Winter is officially in full swing and the garden is resting comfortably under a blanket of shredded oak leaves and straw. On the few warm days we've had over the past several weeks, I still find myself beckoned to my garden to pull a few weeds or turn the compost. This can be one of the most frustrating times for avid gardeners. But, when that frustration is directed in a positive direction, much can be accomplished, especially with a seed catalog in hand.
While the soil regenerates for next year's growing season, it's a perfect time to start planning the layout of the garden for next year and beyond. Rotating crops is an ideal and organic way of reducing the probability of loss to disease and pests without the use of chemical pesticides. You want to keep these garden spoilers guessing as to where their favorite victims will be growing any given year. In addition, some crops are more demanding than others, robbing the soil of much-needed nutrients that have to be replenished before growing the same crop.
I've seen several different methods
of crop rotations--typically a 3-or 4-year cycle for home gardens. Some of them are simple, and some can be complex and include factors such as shade factor (i.e. relative plant height), and root vs. fruiting vegetables.
Crops are divided into categories according to their feeding requirements and family. For example, vegetables in the cabbage (brassica) family (i.e. Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli) are heavy feeders and very susceptible to pests such as cabbage worms. By changing the location of these crops in the garden, you can gain an advantage over the pests and avoid over-depleting the
soil. Crops like tomatoes and squash are also very vulnerable to the same problems. A few hous of planning during garden down time can therefore improve yields and reduce the stress of reopening the garden in the spring.
A typical crop rotation is basically as follows: heavy giver, followed by a heavy feeder, followed by a light feeder. The rotation is then repeated indefinitely. Heavy givers are soil builders that include legumes and cover crops like alfalfa and rye. These plants add nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil. Light, medium and heavy feeders take nutrients from the soil at various rates. Using this crop rotation ensures the most efficient use of nutrients in the soil without the need for chemical fertilizers. I have found several websites like this one and this one that list plants by family and offer simple crop rotation schedules.
During last year's especially cold and snowy winter, I planned my garden out to 2049! Hopefully, I'll still be in the garden then! These are my planned crop rotations.
It's also time to make a seed-starting schedule. I have tried many times to start my own seeds, but have never had much success because the seedlings always got "leggy" trying to reach for the little bit of sunshine coming through the windows this time of year.
Last year I purchased a small grow light and I had great success growing my own heirloom tomato seeds. The height of the light can be adjusted to remain a few inches above the seedlings as they grow, ensuring they grow straight and strong. All but one of my seedlings survived and I ended up giving over a dozen of them away. Another advantage of growing your own seed is that the plants were exceptionally healthy throughout the growing season. For the first time ever, my tomato plants were blight-free all year and produced heavy yields well into the fall. In fact, it was so successful that I'm planning on starting several other vegetable plants this year, including peppers, eggplant, and cabbage. Seed starting will commence in just a few weeks, greatly relieving my gardening withdrawal.
This weekend, I'll be sitting down with my recently delivered Baker Creek Seed Catalogue and picking out some great additions to my garden this year. There are some gorgeous blue tomatoes I'd love to try, and I want to grow that crazy pointed cabbage I saw at the farmer's market in Munich last year.
I'll be getting my hands back in the soil, albeit potting soil, very soon. Hopefully my solarium will be done early enough to get a jump start on my indoor herbs and a wide array seedlings, since space is limited under my little grow light.
Let the fun begin!
