rotation question

[STHLMgreen]

This is the first year i'll have my allotment. I read about the 'three sisters' corn, squash and beans thing. How does this work with crop rotation? Don't beans have to move around?

I've also read different groupings for the rotation. What grouping do you guys actually use?

Thanks!

[STHLMgreen]

[Estcourt]

If you just go to search at top of home page and then type 'crop rotation' this will get you loads of info1

[okra]

I use a four crop rotation

1. spuds = heavily manured and followed by a green manure
2.legumes and brassicas - manure liberally and lime heavily
3. roots - compost and mulch
4. toms, marrows, onion, spinach, lettuce, sweetcorn ect - well rotted compost, mulch and feed

1234 - 2341, 3412, 4123 etc

[Robert_Brenchley]

You'd rotate the three sisters along with everything else.

[veggie lover]

This is my first year too ;D   I am using a 3 bed rotation which will comprise of:
1) Legumes and onions: Peas, Beans, garlic, salad crops
2) Roots:  Potatoes,Carrots, beetroot, parsnips..... will probably put leeks in here after 1st early pots out!
as a long term crop ready for legumes and onions which will follow!
3) Brassica's: Cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccali, cauliflower.

I am going to try growing Butternut squash under my sweetcorn but not sure how well it will do ??? I will probably do this in my brassica bed as it has been manured and will have more space...i hope!

Each person has their own ways of working their crops and indeed i have met many that have given up rotating altogether as they say it is impossible :-\ but i can't understand this myself but then im only a newbe so what do i know :-\
Hope this helps

[kitten]

We're using four rotation beds, groupings as follows:
1. Potato family (incl. tomatoes)
2. Legumes
3. Brassicas
4. Onions & Roots

I'm gonna slot all my non-rotation crops in where they will fit, and then probably carry them on round each year (so they're with the same crops each time) unless there's a good reason not to?  I know i'm a total newbie, but I'd probably put your 3 sisters thingy in with the legumes so the beans rotate each year.

Good luck, would love to see some pictures of this in practise! x

[okra]

Kitten, never tried tomatoes with spuds - do you plant them in between spud rows?

[wattapain]

Thought the usual way was
Pots, Roots, Legs, & Bras


Toms & pots are both susceptible to blight though, so I thought they should be kept well apart even though they're both members of the same family.
Terri  8)

[supersprout]

If you just go to search at top of home page and then type 'crop rotation' this will get you loads of info1

ditto if you type in 'three sisters'! :)

[kenkew]

Group 1 the root crop. These include things like potato, (parsnip, swede, - although some put these with brassica's )celery and salsify.
Group 2 should follow Group 1. This group includes the legume family, peas and beans. You could also include onions and leeks.
Group 3 follows Group 2. This group is the brassica's and includes cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and Brussels sprouts.
This is a basic 3 year rotation plan and you need only manure ahead of potatoes

[moonbells]

rotate with beans. The squash and corn are 'neutrals' to a certain extent, and though it's good practice to rotate them onto different areas each year, they don't fit precisely with any of the main groups described by other posters. That leaves the beans, so your three sisters goes with the legume rotation.

The one thing I would say to watch out for is smut, a nasty corn problem where kernels swell up to huge proportions and are full of grey-black fungus. It's a delicacy in Mexico apparently, but won't half wreck your sweetcorn crop. It's a five-year 'avoid the area' if you get it, and it prefers hot dry conditions. If we have a very hot year, there'll be a fair bit about. If you catch it before the swellings pop, then you're ok.

I've now got three beds which are in quarantine, though thankfully two of them come out of it next year.

moonbells

[kitten]

Hi okra, I've absolutely no idea what I'm doing to be honest as it's our first year on the allotment, and I've only ever grown tomatoes & cuc's in pots before.

I've just been reading a few books, reading a lot of threads on here ( :o ) and making the rest up as I go along  ???.

I'm following what Susan Berger's book Allotment Gardening says re rotation.  It gives the four groupings as I previously mentioned, in that order, and puts tomatoes, aubergines & peppers in the same group as potatoes, saying that they all benefit from the addition of organic matter, which will in turn benefit the legumes the following year.

I suppose we'll find out later in the year if we've done the right things, and if not we'll make some changes next year.  Looking forward to all the learning tho'  ;)

[sarah]

dont put yourself down kitten, the first year on the plot is a steep learning curve and your rotation logic is sound - tomatoes are indeed the same family as potaotes, and that is the very reason why they are suceptible (sp) to blight and therefore need to be kept at some distance.  i agree with others about putting the three sisters into the bean group.  and yes butternuts work fine under sweetcorn. 

[manicscousers]

and, by the way, kitten, we're all still learning, there's really no right way to do things, just personal prefernces, mother nature can mess up even the best laid plans  :)

[kitten]

Phew, i'm so glad there's no right way to do things lol, at least if i've got a good reason, then my way will be as good as any  ;D  ;)  ;D

[okra]

there always room to try something new - I will try some toms and peppers with the spuds and see what happens

[kt.]

If you PM details, I can email you with what I am doing this year. It is all done in MS word document format.

[OliveOil]

I have legumes, brassicas, roots, pots and onions... no idea where i should move what yet but my rotation year will be at the end of this season so no panic yet.

[Sparkly]

If you PM details, I can email you with what I am doing this year. It is all done in MS word document format.

ooo would you extend that offer in this direction?

[kt.]

If you PM details, I can email you with what I am doing this year. It is all done in MS word document format.

ooo would you extend that offer in this direction?

Will do. You need to PM email address via this site.