If you have a garden this year and have not made a map indicating where specific vegetables grew, do it now in preparation for next year. Start Small With Three Crops Beginning gardeners can use a three-bed technique to maintain and rejuvenate the soil.
Rotate these groups of crops between three beds over 3 years. Umbelliferae carrot family : carrots, celery, cilantro, dill, parsley, parsnips Condition the soil with compost before planting—plants in the carrot family enjoy soil rich with organic matter. Brassicaceae cabbage family : broccoli, kale, radishes, brussels sprouts Plants from the cabbage family are heavy feeders, leaving the soil in need of amendment. For example, say a farmer has planted a field of corn.
When the corn harvest is finished, he might plant beans, since corn consumes a lot of nitrogen and beans return nitrogen to the soil. A simple rotation might involve two or three crops, and complex rotations might incorporate a dozen or more. At Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial, soybeans are part of a complex crop rotation that includes corn, wheat, oats, and other small grains. Different plants have different nutritional needs and are susceptible to different pathogens and pests.
While most gardeners are familiar with the concepts of cover crops and crop rotation, few of us have a solid understanding of the fundamental principles and how to put them into best practice in our own home gardens. The methods used at Stone Barns are complex and multi-layered, but you can put the same basics to work in your garden — no matter how small your space might be. Soil is a living organism. In its most basic form, a cover crop protects your soil from harsh conditions.
Consider it a living blanket to prevent erosion from wind or during rain events. Cover crops protect the soil from developing a crusty and impermeable surface from the heat of the sun or exposure to frost. After all, we love growing things we can eat.
We also tend to grow the same things season after season. Whether due to space restrictions, climate requirements or our own personal preferences, we stick to a list of favorites. Yet each of those favorites interact with the soil differently — and each is susceptible to particular pests and diseases. Through crop rotation — mixing up the placement of your favorites each year — you can create better soil balance and reduce disease and pest issues.
Not necessarily, the principle of crop rotation can be applied in a single garden bed — more on that coming up. Jack is often at work teaching young farmers the same skills and principles used at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture through many of their educational programs. When Jack began his work at Stone Barns Center, he and his team knew that they wanted to manage the land in such a way that it would be self-renewing. They wanted to eliminate synthetic inputs in other words, fertilizers , reduce the use of fossil fuels, and create a system that would produce food efficiently while requiring as little manpower as possible.
Managing 85 acres is a big undertaking for a team of any size, so efficiency was as important to Jack and his staff as it is for a busy weekend warrior. With nine acres of vegetables and nearly 75 acres of open grass pasture to sustain poultry and livestock, a focus on soil health was top priority.
Jack developed soil management systems designed to regenerate nutrient balance and promote a healthy tilthe. He and his team focused on reusing resources and keeping byproducts of production in the cycle as long as possible. Like many of my guests, Jack equates soil health to our own physical health.
To be functioning at our best, humans require good nutrition, proper rest and exercise. When we focus on these things, we are able to do more with less effort.
The same is true of soil. Think beyond the elements which are in your garden space. Learn how those elements are being used and by whom.
All of these problems can lead to decreased yields over the course of several years. This is because the same type of crop planted repeatedly in the same area keeps draining the land of the same nutrients needed for that plant's growth. Second, certain pests can reach levels that are hard to control when they learn to make a home near a field that always has the same type of crop. Finally, land can be more susceptible to the forces of erosion if the same type of crop is planted repeatedly season after season.
Crop rotation helps mitigate each of these effects. Different types of plants require different types of nutrients from the soil. Changing crops routinely allows the land to remain fertile , since not all of the same nutrients are being used each season. For example, planting a legume , such as soybeans, helps to replenish necessary nitrogen in the soil. In the past, not planting anything also called leaving the field fallow allowed the land to rest and replenish its nutrients.
Some modern farmers will occasionally allow fields to lie fallow to rest, but crop rotation has helped to increase productivity by replacing fallow periods with growing different crops that replenish soil nutrients. Crop rotation also helps to battle against the forces of erosion. Rotating crops helps to improve soil stability by alternating between crops with deep roots and those with shallow roots.
Pests are also deterred by eliminating their food source on a regular basis. Today, exactly how crops are rotated depends upon many factors, including the type of soil , the climate, precipitation , and the markets for various crops.
Some modern farmers may rotate corn and soybeans in a single field on alternate years. Other farmers may rotate six or more crops in a field over multiple years. We hope you enjoyed learning more about the science of farming today!
Check out the following activities with a friend or family member to learn even more! Hi Tateum--we suggest a Wonder Journey--hit up your library or the Internet to find out more about this topic. If you are trying to cite the article, you can use Wonderopolis as the author and the date accessed for a digital work.
It sounds like you are a very hard worker, alex! The following paragraph will help you learn more about the benefits of crop rotation:. I knew what the crop rotation was, but didn't know why we used it. Wonderopolis had just the article I needed. Yes, it's very important - you're right! This is an interesting method that many people probably don't understand the importance of.
Glad you do! Dinner would be pretty boring, that's for sure. It also seems like that could have serious effects on the ecosystem, especially if the crop ran into trouble. Good question! Do a little more digging and see what you come up with! Very cool, Tim! We are so glad this was a great resource for you. Great question, vaz! The following is how you would cite the Wonder of the Day. You may use Wonderopolis as the author and since we do not list the publish date, you can use the date you accessed the article for information.
If that was today, then use today's date for your citation. Great question, Vazul! We didn't create the video, so we couldn't find an explanation. We're glad you learned something new from this Wonder of the Day!
Good luck with your mini-farm!! We really enjoyed your comment, Audrey! We bet it's a lot of fun to pick berries with your family - what a tasty activity to do together! Thanks for hanging out with us in Wonderopolis! Thank you for asking, Aiden! We have a hard time picking just one, but there is one that's very near to our hearts - our very first Wonder!
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