Crop rotation on a seasonal dacha: basic rules

Soil depletion is one of the main factors that reduce crop yields. Most often, owners of small gardens have to deal with such a problem. To avoid low fruiting of vegetables, many experienced farmers resort to such a method in summer cottages as crop rotation. For the successful implementation of this principle, a well-thought-out approach and organization is required, which involves the development of some methods of planting plants and the preparation of a plan. Information about this will be considered in our article.

The need for crop rotation

Growing plants of the same type in a permanent place entails a number of negative consequences. This includes:

• deterioration of the structure of the fertile soil layer;
• accumulation of toxic substances released from the root system of plants;
• soil erosion;
• propagation of weed grass;
• the accumulation of pathogens and pests;

Since the roots of individual plants reach different depths, while absorbing the right amount of nutrients, soil depletion occurs unevenly. When planting the same vegetables in one place for several years in a row, the gardener impoverishes a certain layer of the earth and, over time, significantly reduces fruit yield. For this reason, there is a need for crop rotation of vegetables in a summer cottage. One has only to plant a plant whose roots work at a different depth, as it will begin to draw useful elements from this layer of soil and will delight the gardener with its fruiting.

By alternating different plant families, you can achieve the maximum yield of vegetables and turn your garden into a vibrant and lush oasis. There are several options for approaching such a productive farming method. Consider the main crop rotation in the country.

Plant Alternation Methods

Based on their capabilities and preferences, each gardener can choose the appropriate option for annual movements of vegetable plants.

1. The most popular and proven way that many gardeners use is the use of a ready-made table, developed according to the rules of agricultural technology and based on the practical experience of farmers. In this case, the precursor plant serves as a guideline for crop rotation. Since this principle deserves a more detailed consideration, it will be described below.
2. The annual change of place of plants is carried out, given their belonging to a particular family. Vegetables are planted in the following sequence: a bed reserved for tomatoes or eggplant, in the second year they are planted with legumes, and in the third - cruciferous. For the fourth season, you can sow either umbrella or haze crops.
3. Crop rotation on a summer cottage is carried out according to exactingness to the soil, plants are divided into groups: unpretentious (amaryllis, amaranth), needing fertile soil (cruciferous, pumpkin), enriching the earth (siderata, legumes) and less demanding (nightshade).
4. The next method is the class distinction of plants. They are divided into fruit, root vegetables, legumes and leaf. Four sections are prepared, in each of which several types of plants from the same group are placed at once. After fruit next year, root crops are planted, after root crops - legumes. Leafy are replaced by fruit, legumes by leafy. In the third year, root crops are replaced by fruit, and the remaining crops are moved to subsequent beds.
5. When organizing crop rotation of vegetable crops in a summer cottage, their effect on the soil is important. For example, carrots and cabbage significantly deplete the soil. Peas and beans enrich the earth with nitrogen. Cucumbers and tomatoes leave behind various fungal infections and pests. Some plant species contribute to the propagation of weed grass, so this factor must be taken into account. To clean the garden from harmful plants, you can plant pumpkin or eggplant. They have the ability to inhibit weeds.

Where to begin?

Despite the fact that there is a large arsenal of lists and tables compiled by agronomists, it is necessary to create your own crop rotation plan at the summer cottage. You need to draw it on paper and clearly describe the sequence of landings. The list should include only those plants that are grown annually. It would be good to immediately calculate the number of beds used for planting. The most fertile of them should be reserved for demanding crops such as cucumbers, zucchini and cabbage. Complex and organic fertilizers are preliminarily added to them. The drawing must be stored and annually noted in it all sorts of changes, up to the amount of fertilizer applied.

Indicative plan

The way crop rotation will be built on a summer cottage depends on the size of the area and the number of plants to be moved. The latter indicator can vary from 3 to 10 units. The most optimal and easiest option is 4 group sections. In the first season, plants are planted on them in the following sequence:

• 1st bed: intended for fruit, such as zucchini or tomatoes;
• 2nd bed: on it we will place root vegetables, in this case it will be carrots, because she likes to be next to tomatoes and pumpkin;
• 3rd bed: peas and various types of beans;
• 2nd bed: sorrel, salads and other leafy plants.

In subsequent years, the change of place of plants is carried out in a circle with movement to the next section.

Some recommendations

It is impossible to master the principles of crop rotation on a summer cottage, guided only by tables. It is important to know some rules and learn to understand the needs and characteristics of specific plants. Here are a few tips to help you correctly address issues of this kind of gardening:

1. When distributing plants across territories, do not forget to take into account the length and power of the root system. Onions and cucumbers eat in the upper layer of the earth, tomatoes - a little deeper. Corn and alfalfa have long roots. In pepper, the nutrition system is located almost at the surface of the soil.
2. Do not plant nearby plants with the same diseases and pests. They also can not be reckoned with their predecessors. In this regard, cucumbers should be returned to their former garden only after 4-5 years.
3. Peas and beans can successfully grow in one place for about three years.
4. Root crops like well-structured soils. For planting carrots and beets, organic matter is periodically introduced, which is the best baking powder for dense soil.
5. For the rational use of the garden, a crop such as radish is sown between other vegetables.
6. Onions grown on herbs are planted every year in a new place. In order to save land, bumps are created from it, fringing vegetables suitable for compatibility.
7. It is not recommended to leave the beds reserved for rest without plantings; they should be sown with green manure.
8. Perennial leafy plants are best placed along the edges of the beds, taking into account their positive effect on vegetables.
9. For potatoes, you need to allocate a separate place and alternate it with sideral plants.

