Rotating crops in small raised beds?

15 years ago

I have three 4x8 raised beds that I've been growing heirloom tomatoes in for 4 consecutive years. I supplement the soil with liberal amounts of compost from my compost bin each year. I have never rotated crops because I don't have anywhere else to move the tomatoes to. So far, my 3 raised beds have produced with extraordinary abundance, and with few problems. But last year, I had an exeptionally high amount of blossom end rot. I'm thinking that the soil has had the calcium depleted, so I've amended the soil with gypsum. The PH is fine. BUT, I'm still concerned because lots of people are telling me my problem is that I need to rotate my crops. So I don't know what to do. I don't have anywhere else I can move or rotate them to, but I don't want to give up my tomato beds. Any advise or suggestions would be profoundly appreciated!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

queuetue
15 years ago
azkayla,

Crop rotation can help prevent diseases - the most-cited reason for it, but also helps condition soil. The constant addition of compost does a lot for returning organic matter to the soil in a SFG, but some nutrients in compost are not as easily broken down, and some are broken down better by specific plants. BER, as you indicate, is caused by a lack of uptake of calcium, sometimes because of inadequate watering, sometimes because of depleted calcium, and sometimes because the calcium present is not available to the root system because it is not broken down or is in the presence or absence of specific nutrients.

Although I haven't studied the specific mechanics involved in detail, I do know that different species of plant act as dynamic accumulators for different micronutrients. The crop rotation cycle of solanum, root crop, legume exposes the organic material to many different types of dynamic accumulation, and could (I say probably does) serve to condition the soil in many different ways, adding to soil nutrient availability. The presence of mycorrhizal fungi also play a role in proper nutrient uptake.

That being said, how I do crop rotation in my tomato beds (I've only got a single place that works for toms, too) is toms all summer, then a carrot or other root planting in autumn. In spring, peas go in as soon as the ground is workable, and by the time toms need the trellis, the peas are dying back.

I don't know if this is truly helpful, but I don't think it hurts!

(See my other post on myccorhyzal fungi, maybe there will be interesting conversations there!)
engineeredgarden
15 years ago
If your growing medium is soil, then I would perform a soil test - and amend as needed to bring the nutritional levels up to par. I wouldn't worry about rotation, just keep the soil ph around 6.5, and water them on a consistent schedule - about every 3 days. An addition of some dolomitic lime to the soil would be beneficial, as well.

