leaves suppresses weeds, preventing them from reaching the light.



Drawing up crop rotation

A gardener can create a crop rotation based on his own needs. This is not a difficult task, you just need to try.

To create a crop rotation you will need:

• make a list of crops that will be grown on the site;
• calculate the number of beds.

To make your work easier, you should create a separate folder. It includes a plan for the garden with outlined beds. Tracing paper is placed on the plan and the types of vegetable crops are written down on it. This way you can easily control predecessors and schedule rotations.

The second way is to make a table of crop rotation in the garden in Word, putting years in the columns. The number of lines must correspond to the number of beds on the site.

To create the simplest crop rotation, you can focus on the belonging of vegetables to botanical families. This is enough for homestead farming, but there are other, more complex options.

Crop rotation by crop groups

Vegetable crops are divided into 4 groups:

• leafy ones, including green onions and cabbage;
• fruit - nightshade, pumpkin and other vegetables grown for their fruits;
• root vegetables, including potatoes and radishes;
• legumes

The rotation of crops on a summer cottage will be as follows:

• bed 1 – fruit;
• bed 2 – root crops;
• bed 3 – legumes;
• bed 4 – leafy.

The next year, the beds move one counterclockwise, that is, the fruit beds go to the fourth, the leaf beds to the third, and so on. It turns out that each crop returns to its old place only after 4 years.

Alternation according to soil fertility requirements

In this case, vegetables are divided into groups depending on their organic needs:

• highly demanding - cabbage, pumpkin, sunflower;
• moderately demanding - nightshade;
• low-demanding - celery;
• undemanding - legumes.

In this crop rotation, humus or compost is applied only to beds with cabbage, pumpkin and sunflowers. Next year, tomatoes and other nightshades are planted in this place. These crops love well-rotted organic matter. In the third year, crops that do not tolerate organic matter are planted. This is primarily carrots. In the fourth year, space is given to legumes - they do not need organic matter at all, they themselves enrich the soil with nitrogen. In the fifth year, organic matter is added to the garden bed, cabbage or pumpkin crops are planted, and the cycle repeats.

Fertilizer requirements of crops

Crop rotation by family

This is the simplest option for crop rotation. The gardener only needs to know which family each vegetable belongs to.

Affiliation garden plants to botanical families:

• Cruciferous vegetables - cabbage, horseradish, radishes, watercress, turnips, mustard greens;
• Celery - carrots, parsnips, celery, parsley, dill;
• Compositae - lettuces (head and lettuce), artichokes, sunflowers;
• Chenopodiaceae – spinach, beets;
• Pumpkin - cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, watermelons, melons;
• Alliums – onions, garlic;
• Nightshades - tomatoes, physalis, eggplants, peppers, potatoes;
• Legumes – peas, beans, beans, soybeans;
• Poagrass – corn.

Plants are returned to their original place no earlier than after 3 years.

Crops are planted in the following sequence: nightshade - legumes - cabbage - umbrellas.

Two more schemes are suitable:

• Pumpkin – legumes – cabbage – goosefoot.
• Solanaceae – legumes – cabbage – goosefoot.

In these crop rotations, onions are planted before winter after nightshades.

Examples of crop rotations

Alternation according to the degree of soil depletion

Each crop extracts the microelements it needs from the soil, and in different proportions.

Table: micronutrient needs of vegetable plants:

Cabbage and root vegetables greatly deplete the soil. Legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen. If, after harvesting grain, you embed the stem and leaves of peas, beans and other legumes into the soil, the earth will be saturated not only with nitrogen, but also with many microelements. Onions, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and eggplants deplete the soil to a moderate degree. Spinach, lettuce, and cucumbers hardly deplete the soil.

For the most demanding crops, the full norm of organic matter is added. The remaining vegetables are fertilized taking into account the aftereffect of the main fertilizer. In the first year, plants remove from the soil 30% of the nitrogen and phosphorus added with manure and half of the potassium. The rest of the nutrients remain in the soil, so applying manure every year is not practical.

Crop rotation may look like this: demanding on fertility – moderately demanding on fertility – undemanding on fertility – enriching the soil.

Alternation by predecessors

This is the most complex type of crop rotation. When compiling it, it is assumed that each plant has good and bad predecessors. If plants are planted after a good predecessor, the yield will increase, but after a bad one, it will sharply decrease. The table will help you create crop rotation.

Table: selection of predecessors:

Predecessor	Cabbage	Carrot	Cucumber		Tomato	Beet	Potato
	Radish, cucumber, peas, carrots, annual herbs	Radish, onion, cucumber	Onions, cabbage, potatoes	Cabbage, radish, cucumber	Carrots, onions, beets	Onion, cucumber, radish	Cucumber, onion
Satisfactory	Onions, garlic, potatoes	Peas, garlic, carrots, potatoes	Radishes, beets, carrots, peas, tomatoes	Beets, onions, zucchini, potatoes, peas	Cucumber, garlic, radish	Peas, garlic, potatoes
Unsuitable	Cabbage, beets, tomato	Tomato, zucchini, beets, cabbage	Cucumber, zucchini	Carrot, tomato	Tomato, zucchini, beets, potatoes, peas, cabbage	Cabbage, tomato, beets, carrots, zucchini	Cabbage, tomato

Potatoes in crop rotation

On small plots it is irrational to include such important culture like potatoes. Potatoes are grown over large areas as a monoculture. To prevent the soil from becoming depleted, a large amount of rotted organic matter and mineral fertilizers are applied to the field annually. Once every few years, the field is sown with green manure to improve the soil health from bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi.

