Succession vs Rotation

hdan

Attractive To Bees
Joined
Apr 6, 2024
Messages
76
Reaction score
153
Points
65
Location
Zone 7a
Not really sure how to word this.
Just wondering if it's possible to rotate plant family crops from one bed to another each year, while succession planting same crops in each bed year after year.
Confusion?
Im thinking it's ok.
 

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
27,100
Reaction score
34,027
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
Do you mean something like having multiple crops of peas and beans sown and harvested in a one bed in a single year and then, rotating those legumes to a different bed in the year following? A crop like brassicas could follow those.

My garden is not in an area with a long growing season but I use succession planting. Peas for the Fall will follow green beans planted early. A late sowing of beans are usually following an early crop of pak choi. A late crop of pak choi will follow peas (& early potatoes). Those are something of a standard schedule for me.

Bean plants can be left for a 2nd crop but that often doesn't work well here with bush beans. They become a little beat up by the end of their harvest season and mildew can set in. The risk of that means that pulling the plants and a new sowing is better insurance. Of course, if mildew is already there by the time the pods can be harvested, I might be reluctant to plant peas, since they also can also have mildew problems.

Rotation in my garden mostly just amounts to not planting the same crop where it had been growing the previous season. Improvement of soil fertility cannot be counted on if crops are harvested and carried off. I try to anticipate the needs of an individual crop and fertilize with that in mind. Hopefully, some of the nutrients carry through for another season or, at least, don't fall short during the current one for the crop planted.

Steve
 

hdan

Attractive To Bees
Joined
Apr 6, 2024
Messages
76
Reaction score
153
Points
65
Location
Zone 7a
Do you mean something like having multiple crops of peas and beans sown and harvested in a one bed in a single year and then, rotating those legumes to a different bed in the year following? A crop like brassicas could follow those.

My garden is not in an area with a long growing season but I use succession planting. Peas for the Fall will follow green beans planted early. A late sowing of beans are usually following an early crop of pak choi. A late crop of pak choi will follow peas (& early potatoes). Those are something of a standard schedule for me.

Bean plants can be left for a 2nd crop but that often doesn't work well here with bush beans. They become a little beat up by the end of their harvest season and mildew can set in. The risk of that means that pulling the plants and a new sowing is better insurance. Of course, if mildew is already there by the time the pods can be harvested, I might be reluctant to plant peas, since they also can also have mildew problems.

Rotation in my garden mostly just amounts to not planting the same crop where it had been growing the previous season. Improvement of soil fertility cannot be counted on if crops are harvested and carried off. I try to anticipate the needs of an individual crop and fertilize with that in mind. Hopefully, some of the nutrients carry through for another season or, at least, don't fall short during the current one for the crop planted.

Steve
Your first paragraph is exactly what I mean. Succession planting the same beds & rotation the same crops of each crop every season.
🤗
 

hdan

Attractive To Bees
Joined
Apr 6, 2024
Messages
76
Reaction score
153
Points
65
Location
Zone 7a
Do you mean something like having multiple crops of peas and beans sown and harvested in a one bed in a single year and then, rotating those legumes to a different bed in the year following? A crop like brassicas could follow those.

My garden is not in an area with a long growing season but I use succession planting. Peas for the Fall will follow green beans planted early. A late sowing of beans are usually following an early crop of pak choi. A late crop of pak choi will follow peas (& early potatoes). Those are something of a standard schedule for me.

Bean plants can be left for a 2nd crop but that often doesn't work well here with bush beans. They become a little beat up by the end of their harvest season and mildew can set in. The risk of that means that pulling the plants and a new sowing is better insurance. Of course, if mildew is already there by the time the pods can be harvested, I might be reluctant to plant peas, since they also can also have mildew problems.

Rotation in my garden mostly just amounts to not planting the same crop where it had been growing the previous season. Improvement of soil fertility cannot be counted on if crops are harvested and carried off. I try to anticipate the needs of an individual crop and fertilize with that in mind. Hopefully, some of the nutrients carry through for another season or, at least, don't fall short during the current one for the crop planted.

Steve
Last season I planted peas in early spring followed by green beans, then green beans again planted in mid August. Seemed to work out with decent size crops. Will be moving to fresh new bed this season.
 

ducks4you

Garden Master
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
12,234
Reaction score
16,971
Points
417
Location
East Central IL, Was Zone 6, Now...maybe Zone 5
Do you mean something like having multiple crops of peas and beans sown and harvested in a one bed in a single year and then, rotating those legumes to a different bed in the year following? A crop like brassicas could follow those.

My garden is not in an area with a long growing season but I use succession planting. Peas for the Fall will follow green beans planted early. A late sowing of beans are usually following an early crop of pak choi. A late crop of pak choi will follow peas (& early potatoes). Those are something of a standard schedule for me.

Bean plants can be left for a 2nd crop but that often doesn't work well here with bush beans. They become a little beat up by the end of their harvest season and mildew can set in. The risk of that means that pulling the plants and a new sowing is better insurance. Of course, if mildew is already there by the time the pods can be harvested, I might be reluctant to plant peas, since they also can also have mildew problems.

Rotation in my garden mostly just amounts to not planting the same crop where it had been growing the previous season. Improvement of soil fertility cannot be counted on if crops are harvested and carried off. I try to anticipate the needs of an individual crop and fertilize with that in mind. Hopefully, some of the nutrients carry through for another season or, at least, don't fall short during the current one for the crop planted.

Steve
I never thought that I would PLAN to pull crops, but with my study to avoid squash vine borers and still get some harvest, I am planning on starting cucumbers indoors to go out and grow until first week of July, mainly bc my 2nd knee surgery is scheduled for July 10th, and I Don't want to pull them up July 9th.
Therefore, I will be pulling cucumber plants out of the ground when they still will have fruit and flowers on them.
I plan to burn them and then start a Fall crop mid August, which has recently worked for me.
I should be able to manage planting by then, OR, I will start them above the fridge and then transplant a few weeks later when I am more mobile.
 

Latest posts

Top