Crop rotation of vegetable crops. Predecessors and neighbors of vegetables in the beds Alternation of crops in crop rotation

One of the most effective methods increasing crop yields and maintaining soil fertility is considered crop rotation. This technique is used in natural organic crop production. Unfortunately, not all summer residents pay due attention to this, some out of ignorance, and others because of their unwillingness to pay a little more attention to the beds. Crop rotation requires the maintenance of a special journal in which you need to draw a plan for placing the beds and mark each crop planted on them. Records should be kept constantly, and not everyone wants to do such accounting.

Understanding Development Features various kinds crops will help convince summer residents to pay due attention to this issue.

If negative factors accumulate in the ground for a long period of time, then you should not expect a good harvest even if the rest of the rules of agronomy are followed.

The number of crops in crop rotations can vary from three to ten. On personal plots, growers try to grow a complete list of various vegetables; in most cases, the crop rotation includes up to six, seven, or eight crops.

A few general rules for compiling a crop rotation

It is impossible to make a universal crop rotation for all occasions. In order to facilitate the compilation of crop rotation for each summer resident, we first consider general rules, and then we will talk about their application to specific crops.

1. It is forbidden for several years in a row to plant not only the same vegetables, but also plants of a general type on the same bed. Crop rotation within the same family is inefficient.

   

2. The longer the period of time the plant does not return to its former place of growth, the better for it and for the earth.
3. When compiling a crop rotation, it is necessary to take into account the name of the mineral substances that were used by the predecessors and prevent their repetition.

   

4. It is not advisable to leave land on the beds free from crops for rest. Then it is strongly recommended to use green manure - the soil not only rests and recovers, but is also enriched. In addition, if desired, it is possible to harvest these crops.

   

Recommended alternation considering predecessors

This is the easiest way to make a crop rotation. But with its help, you can significantly increase productivity. The table lists the most commonly grown vegetables and gives recommendations for acceptable predecessors.

Due to the fact that potatoes for the most part occupy large areas, it can be excluded from the crop rotation. In some areas, it can grow up to 5 years, while you only need to change different varieties.

Additional Notes

Zucchini and eggplant perfectly inhibit the growth of weeds, they can be used as biological weeding. In the old garden, plants should be sown no earlier than three years later. It is imperative to observe crop rotation.

1. Up to three years, all legumes can be planted in one place. In addition, these are very effective green manures.

   

2. For a bow on a feather, it is better to choose a new place every year.
3. Cucumbers are very afraid of bacterial diseases; plants can be returned to the previous bed in 3-4 years.

   

4. For radishes, you should not allocate a separate bed, it grows well in the aisles.
5. Table beets and carrots grow better on light soils, organic fertilizers should be applied to improve the structure.

   

Permissible combination of crops during crop rotations

In small areas, in order to increase the collection, crop rotations can be made with the combination of the following crops:

• peas can be sown together with carrots;
• completely harmonize zucchini with herbs and onions;
• sow cabbage with carrots, salads, beans;
• ordinary onion with tomatoes, beets and carrots;
• cucumbers are combined with cabbage and legumes;
• radish goes well with legumes and carrots;
• tomatoes grow well with parsley and peas;
• table red beets can be sown with onions.

For example, on one bed, you can sow cucumbers and cabbage for the first year, only tomatoes the next year, carrots and onions a year later, after which the entire bed can be given over to potatoes. This is just one example, in each case you need to choose your cultures depending on the need.

What you need to know when compiling a crop rotation

No culture compatibility table can provide comprehensive answers to all questions of interest. There are no and cannot be two completely identical household plots. In order to competently resolve issues in any situation, you need to understand the main principles of compiling crop rotations. What to look for during self-compilation of crop rotation?

Correct rotation of crops grown by groups

All plants can be conditionally divided into several large groups. Such a classification is far from scientific, but it greatly simplifies planning for ordinary summer residents. Plants are leafy, leaves are removed as a crop, for example, salads. The second conditional species is fruit. These are not apples and plums, but cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. Another large group is root crops: potatoes, beets. And the last legume: beans, beans.

Optimal cultivation in the beds: fruit vegetables - root crops - legumes - leafy plants. Then, every year, the crops “move” to neighboring beds, and so on until the full circle. It is very desirable to make one bed separately for green manure, but not every summer resident can afford it.

