Garden Crop Rotation

Practicing garden crop rotation is an important part of gardening that many gardeners do not know about. Before you plant your garden, remember that you want to use the best seeds you can get your hands on. Heirloom seeds give you the best flavor. David's Garden Seeds has top quality heirloom seeds with great germination rates.

Garden Crop Rotation - 6/16-6/22/2025

This is such a nice drawing of garden crop rotation using a circle. Shift everything over one slot each year. Of course, most people don't make it this simple.

Have you ever wondered why your tomatoes aren't as juicy and plentiful as they used to be, even though you're tending them just the same? It might be because you're planting them in the same spot year after year. Let's dive into the wonderful world of garden crop rotation and discover how it can boost your garden's bounty.

You see, every plant has its own nutritional needs. Just like we need a balanced diet, plants need different nutrients to thrive. And just like we can deplete our pantry if we only eat the same things, plants can deplete the soil of specific nutrients if they're grown in the same spot repeatedly.

That's where garden crop rotation comes in. It's like giving your garden a multivitamin! By switching up where you plant each crop, you're ensuring that the soil has a chance to replenish the nutrients each plant needs.

So, why can't you plant your tomatoes in the exact same spot year after year? Well, tomatoes are heavy feeders, meaning they suck up a lot of nutrients, especially nitrogen. If you plant them in the same spot every year, they'll eventually deplete the soil of nitrogen, leaving it weak and unable to support healthy tomato growth.

Think of it like this: imagine eating only pizza every day. Eventually, you'd get tired of it, and you wouldn't be getting all the nutrients you need. Your body would start to crave other foods. The same happens with your soil and your plants!

Now, let's talk about how garden crop rotation works. It's all about understanding which plants belong to which families and how those families affect the soil.

Understanding Plant Families

Different plant families have different nutrient needs. By rotating families, you prevent nutrient depletion and reduce the risk of soil-borne diseases.

Here are the main plant families to consider for garden crop rotation:

* **Heavy Feeders:** These plants need lots of nutrients. Examples include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, and squash.

* **Light Feeders:** These plants need fewer nutrients. Examples include leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, root vegetables like carrots and beets, and onions.

* **Legumes:** These are nitrogen fixers, meaning they actually add nitrogen back into the soil. Examples include peas, beans, and clover.

The Basic Principles of Garden Crop Rotation

The basic principle of garden crop rotation is to avoid planting crops from the same family in the same spot for at least two years, and ideally three or four.

This gives the soil time to replenish the specific nutrients that family depletes.

A Simple Rotation Plan

Here’s a simple four-year rotation plan you can follow:

* **Year 1:** Heavy Feeders (Tomatoes, Peppers, etc.)

* **Year 2:** Legumes (Peas, Beans, etc.)

* **Year 3:** Light Feeders (Leafy Greens, Root Vegetables, etc.)

* **Year 4:** Heavy Feeders (Different from Year 1 – maybe Squash or Potatoes)

Planning Your Garden Beds

Divide your garden into sections, one for each year of your rotation cycle. This makes it easy to keep track of where to plant each crop. You can even use markers or labels.

When planning where to plant each crop, consider the sunlight and water needs of each plant.

How to plant in the home garden effectively involves understanding these basic needs.

Be sure to keep a garden notebook so you will know for sure where you plant each type of vegetable.

Soil Health and Crop Rotation

Garden crop rotation isn't just about nutrients; it's also about soil health. Rotating crops helps prevent the buildup of soilborne diseases and pests that target specific plant families.

How do I know what to do to make the soil okay after growing my garden? Well, crop rotation is a big part of the answer!

Composting plays a part as well. Make your own compost.

Beyond the Basics

Once you get the hang of basic crop rotation, you can start experimenting with more complex rotations, including cover crops and green manure. These techniques further enhance soil health and fertility.

Cover crops are plants grown specifically to improve soil health, while green manure is a cover crop that's tilled back into the soil to add nutrients.

Crop rotation does not have to be in a giant circular garden. You can just use regular beds. Gotta love AI with the tomatoes lying on the ground instead of on plants!

Putting it All Together

To review, garden crop rotation is a simple yet powerful technique that can significantly improve the health and productivity of your garden. By understanding the needs of different plant families and planning your garden accordingly, you can create a thriving ecosystem that provides you with abundant harvests year after year.

