In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:
EVP MAN wrote:
Here's the link 
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...172715742.html
This is mainly referring to reducing opportunities for pests which I take to
be insects, nematodes, snails etc. These are obviously fairly mobile,
especially insects. It also mentions microbial issues in passing. Microbes
are much less mobile and so rotation is likely to have more effect. For
example if you have a soil-carried fungus like fusarium wilt attacking your
eggplant don't plant other solanums (which are also susceptible to it) in
the same plot for several years.
The matter of nutrient depletion is not mentioned at all. The last issue
can be dealt with in other ways but there are situations where it does need
to be considered. For example if you have just fertilised with a
nitrogenous manure (chook poo) or you have just grown a legume in the plot
it is smart to plant something that needs lots of N (eg corn) instead of
something that doesn't need it. If you never rotate only one bed is going
to get the benefit of nitrogen fixing from legumes. You don't want to plant
carrots in a bed that is very enriched because they will be the worse for
it. Some rather neat permaculture systems which includes having chooks on
the plot as one stage of the rotation instead of weeding and cultivating.
I agree that rotation is not absolutely essential for the home gardener and
doing it strictly is likely to be more constraints on your management than
you need but there are advantages to be gained. I don't practice strict
rotation nor do I reject it out of hand.
I grow things like I live - eclectically.
David
That's why I recommend books like
"Vegetable Gardener' Bible" by Edward C. Smith.
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gard...-Gardening/dp/
1580172121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206815454&sr=1-1
"How to Grow More Vegetables" by John Jeavons
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/...l=search-alias
%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=How+to+Grow+More+Vegetables&x=0&y=0
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web
Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microb...l/dp/088192777
5/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206815176&sr= 1-1
Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture
(Paperback)
by Toby Hemenway
http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-S...culture/dp/160
3580298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271266976&sr=1-1
in order that other gardeners can plant eclectically, and know why they
are doing it. Three years ago, I was very intimidated by the fact that
each plant had its own needs. Now I have a good idea of what good soil
is, and how to place my plants so that they have an optimum chance to
succecced. That I have reservations can only be chalked up to a humility
that tells me that I can't know everything.
Everything is empiricism.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html