Rotation of crops depending on the need for nutrients

We have already mentioned that each crop depletes the soil differently, this must be taken into account when planning a crop rotation. Cabbage and pumpkin require the most nutrients, followed by nightshade, greens need the least minerals. And finally, legumes enrich the soil on their own.

On their roots, special outgrowths with bacteria are formed, in which a large amount of easily digestible nitrogen accumulates.

Crop rotation should take these characteristics into account, crops that require the maximum amount of nutrients to develop should be sown after legumes. Of course, species incompatibility must also be taken into account.

How to proceed in practice, so that the compilation of the correct crop rotation does not take much time and brings pleasure? For joy, only one thing is needed - an increase in the yield of beds. And to save time, there are a few tips on how to properly arrange a crop rotation.

Consider what and how much you would like to grow in your beds. How many family members do you have and what do they prefer to eat, what practical yield can be obtained from the beds. At the same time, do not plan the maximum possible; in practice, you are unlikely to achieve such results. Depending on these data, approximately determine the size of the beds for each crop.

Another important point is economic. Work on a personal plot should not only bring moral satisfaction, but also material profit. Grow crops taking into account the properties of the earth and the climatic zone. For example, if you live in a zone with a cold climate, then it is not advisable to try to grow heat-loving plants. Not worth it due to several bell peppers or a tomato to occupy the ground. It is better to buy them in the store, and plant beets, onions, garlic, etc. on the vacated area.

Draw a site plan on a piece of paper, breaking it down into beds (taking into account the above tips). Consider the location of crops depending on the light. Most summer residents have various fruit trees and bushes, the shade from them has a significant impact on growing conditions, place crops in such a way that light-loving ones do not end up in the shade. Make several copies of the site plan, broken down by beds, each year should have its own plan. You should not hope that the placement of crops will be remembered, practice shows that this is not the case.

Mark the name of the crops on the plan every year. It is desirable to indicate the yield and the amount of fertilizer applied in the context of active ingredients. There are times when you need to change the size of the beds for certain crops. This is not a problem, just change their location, length and width on the plan.

If there is a need to expand or reduce the list of vegetables, then always pay attention to the compatibility table. At the same time, it is desirable to take into account which nutrients prefer plants and what is left in the soil after predecessors.

To facilitate the compilation of crop rotation, it is recommended to place plants in a certain order by species according to the recommendations described above, and then move them one position annually. The first bed will become the second, the second the third, and the last the first. Depending on the number of beds and the list of crops, the complete turnover of plants at the location takes place over several years.

We hope that the information will help to correctly draw up a crop rotation and thereby increase the yield of the beds and preserve the fertility of the land.

Video - Crop rotation at their summer cottage

Crop rotation involves the successive cultivation of different cultivated plants in the same area. For many summer residents, this causes inconvenience, and they neglect this rule. Is it really necessary to observe crop rotation, what advantages does it give?

Why crop rotation is needed:

1. If from year to year to plant the same crop (or similar) on permanent place, then an excessive amount of harmful microorganisms, bacteria and insect larvae will accumulate in the soil, which in the future will damage crop plants more, thereby reducing the overall yield.
2. Related plants use the same nutrients for nutrition. When re-planting (without a break) in the same place, a similar culture will lack nutrition, which will negatively affect its development.
3. The root system of plants releases toxins into the soil, which drastically reduce the quality of the soil for related crops.

Such negative factors accumulate gradually. Without crop rotation, the soil becomes poorer every year. Even the application of fertilizers will not fully save the situation.

Crop rotation rules

First, let's look at the general rules:

• For several years, it is impossible to plant not only the same vegetables, but also related crops in one area. For the same reason, it is pointless to carry out crop rotation between plants belonging to the same family.
• Try not to return the crop to its original place of cultivation for as long as possible.
• Do not leave unused areas that fall out of the crop rotation. Sow green manure on them to enrich the soil.

Planning should begin by making a list of all the annual vegetable crops that you plant on the site.

The next step is to calculate the number of beds that will be required for crop rotation from the compiled list. It is important to find a balance here - you can plant up to 70% of the territory with potatoes, and allocate only 30% for the rest of the plants taken together. In this case, potatoes should be excluded from the crop rotation.

As practice has shown, it is most convenient to divide the garden into 4-5 parts.

Compatibility table

Good luck with your harvest!