Joint landing

The techniques of mixed landings significantly increase the efficiency of crop rotation at the summer cottage. As a rule, satellite plants are planted in rows between the main ones. In this case, agrotechnical tables should be used, taking into account the demands of plants for lighting. Solanaceae, cucumbers and beans love to grow in comprehensively lit areas. In partial shade, onions, beets, carrots and cabbage feel great. With a lack of light, leafy crops and cabbage can grow.

Aromatic herbs are often auxiliary crops, since they have a specific odor that repels pests. Such a neighborhood confuses insects - they cannot find the desired culture and leave the beds.

Suitable predecessors

And finally, it's time to study the precursors that have various effects on vegetables. We find it appropriate to consider individually the effect of crop rotation on vegetables. A summer cottage or a garden on which a successive alternation of plants will take place should be divided into zones according to the level of fertility. In the first year, vegetables are planted, focusing on this factor, and then use the general rules of crop rotation.

• Potatoes. Absorbs a large amount of phosphorus and potassium. To replenish the supply of these trace elements, before planting potatoes, the soil is enriched with peas, rape, mustard, rye and phacelia. Tuber crops can be multiplied by pumpkins planted in one garden.
• Cabbage. No cruciferous crop is a good precursor for cabbage, as it accumulates many pests. For her, the best plants are carrots, cucumbers and onions, from green manure - rape and phacelia. You can not plant cabbage in one section with tomatoes, parsley and beans.
• Cucumbers Positive influential plants include potatoes, onions, celery. It is good to plant cucumbers after legumes, as they provide the earth with a sufficient dose of nitrogen.
• Tomatoes It is better to alternate them with root crops. It was noted that a plentiful harvest of tomatoes can be obtained after cultivating carrots or potatoes.
• Carrot. Cabbage, tomatoes, beets and cucumbers are excellent precursors for carrots. To protect the beds with an orange vegetable from a carrot fly and a tick, onions are planted in the aisles.
• Beet. It belongs to the most unpretentious root crops and is a good follower of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions.
• Pepper. Picky in the choice of predecessors, develops well after almost all types of vegetables. Only cabbage and potatoes can have a negative effect on peppers. But after it you can plant any vegetables. This is possible thanks to its root system, which pulls nutrients from the surface layer of the earth.
• Garlic and onions develop well after carrots, beans, peas and potatoes.

Strawberry

It is unlikely that when drawing up a crop rotation plan on a personal plot, a summer resident will exclude everyone's favorite strawberries. Novice gardeners should find out what conditions this valuable berry prefers. If we talk about predecessors, then they should not be demanding on the ground. A strawberry transplant is done once every four years. A suitable co-culture for her is garlic. It releases phytoncide substances into the soil and has a healthy effect on the soil, and also protects it from slugs. Since strawberries too deplete the soil, after it you need to plant plants that are able to restore it. Beans or flowers are ideal.

Garden plot organization

As for fruit bushes, when planting them, it is first necessary to take into account compatibility with other berries. If raspberries are placed next to strawberries, this will spread their common diseases and pests.

Invaluable help with the methods of crop rotation on the garden plot is provided by flowers. In addition to decorating the garden and garden beds, colorful plants protect vegetables from various pests. For quite some time, the co-cultivation of flowers such as nasturtium, marigolds, matthiol and calendula came into the rules of agriculture. Medicinal chamomile helps to fight the whitewash on cabbage bushes. Nasturtium is best sown with plants affected by whiteflies. Calendula is able to protect the beds with eggplant and potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle. Marigolds scare away weevils and onion flies.

The chaotic placement of trees on the site leads to loss of yield. For example, a powerful cherry root system can do tremendous damage to neighboring plants, it is better to plant it separately from other trees. But the combination of peach with raspberries gives positive results. Many fruits can be obtained from the neighborhood of apricot with plum or from an apple tree with a pear.

Practical tips

If you ignore some of the nuances, then crop rotation on the site will not bring benefits. Although farming is a pleasant pastime, it is impossible to get real satisfaction from it without the expected results. Therefore, efforts must be made to get the maximum yield from your chosen vegetables. Each garden plot is individual, and you need to give preference only to those plants that grow well on it. Experienced gardeners know that it is better to purchase seeds of crops adapted to local climatic conditions. For example, in cold regions, you should not spend time and effort on cultivating heat-loving vegetables. After all, they can be purchased on the market, and the free area is occupied by garlic, onions or beets. In areas with a dry and hot climate, it would be advisable to allocate territory for growing watermelons.

Conclusion

With the competent organization of crop rotation in the country, the yield increases almost twice. Use the tables of experienced gardeners and get fruits grown by yourself. At the same time, do not forget about joint planting and the role of flowers in gardening.