Corn should also be removed from crop rotation. Maize is undemanding when it comes to predecessors and is itself a good predecessor for most crops. However, under corn, the land is quickly depleted and a large amount of organic matter is required annually.

Combination of cultures

Many crops have a short growing season. To rationally use the area, it is necessary to use repeated sowings, placing several crops on one bed during the season. You need to know which crops tolerate the neighborhood and which do not.

Rules for combining plants:

• Peas can be planted next to corn, carrots, cucumbers or strawberries. Peas do not tolerate the proximity of other legumes and cabbage.
• Good neighbors for eggplants are beans, garlic, and spicy herbs. Eggplants tolerate the proximity of strawberries, cucumbers and parsley quite well.
• Zucchini can be planted in the same bed as corn and any legumes. Zucchini is quite tolerant of eggplants, strawberries, sunflowers, garlic and carrots, but they do not tolerate potatoes, tomatoes and radishes.
• Early cabbage can be combined with salad, green beans and carrots. The culture does not like the proximity of peas, onions, parsley and garlic.
• Potatoes go well with beans and spinach. Acceptable crops are cabbage, corn, onions, carrots, garlic. Inadmissible - peas, cucumbers, beets, pumpkins and tomatoes.
• Corn is a good neighbor for most crops, except beets.
• Onions grow well next to carrots, tomatoes, beets and even garlic, but in the same bed with cabbage, dill or beans it will not do well.
• Leeks “love” strawberries and tomatoes, “do not like” peas and onions.
• Perennial onions can be planted in beds with strawberries, carrots, and cucumbers. Not allowed next to legumes and garlic.
• Carrots - can be grown together with tomatoes, garlic, spinach and cabbage. Carrots should not be planted next to beets, dill and beans.
• Cucumbers feel good next to cabbage, beets, beans, and dill. Suitable neighbors for cucumbers are eggplants, strawberries, onions, carrots, garlic and spinach. It is unacceptable to be near potatoes, tomatoes and radishes.

Example of crop rotation with intercropping:

1. 1. First year – cabbage + cucumbers.
2. 2. Second year - tomatoes.
3. 3. Third year – carrots + onions.
4. 4. Fourth year – potatoes.

So, crop rotation of vegetable crops is necessary agrotechnical technique, which allows you to protect plants from pests and diseases and increase productivity. When drawing up crop rotation, you can take into account various factors: belonging to a botanical family, the degree of need for organic matter, the removal of microelements from the soil. There are ready-made crop rotation schemes, but on a small plot it is better to draw up a rotation plan yourself based on the needs of your family.

To families and groups of plants. When compiling tables, the predecessors and neighbors of plants are taken into account. The tables are a guide to action for summer residents.

Crop rotation is necessary for gardeners for rational farming. Its use provides good harvests vegetables, increases soil fertility and provides natural protection for plants from pests and diseases. In nature, everything is balanced, and we should strive for this in the countryside.

Ways to increase productivity

Vegetable plants of the same type consume the same nutrients from the soil, produce similar toxins, and have the same pests. When cultivating plants in a permanent place, the soil is greatly depleted. Pests multiply, diseases become infected, and weeds grow. The soil becomes fatigued and its fertility decreases. It accumulates toxins released by plants. We carry out crop rotation according to tables.

To increase vegetable yields, the following conditions must be met:

No standard and correct scheme crop rotation, since each summer resident grows different crops and in different quantities. Some people plant a lot of potatoes, others grow greens and cucumbers. Therefore, an individual table of vegetable crop rotation in the beds is compiled. To do this, a diagram of the site and a description of the plants grown by summer residents are included in the dacha log. It is advisable to have permanent beds for better crop rotation.

A crop rotation table will make growing vegetables easier. Alternating plants allows the soil to rest, since each crop consumes certain mineral fertilizers. The table takes into account all the properties of plants.

Classification of crops and interaction with soil

Phosphorus fertilizers, compost, and ash must be added to the soil. Crops such as carrots, beets, spinach, dill and celery are undemanding, but the soil must be mulched with compost and potassium supplements added. The fourth group includes plants that saturate the soil with nitrogen and loosen it. : peas and beans. Potatoes and cabbage inhibit the growth of weeds. Cultivation is carried out according to the following principle:

Table 2. Crop rotation in relation to soil

When mixed planting, different requirements for lighting, wind protection, and water requirements are taken into account. mineral fertilizers and timing of ripening. In this case, the interval between vegetable crops must be increased. The use of vegetable crop rotation tables will allow you to obtain high yields and make working in your dacha enjoyable.