Crop rotation necessary condition to collect a high and high-quality crop of vegetables, and for this, in fact, every summer resident and work on his land. Few observe it, often complaining about the small size of the garden. Don't despair little one household plot this is not a problem, arm yourself with a piece of paper and a pencil, make a list of crops to plant.

Most plants in the same place cannot be grown several years in a row. The exceptions are tomatoes, beans, potatoes and strawberries. Cultures of the same family are also unacceptable to grow one after another. The vegetable is returned to its original place only after 3-4 years. An exception is if cultures are alternated with.

Crop rotation is the rotation of crops to improve soil fertility and protect plants from pests and diseases.

Before you begin to sow the garden, draw a diagram of the beds on paper. Make a list of vegetables and herbs. Decide on the number of beds and be sure to make a “Year” column (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020…).

At the dacha, the crop rotation system allows you to:

• Let the soil rest. Plants growing annually in one place draw certain nutrients from the soil, over time they become less and gradual depletion begins, the crop is reduced. When you replace one crop with another, while applying top dressing, soil resources are restored, while giving away other nutrients.
• Destroy pests naturally. Per holiday season pests and pathogens characteristic of plants appear in the soil. By alternating vegetable crops of different families, these pests and diseases will not be dangerous, and in a few years there will be no trace of them at all. So, growing onions for several years in a row in one place, nematodes appear in the soil, and cabbage has a disease.
• Loosen the soil and enrich with trace elements. A culture with long roots (buckwheat, rapeseed) will make dense soil looser, and will also be able to get phosphorus, potassium, calcium to the surface from the depths, therefore, planting a crop with small roots in the same place next season, there will be no need for additional feeding of that or other micronutrient.
• Legumes (beans, peas) enrich the soil with useful fertilizer - nitrogen. It is formed and accumulates in the nodules of plants, which are left in the soil when cutting the tops. By the way, clover will enrich the soil with nitrogen 2.5 times more than peas, and alfalfa 5 times.
• Garlic, onions and carrots are best planted after pumpkin, tomatoes, cabbage or potatoes, i.e. where weeds will be the least. On well-cultivated soil with a rich content of micro and macro elements, it is better to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and cabbage. These are the vegetable crops that are pulled from the soil useful material in in large numbers. And in beds with a small amount of compost, it is better to plant legumes and root crops.

The crops to be replaced must not be of the same family.

Alternating vegetables of different families every year, you will already create the simplest circuit crop rotation, thereby increasing productivity. Let's give an example of zoning crops in a small area:

If it is difficult to maintain a planting plan, then in order not to get confused, act on the principle of an annual change of a bed with roots (root crops) to a bed of inches, then what grows on the surface of the soil.

In a crop rotation, crops can be combined, taking into account the ripening period. Plant cucumbers in 2 rows at a distance of 50 cm between them, and in the aisle and along the edges of the beds dill in a single line.

Corn is not a demanding crop and does not participate in the crop rotation system; it is a neutral predecessor to other vegetables. When planting vegetables, keep in mind what accumulates under corn.

In a small area, it is quite difficult to observe crop rotation in full, therefore good decision will be autumn sowing.

Crop rotation table in the country

In the natural environment, there is rarely a monoculture. Plants coexist in a certain community, where each of them has its own place and role. When a person began to cultivate plants, the first thing he did was to save them from competition with their neighbors, calling the latter weeds.

And what did we end up with? In a monoculture, specific pathogens and pests accumulate, the soil is unilaterally depleted, “fatigue” is manifested from the accumulation of substances released into the environment by one crop. All this increases many times with the constant cultivation of the same plant in the same place for many years.

Noticing a progressive drop in yields, farmers have mastered ways to protect themselves from this phenomenon since ancient times. Remember from history the slash-and-burn system, the use of deposits and so on. When growing vegetables in gardens, traditionally used increased doses of manure and household compost, which also solved most of the problems. And what to do in the garden in our time, in order not only to maintain, but also to increase the level of soil fertility?

One way is to use crop rotation, that is, alternation of cultures in time and space. In the garden, crop rotation cannot be fully used due to the fact that the area is limited, and it is impossible to use crops that improve fertility, but are not vegetables (perennial grasses, cereal-bean mixtures, etc.). But it's quite possible here. fruit cycle.

