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1/23/2011

Crop Rotation Sample Plans

This book contains many example crop rotation plans.
Haven't had a chance to review it myself yet.

Example 1:
1) Peas & Beans-> 2) Cabbage -> 3) Corn -> 4) Potato -> 5) Squash -> 6) Roots -> 7) Beans -> 8) Tomatoes

Green manures started as undersowing for matching #
1) Clovers -> 2) White Clovers -> 3) Soybeans -> 4) Rye -> 5) Sweet Clover -> 6) White Clover -> 7) Vetch -> 8) Oats

Example 2:
Potato -> Peas & Beans -> Brassica -> Green Manure -> Onions -> Root Crops
Manure before potato. Lime before legumes. Compost before brassicas.

Reasoning:
Legumes benefit from loosened soil from potato. Brassicas benefit from nitrogen. Onions are ok to compact soil from brassicas. Root crops beenfit from loosening from onions.

Example 3:
Potato -> Squash -> Carrots -> Peas & Beans -> Corn

Reasoning:
Potatoes and squash are cleaner crops meaning they smother weeds. Carrots are poor competors to weeds so perform well proceeding cleaner crop. Root crops loosen the soil which legumes benefit from. Carrots are usually a negative preceeding crop but legumes are immune. Legumes add nitrogen to the soil which is good for the heavy nitrogen feeders such as corn.

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