No one is going to take away your birthday if you forget to rotate your crops this season. That said, crop rotation is a good habit for gardeners to pick up. When a vegetable such tomatoes are grown in the same garden space year after year, harmful microbes in the soil that are specific to individual plant families can build up.
If tomatoes are planted in the same garden bed the following season, they can attack the next tomato crop or other member of the nightshade family such as peppers, potatoes, and eggplant. The idea is that if you rotate your tomatoes (or other nightshade family member) with a plant species from a different family, the microbes that have the potential to otherwise wipe out your tomatoes will have no effect on a vegetable crop such as beans (legume family). The best scenario is to have a plant family come full circle – back to its original garden spot – only every 3 – 4 years.
Vegetable Plant Families
- Nightshade (Solanaceae) – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers
- Carrot (Umbelliferae) – celery, carrots, parsley
- Legume (Leguminosae) – peas, beans, lentils
- Mustard/Brassica (Cruciferae) – broccoli, caulifower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes
- Sunflower (Compositae) – lettuce, artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes
- Cucurbit (Cucurbitaceae) – pumpkins, melons, squash, gourds, cucumbers
- Allium (Amaryllidaceae) – onions, garlic, leeks
- Goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae) – spinach, Swiss chard, beets
This isn’t to say that if you didn’t rotate your crops this year that they would contract diseases for certain; only that it reduces the possibility. Crop rotation also helps keep the soil’s nutrition balanced. Some veggies such as corn have voracious appetites and really suck the nutrients out of the soil. After the corn harvest, it would be wise to plant that bed with some nitrogen-fixing legumes to drag some food back into the earth. Similarly, you can plant some peas or beans in a garden bed and follow that planting with a nitrogen lover such as broccoli.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Corona® Multi-Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel
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Longer Service Life: The blade of this round small shovel is made of carbon steel, which can effectively improve the hardness by high temperature quenching, and the surface has anti-rust coating to avoid rusting. In the process of use when encountering hard objects will not bend and deformation.
Sturdy Structure: The small garden shovel with D-handle, ergonomically designed grip can increase the grip of the hand when using, the handle is made of strong fiberglass, will not bend and break under heavy pressure. Quick Digging: Well-made digging shovel has a sharp blade, and the round shovel head is designed to easily penetrate the soil and cut quickly while digging to enhance your work efficiency.
Spearhead Shade Gardening Shovel with Steel-Reinforced Fiberglass Handle
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Reduce Digging Effort - The Spear Head Spade is the first hybrid shovel/spade, guaranteed to make your toughest digging up to 80% easier than regular shovels and spades, even in the toughest soil conditions. Ideal for landscaping and gardening.
Multi-Purpose Shovel - Spear Head Spade is a versatile tool that can be used for digging, planting, weeding, cutting, and edging. It is designed to handle tough soil and clay conditions, and can cut through roots and tough vegetation with ease.
Innovative Design - Has a unique blade design that makes it more efficient and easier to use than traditional spades. The blade is shaped like a spearhead, with a pointed tip and a curved edge that allows it to penetrate the soil more easily.
Ergonomic D-Handle - The large, cushioned D-grip offers comfort and better leverage for gloved and ungloved hands alike, reducing strain on the hands and wrists. Lightweight & Strong - Durable handle is made of special steel-reinforced, pultruded fiberglass to withstand heavy use. 60% stronger than EN-3388 shovel/spade standards, 33% thicker and 25% harder than normal shovels. Sharpened from tip to tail at a 35 degree angle for an effective and durable edge.
Plant Covers Freeze Protection 10 ft x 30 ft Floating Row Cover 0.9oz/yd²
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Lightweight and Breathable MATERIAL Good for protecting Plant: the plant frost cover material is 0.74 oz/sq non-woven polypropylene fabric, which is lightweight, breathable, and durable. The plant blanket frost protection allows sunlight reach the plants, perfect for protecting plants from the damage of freeze or frost. Wide Application In your Garden Work. The plant row cover not only can work as a barrier against frost, but also can be a great tool for germination and good for rapid seedling growth. By using the fabric plant covers over your plant, you can start the plant earlier in the spring and extending the growing season of your plants. How to Use the Plant Covers: you can cover the plant covers for freeze over your the plants loosely directly and then secure the plant frost blanket with soil, stones or staples. You can also support the floating row covers with a hoop, make enough room for plants to breath and grow. You could also cut the plant covers into different sizes for different purposes.
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