Crop Rotation in your Home Garden

Moving your garden to different spots in your yard from year to year can be beneficial. You can prevent disease, help your crops to produce and even help prevent insect infestation in your garden. Learn how to rotate your vegetables so that your soil continues to help you grow great vegetables every year.

Using peat moss in your garden is one way to help the soil stay healthy. If you do not have the space to move your garden each year, then using peat moss can really help you extend the life of the soil. Also, remember not to plant your vegetables in the same spot as the year before. Keep a chart of where you planted each thing so that you can be sure you do not use the same spot for the same plant twice in a row.

Different vegetables use up different nutrients in the soil. For example, parsley, potatoes, spinach and corn can pull a lot of magnesium from the soil. In order for these plants to properly produce, they should be rotated to a new place in the garden each year. Tomatoes are especially important to rotate. They pull more nutrients from the soil than just about any other commonly grown vegetable. If the same soil is used over and over, your tomatoes will begin to contract diseases or simply not produce.

Planting and rotating your crops in a certain order can also help to naturally repel insects. Most insects do not like the stronger smelling vegetables. Plant onions, garlic, dill and rosemary between your other crops. The smell will help keep insects away and these plants are small and will not shade your larger vegetables. If you are not interested in growing these vegetables, consider boiling garlic cloves and using the water to spray on the leaves of your plants. This method has been found to be very effective in repelling almost all kinds of common garden insects.

If you do not want to move your garden every year, consider a raised box garden. You can add bagged soil, cow manure and peat moss each year to maintain nutrients and the acidity necessary for abundant vegetable growth. Remember that a box garden, or container garden, may need more water than a garden planted directly in the ground. Keep a garden hose reel handy so that you can easily and quickly water your garden in the summer heat. With a plan in mind, you can produce healthy, nutrient-packed vegetables year after year.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.