How to organize a fruit crop in the garden

Here are some examples:

• cucurbits: cucumber, zucchini, squash, crookneck;
• nightshade crops: tomato, pepper, eggplant, physalis, potato;
• cabbage are represented by cabbage and cauliflower, Beijing, broccoli, kohlrabi.

When growing different crops, they alternate them in groups so that the culture (or group) returns to its original place after 3-4 years. Within each group, the area under a particular crop can vary considerably. This is due to the preferences of the owners of the garden, productivity and other reasons.

The garden area is divided into sections according to the number of groups, and each section is already divided into crops. Be sure to include the introduction of organics for pumpkin or cabbage. Under root crops and onions, it is better to apply only mineral fertilizers.

Crops alternate sequentially in time (by years) on one plot, and in space all crops will be available every year, but in different plots.

Fruit change examples

• 1 plot: cucumber, zucchini, patisson;
• 2 plot: tomato, pepper, eggplant;
• 3 plot: cabbage, cauliflower;
• 4 plot: beets, carrots.

• 1 plot: cucumber, zucchini, patisson;
• 2 plot: onion, garlic, shallot, leek;
• 3 plot: cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage;
• 4 plot: tomato, pepper, eggplant;
• 5 plot: radish, daikon, beets, carrots.

Intermediate crops and green manure

As an intermediate crop, other vegetable plants can be used, which occupy the area when the main one has already been removed. For example, after harvesting early potatoes, you can sow radish or daikon, radish, plant garlic.

Features of combined crops

There are plants that willingly grow next to each other, they are called synergists. Examples: pumpkin, squash, cucumber and corn; tomato and lettuce; tomato, potato and radish and so on. Other cultures do not like neighbors very much (for example, dill and beets). Read more about the favorable and unfortunate neighborhood of plants in the garden in the articles from the reading list for this lesson.

Compactor crops grown either before the main one, or simultaneously with it, but harvested much earlier. So, in the aisles of sowing tomatoes, you can grow radishes, lettuce. Cabbage is planted with potatoes and so on. There is a huge field of activity for gardeners.

Slightly different placement perennial and green crops. Due to the small area, they allocate their own plot with a different alternation of crops:

• 1 plot: salad;
• 2 plot: dill;
• 3 plot: parsley;
• 4 plot: radish;
• 5 plot: basil.

A special case of fruit change is decorative vegetable garden, in which plants perform the function of both utilitarian and decorative at the same time. Many green and aromatic plants are highly valued as ornamental crops: lettuce, dill, basil, fennel, oregano and others.

Crop rotation or crop rotation allows you to clearly regulate the cultivation of vegetables in the garden, calculate the need for fertilizers, plant protection products, plan the timing of work, and so on. Gardening becomes easier and more understandable.

By the way, you can choose green manure to improve the soil in your garden. in the online store of the agricultural company Search- In chapter

The harvest largely depends on how competently you plan the placement of vegetable crops on the site. Therefore, drawing up a crop rotation scheme is an important step in completing each season and preparing for a new one. Why, when planting a certain plant, it is necessary to know its predecessors, we will tell you right now

Crop rotation in a vegetable garden means changing where vegetables are planted in the garden each season.

This practice improves soil quality, reduces soil-borne disease problems, and helps control pests. While some plants take nutrients from the soil, others add them to the ground. That's why good crop rotation is an important, and also completely free, tool for getting a good harvest.

In any case, crop rotation is not new idea. People have known about its benefits for at least 1200 years, and there is convincing evidence that the Egyptians applied this principle quite successfully, and European farmers performed the simplest practice of two-field cultivation - they sown half of the plot, and the second was taken away for fallow, that is, for rest. The following season, the sites were reversed.

Then farmers began to use a system of three fields. By dividing their land into three equal parts (instead of two), they could harvest more each year. Usually, oats and barley were grown in the same field in the spring, and then they switched to autumn rye or winter wheat. The second field was devoted to the cultivation of crops with the addition of nitrogen, such as beans, peas and lentils. The third field was resting. These fields rotated in this way each year, allowing one section to rest continuously.

Crop rotation instead of pesticides

Proper crop rotation helps break the cycle of specific pests and diseases. This means that pests and diseases cannot accumulate to destructive levels either in the soil or on the host plants themselves. Crop rotation has "crowded out" their favorite hosts until harmful insects and phytopathogens "rested" during the winter, and, in fact, their new generation will not find a source of food to thrive and reproduce.

