Every garden needs a little bit of organisation. Before planning your own veggie garden, you need to be aware that there are basically two types of crops: the ones which are taking nutrition out of the soil, and the ones which are putting nutrition into the soil. So when you divide your veggie garden into several garden beds, you can rotate the plants across the beds over the years. The two most important benefits for a crop rotation are: on the one hand it stops the soil from getting depleted and on the other hand it avoids the building up of pests as some plants are prone to diseases.
The groups that are taking more nutrition out of the soil are:
- Alliums (like garlic, onions, leeks, shallots) and umbellifers (like beetroot, carrots, fennel, parsley, parsnip). They both can share a bed.
- Brassicas (like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radish)
The groups that are putting more nutrition into the soil and that you can harvest are:
- Legumes (like broad beans, french beans, peas, runner beans)
- Miscellaneous (like cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, sweetcorn, tomatoes, zucchini)
There is actually another third group. The plants that are also putting more nutrition into the soil but that you can not harvest. They protect the soil from erosion and keep the beds free from weeds as well. After you have planted them, let them grow for a short time and then dig them back into the soil. Wait a month before you start planting your crops. They are called Green Manures:
- Legumes (like alfalfa, clover, fenugreek, lupins)
- Miscellaneous (like buckwheat, grazing rye)
Besides the green manures you can of course put some mulch onto the soil to prevent the weeds from coming back and to prevent the soil from drying out.
Salads (like chicory or lettuce) you can plant everywhere where space is available.
Potatoes I would plant in a separate bed as they can be prone to blight.
And don't forget to label what you have planted.
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