ON THE PLOT
From page 31
infestation and soil diseases.
Crop rotation is one of the
most basic principles of
vegetable production and
should always be practised. It
means that you do not plant
the same kind of vegetable in
the same bed for three or four
seasons.
While crop rotation is
recommended for improving
soils and for conservation
purposes, its greatest benefit
lies in the reduction of
disease levels in the soil.
Many pathogens can persist
in the soil after the crop has
been removed (such as black-
Crop rotation
rot in cabbage).
To ensure effective crop
rotation you can divide your
proposed plantings into:
K Fruiting vegetables such as
tomatoes, green pepper,
brinjals, cucumbers, etc
(loosely grouped in the table
as solanacae);
Companion planting with herbs and flowers
K Legumes such as beans
and lentils;
A continuous supply of
They detect the host plants
K Brassicas (eg cabbage,
vegetables can be achieved
but become confused
cauliflower, etc)
by staggered planting: making because of the more diverse
K Leafy vegetables such as
smaller plantings at regular
planting style.
spinach, lettuce; and
intervals (for example every
Nematodes occur naturally in
K Root vegetables, such as
two or four weeks) during the the soil, but monoculture can
carrots, leeks, onions,
planting season to ensure a
result in a build-up of species
beetroot and potato.
continuous supply of the
that could be harmful t