Then, different plants compete with weeds in their own way.

For example, after potatoes, tomatoes, peas, cabbage, the beds remain relatively clean, which makes it easier to grow their followers. Pumpkin, thanks to its dense foliage, also perfectly suppresses weeds. Therefore, if you have acquired a neglected area with a large amount of weeds, it makes sense to give the territory specifically for these crops, carrying out their sequential rotation.

In an ideal crop rotation, given the biological characteristics of vegetable crops, plants from the same botanical family end up in the same place after three years or more, especially if there are soil diseases, say late blight. But if the ideal is unattainable for reasons of a small area, there is also an abbreviated version, more on that below.

Let's look at the principle of crop rotation using a specific example with all your favorite tomatoes.

We all know that tomato plants develop slowly and are mainly grown through seedlings. Since the culture is demanding on top dressing, organic matter has been planted in the garden since autumn, and in the spring, when planting in the wells, they add mineral fertilizers. And then, during the growing season, liquid foliar feeding is carried out - also depending on the degree of vegetation. So, from the middle of the season, spraying on the leaf begins to avoid top rot.

Tomatoes love moisture. Their root system is located in the upper layers of the soil, which requires frequent watering. As a result, private watering and shallow roots lead to overconsolidation of the soil.

Therefore, after tomatoes, we will plant plants with deep penetrating and strong roots: radishes, radishes, beets and carrots. Or those that are not members of the nightshade family: cucumber, onion, garlic and beans.

Accordingly, in order to avoid the transmission of common diseases and further depletion of the soil, we will not plant other nightshades: potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers.

Neutral predecessors of the tomato itself will be celery or zucchini. The best are beans.

Compatibility groups - reducers and consumers

Thus, we see that we need to distribute landings into compatibility groups. For a gardener, it is important to understand which plants deplete the soil the most, and which, on the contrary, are its builders.

• The most greedy consumer plants include tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, beets, lettuce
• Garlic, onions, peppers, potatoes, radishes and turnips have a more modest appetite.
• Soil restoring plants are considered to be peas, beans and ground cover crops such as clover or winter rye.

Rotating these three crop groups allows for the best use of the nutrients in the soil.

The easiest three-year crop rotation would result in the most demanding plants being planted in the first year, the less demanding crops in the second year, and the fertility restoring plants in the third year.

Such a crop rotation implies the presence of separate planting areas for each of the three groups of crop rotation.

By the way, ground cover crops can be added after harvest. Since tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, as a rule, complete the growing season in early autumn, it is good to sow winter rye or beans, mustard after them.

In the spring, a cover crop is incorporated into the soil, and foliar crops are planted in the same beds during the rotation.

It will look like this:

• A crop with fruits, such as tomatoes, squash, eggplant, or peppers
• Ground covers, including "green manure" - plants that accumulate valuable nutrients, namely, legumes
• Green crops
• Roots

Note that even on the traditional six acres, experienced gardeners manage to grow more than 20 varieties of cultivated plants. Leaving aside experiments with exotics, like bananas, everyone can harvest a borscht set (potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, parsley, carrots, tomatoes) with some diligence.

The practice of planting fruit trees and shrubs, although perennials, for obvious reasons, are not included in the crop rotation system, is very useful for improving the microclimate on the site. Such plantings protect from cold and wind, trap snow, serve as a home for beneficial insectivorous birds.

In addition, between fruit trees there is still room for lettuce, dill, basil.

Do you have a plan

The question “what to plant after what” should arise before the start of the season. More precisely, crop rotation on the site should be carried out every year, taking into account last year's crop rotation scheme. Your personal "diary of an agronomist" will greatly simplify the matter. We recommend making notes on which diseases and pests affected certain crops in order to plan preventive treatments in advance.

In the event that you have just bought a plot where there are old trees, stumps and thickets of shrubs that have ceased to bear fruit, then a set of measures is first carried out: uprooting, weed control and soil improvement. Acidic soils are limed, sandy ones are enriched with peat, and poorly fertile ones are fed with minerals and organic matter.

Raised beds will the best choice to improve the garden, which was abandoned by the previous owners, as they provide better drainage and easier weeding. In the most extreme case, while priority work is underway, you can start growing the main crops in buckets or large plastic bags.

Success largely depends not only on natural factors, but also on your personal work, which you invest in the future harvest.