EG
Related Discussions
rotating crops in small veggie garden?
Q
Comments (10)
I've debated this ever since growing in small boxes. However, I feel that small amounts of interplanted varieties should not be as problematic as the planting of large amounts of the same or similar varieties in the same location repeatedly. In other words, I doubt that 3 tomatoes planted after 3 broccoli that was in the space before, would be affected by a similar disease problem. I have watched the local commercial strawberry growers use the same plots every year to grow their berries. After harvesting in late summer, the fields are covered with a clear plastic to solarize the field, then it is replanted with the same monocrop. I plant snap peas, followed by pole beans in the same location - on the north side of my planter boxes - with stakes to grow on - and it doesn't seem to be detrimental to either the peas or beans. Both, do however, produce their own nitrogen to some extent, which may be a factor. The areas planted are usually pre-treated with fresh home-made compost before planting - and it is constantly being refreshed in these planters. Just my 2 c's. Bejay
...See More
Small gardens and crop rotation?
Q
Comments (7)
It's around 14.5 x 3.5 feet, wanted to go wider but ma wants it narrow for some reason. You don't want it any wider than four feet because your arms would not be long enough to allow your hands to get into the center for weed/mulch maintenance or to pick for harvest. I know folks say to rotate the 'crops' every year to keep pests at bay, but with only tomatoes and peppers going I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that. Even if you have a four by four bed, you can still rotate your crops. Tomatoes and peppers are tropical plants. You can start planning on a fall planting of beans, flowers, cold crops like broccoli, carrots, radishes, lettuce, beets, cabbages, spinach, etc. This will contribute to crop rotation. So long as your plants are healthy and not harboring any disease, then you should be fine. If your plants are diseased, pull up the entire plant including the roots and remove them from your property entirely. Better safe than sorry. Check with your state's Extension Service. Each county should have it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They will have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area determined by universities and horticultural research scientists who have collected data from growing those crops in your state. Your tax dollars are already paying for this service so you may as well get some use out of it. Vegetable Planting and Planning Calendar for Missouri (download the pdf) complete with spring and fall planting dates (underneath the spring planting dates for appropriate crops), how much to plant per person, etc. They can also tell you the average last frost date for your area and ideal planting times for specific crops and varieties in your area. See how detailed this example is:
...See More
Crop Rotation for Back Yard Veggie Garden?
Q
Comments (34)
This is the organic Gardening thread! Some interesting points have been expressed in the thread. One of the key organic principles is replenishment; of course referring to nutrients and organic matter. The use of cover crops, rotations, intercropping, green manures, recycling refuse and manure to name a few, fill the replenishment options. That certainly does not preclude the organic amendments for deficient nutrients or adjustment of pH. The OP specifically poised the rotation topic. It compels me to ask of those who plant the same plants in the same location, "What do you proclaim to be the cause of pests and disease?" If a plant(s) succumbs to a pest or disease in that location from year to year, do you not think that the origin might be the soil? Rotation is primarily directed at avoidance of direct exposure to pests and disease that exist in the soil. While there is also truth in healthy soil reducing the impact of pests and diseases, moving the host plant to a fresh location reduces the incidence. The continuos presence of the host (as mentioned by Peter) continues the cyles of pests and disease without interruption. By rotating crops you insert a non-host species or one that is antagonistic to that pest or disease (i.e. - marigolds for nematodes). Diversity of planting is also an enhancement, especially for pests and disease. The availability of nutrients is also a factor in the growth rate of the plants; a plant growing too fast or slow suffers stresses which are invitation to pests and diseases. Being in a zone 5 and growing many long season heirlooms I am compelled to start most for transplanting. Timing the starts attempts to have a strong plant able to adapt easily when placed within the suitable growing conditions. Transplants also permit me to properly prepare the beds. For me rotation means having a growing plant or crop in the soil 70-80% of the year. A fall green manure and/or cover crop is part of the plan. Timing of fall sowing may require inter-seeding to permit suitable germination and growth before first frost. Turning under the spring growth prior to transplanting adds nutrients and organic matter which must be given 2-3 weeks for initial decomposition; so not to starve the transplants of nitrogen. Rotation does have a part in the small and medium scale. For my two distance-separated plots totalling nearly 10,000 square feet it is simple to rotate plantings by simply leapfrogging beds. My five year rotation plan shifts each wide (3 feet) bed about 21 feet (including the paths). For nutrient replentishment I strictly limit amendments to compost, composted manure (cattle/horse) and green manure. My soil is tested every three years for comparison. My nutrient management plan is based on improvement versus maintenance. My primary plot is sand which has produced for nearly 40 years. A new plot of silt-loam on a beef farm has been in production for me over five years. My only bad year was 2009 due to very brief summer weather and only about 30% sunny days. I'm sticking to my rotation plan.
...See More
Zone 4 cover crop for raised beds?
Q
Comments (26)
Sorry to further hi-jack the subject-line of this thread. But the 'pissing contest' seems to have overtaken courtesy. When I do a google search on my REAL NAME [not forum moniker] I get 20,305 'hits'. I know from experience that many of the references to my name are duplicates and even bogus hits. I used to be very active ... my name is on a lawsuit against the CA Board of Ed, which went clear to the U.S. Sup.Ct.[we lost, which is not the same thing as being wrong] I only mention this to mitigate for the silly claim about 763 'hits' for kimmsr's name in connection with money. Which is apropos of nothing. What does it matter if this participant has a 'thing' about not wasting money. How is that different from your 'thing' about holding his views up to ridicule. If we search your name in connection with smarmy, sarcastic references to kimmsr, what will we find? Nice try, but no cigar.
...See More
sinfonian
15 years ago
Other than what's been said, you could make some Self Watering Containers for your tomatoes. I have no room in my beds for tomatoes so I don't grow them there. I grow them in the pathways between my beds. Inexpensive additional growing space. And if you wanted, you could alternate planting in your beds and the SWCs each year. Sounds like you (and most everyone else) could use the extra room.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure
worldofyardcraft
15 years ago
I agree with what's been said, though I don't have much experience personally with crop rotation yet. I did the same thing queuetue suggested with TOMS, then roots, and at the moment Peas/cole crops.

I had BER on one of my toms last year before I got the raised beds, and its a pain in the rear! Seriously though mine was just poor soil quality, horrible clay crap, no experience with it in nice compost in my containers.

Here is a link that might be useful: My gardening blog
Melissa Houser
15 years ago
azkayla, You could always plant your tomatoes in a container beside the raised bed for a year or two... or rotate them in and out of a container, year by year.

EG is right. If you keep your soil properly amended AND the ph is good, you don't have to worry much about crop rotation. I actually have two areas where I can trellis my tomatoes and I am switching between those two areas.

Lest I sound like I know what I'm doing, I don't. ;) I'm just starting the second real growing season in my SFG. :)
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Heirloom toms are not bred to be resistant to VFN-type diseases. You certainly hear about folks planting in the same spot for years and nothing bad happens, but you hear the opposite more often, and the GF used to work the Extension counter for a living. I may over-engineer everything I do and apply more caution than most, and I rotate the toms. Maybe this results from too much lab work with soil-borne diseases, but better safe than sorry in my view...

Dan
anniesgranny
15 years ago
I'm going with my first non disease resistant varieties this year. I may end up begging you guys for tomatoes ;-)

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Rotating crops in small raised beds?

Comments (7)

queuetue

engineeredgarden

Related Discussions

sinfonian

worldofyardcraft

Melissa Houser

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

anniesgranny

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US