Rotating Crops To Control Diseases On A Micro Farm

Rotating crops on a micro farm is especially problematic. You may be wondering why that may be; the answer is simple. The operative word in micro farm is “micro”, as in really small. Micro Farms by their very nature is small. Most, as mine is, are really urban yards. Since there is not a lot of space, and most people, myself included, plant the same veggies and fruits year after year, plant disease and pest problems flare up regularly. A fair amount of the types of crops I grow are related to each other. Such as: tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants are all members of the nightshade family. All the legumes (beans for us simpler folks) are, of course, related. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower come from the brassica family. So any disease problems that could occur from your tomatoes could be transmitted to your eggplants next year if you plant them in the same space your tomatoes were grown in. Also, if you plant the same crop or members of the same family in the same space year after year, you could deplete the soil of certain nutrients that the crops need, reducing the soil’s ability of growing anything well.

The only way I can keep up with where I planted my crops from year to year is to keep a visual log. I draw up in an illustration program a diagram of my veggie beds. You can simplify this by just doing it old school and sketch out the diagram on a piece of paper if you want. Whatever works best for you. There are no hard and fast rules here. Each season I fill in what was planted where. I check this log at the beginning of each season and try not to plant veggies from the same family in the same space. At the same time, I try to keep a list of veggies that can be planted at different seasons. I know that lettuce or spinach are cooler weather crops, so I might plan to plant them in the space vacated by the eggplants. Or, I may plant some tomatoes in a bed, and the next season after the tomatoes have spent themselves, I will plant something else not related, like some beans. Think like this and it’s just a matter of plug and play. Sort of like a seasonal jigsaw puzzle.

At times, this can become confusing and a little complicated, but it is essential. According to Eliot Coleman, who, in my opinion, is the king daddy of all organic farmers, crop rotation is 75% of everything else that can be done to produce maximum yields and healthy crops—things like pest control, fertilization and tillage are of lesser value according to his book “The New Organic Grower”. Eliot is fortunate in that he has a more spacious growing area, like acres instead of the square feet that we have here at the MicroFarm, so his ability to rotate is a whole lot easier. That way, the soil is allowed to rest and recuperate and build back it’s strength. In fact, he recommends that one fifth of the total growing area should be left fallow for an entire year. And that you rotate that fifth for another filth, year after year. In five years, you will have rotated through all of your land. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to do that.

With a little bit of forethought as to what you will be planting for the entire year, as well as during each season, you can go a long way to preventing the problems that are inherent with growing the same organic food crops year after year.

By: Michael Meadows

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I refer to myself as a microfarmer for one simple reason—I grow a significant amount of food every year on a very small plot of land. By using intensive techniques, I’m able to grow a great deal of the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat every day. If you want to know how I set up my micro farm, you can go to my website— www.themicrofarmer.com and download my free e-book "Step By Step Guide To MicroFarming" to learn how I did it. Start planting your future.