The practice of vegetable crop rotation might be tiresome, but results will wow you

When planning a vegetable garden for next year, one of the first thoughts that may come to mind after choosing which plants to grow is where in the garden they should be planted. Accounting for water, spacing, nutrients and sunlight, experienced gardeners know the other primary factor to be considered is, “What was planted there last year?”

Both insect pests and diseases may be overwintering in the soil. Doing so, they can return to a crop during the next growing season — reinfesting your plants, potentially even more than before. To stop this, a practice known as crop rotation will help your vegetable garden.

Crop rotation is a tried-and-true practice that has been used not just in home vegetable gardens but in full-scale farming operations since the 17th century. It consists of moving a family of plants to new areas between every growing season. When plants are moved, the pests and diseases in the soil are essentially left to starve, as they are deprived of their preferred food source over time.

A plant “family” does not just consist of a single type of plant, however. There are 10 main classifications of plant family categories: allium, brassica, cucurbit, legume, tomato, aster, grass, amaranth, mallow and parsley. So to know if a plant should go in a location, you will need to research your past and future plants and discover if they are related. If they aren’t, and their family members have also not been in that specific spot within the last three years, you are safe to plant in that location.

While tedious compared to many other garden planning tasks, crop rotation is a mechanical practice that can save you time and money, as well as spare you from having to utilize harsh pesticides around plants that will ultimately be food.

Pests and disease aside, rotating your crops will have the added benefit of diversifying the soil nutrients from a specific spot. The same crop planted in one location from year to year will result in the same nutrients in identical amounts, ultimately being used repeatedly. Eventually, this will result in deficiencies and an overall reduction of soil fertility.

If, however, the garden being planted is too small for crops to be rotated, other considerations should be accounted for. While moving your plant families at least a little bit will still be beneficial, you will want to anticipate pest pressure throughout the growing season and be prepared for treatment. Testing your soil annually to know where your nutrient levels stand will also be beneficial and direct you toward recommended amendments for best plant performance.

Pests will always be a factor in vegetable gardening, but with a little forethought and proactive efforts, they don’t always have to determine a garden’s level of production and success. Make a map of last year’s garden today. Compare it to this year’s and make the adjustments necessary to increase your overall plant health and yields.

Anthony Reardon is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Need help? Contact the Johnson County Extension gardening hotline at 913-715-7050 or email garden.help@jocogov.org.