Remember, where to plant each crop is crucial for successful garden crop rotation.

Now that you know the basics of garden crop rotation, you can start planning your garden with confidence.

Think of your garden as a living organism, and garden crop rotation as a way to nourish and sustain it.

By rotating your crops, you're not only feeding your plants but also feeding your soil, creating a healthy and vibrant garden for years to come.

Don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for your garden.

Every garden is unique, and the joy of gardening comes from discovering what thrives in your specific space.

There's always something new to learn and discover in the world of gardening.

So, embrace the process, enjoy the journey, and watch your garden flourish. And don't forget, garden crop rotation is your secret weapon for a healthy and productive garden. Use it wisely, and watch your garden thrive!

Now, go forth and create the garden of your dreams! With a little planning and some knowledge of garden crop rotation, you can achieve gardening greatness.

What are you waiting for? Get started today! And remember, garden crop rotation is your friend.

Now, go out there and create a garden that will make you proud. Remember, garden crop rotation is the key to long-term gardening success.

Make it a part of your gardening routine, and you'll be reaping the rewards for years to come.

Monday, June 16, 2025

Good morning! Welcome to the week we are talking about crop rotation. Each year, we try to move things around. For instance, where we grew tomatoes last year, this year I am growing potatoes and melons. Where we grew luffa, I have squash coming up.

It might rain today. At 6:30am, it is 71° and should reach 92°. This afternoon, I have another doctor appointment. This morning, we will be very busy moving, counting seeds, and filling orders. There are a lot of new orders. We are grateful and very busy.

Well, I got outside and Nacho was here doing a lot of things including moving the rest of the seeds over to the Farm Store with Matthew. In fact, just as I started to pull orders, they began moving things in and I was kicked out while they set up the seeds. I may never catch up.

I went to the podiatrist. She discussed some options since I am still having some neuropathy, although I have not had it since last Thursday. We decided to wait and see how much more I have and when it starts to get bad again.

We had one customer with two babies. The walking baby grabbed a couple of bins and began to shake them. I had to tell her no and then the mother stepped in and made her behave. I warned David that this sort of new display will not work with children but he overruled me. Fortunately, the mother made her stop but most parents allow their children to dismantle our store. With this new system, that will be a disaster.

I picked one of the Kajari melons that I planted. It is fairly small so I cut it in half, scooped out all of the seeds, and ate it. It was pretty tasty, slightly sweet but not overly so. I saved the seeds. This is one that we do not carry but I think we can grow our own seeds and give it a try.

Tonight, I was waiting for Martha Stewart to come on and Trump decided to barf all over his brand new mattress in his kennel. It was bad. I let all of the dogs outside and cleaned it all up. Then I grabbed the duster as Martha began and dusted the den. God only knows how long it has been since it was dusted. We still have not put the new drapes up in there. Hopefully, Matt can help me get the old blinds down tomorrow so I can install the new ones.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Good morning. I just gave Trump his horse pill. That growth on his face is just getting bigger and bigger. David called the vet yesterday and he said just keep giving the medicine to him. Now I am putting the pill on a piece of cracker with peanut butter and then putting more peanut butter on top. So far, it has been working well.

I went to the store this morning to pull orders. I am so far behind now due to the move. I had a bit of a meltdown. I could not find a lot so David finally put the newest seeds over there in some kind of order.

It helped some and I found a bunch of them. I closed very few orders because each order is pretty big--we are talking three, four, five, six pages an order now because so many seeds are less than $2.

The orders poured in all day long while I worked on orders from the 12th and 13th. Usually, I am on the same day or the ones from the day before.

During all of this mess while trying to find seeds in the store, we had three sets of customers. None of them bought much but they took a lot of time which is time away from pulling orders. Also, I had to count a bunch of seeds so I could send those seeds out, but only after Matthew made envelopes for them.

I will say that it was good for David to be in there today when two women came in with about six kids in total. The women were in one aisle and the kids were in another picking up seed packs and messing with them. These kids and their mother have been here many times and they will usually hang out on the property for about an hour like we are some sort of theme park.

David finally got up because the kids were left alone while the two women were talking. He just stood over there watching. Finally, he told the kids to go over to their mothers which they did. Then one mother apologized, bought her stuff and both mothers loaded up their kids and were gone.

I finally started pulling some of the orders from the 14th but by 5:30pm, I just couldn't take anymore.

It was a very long day and by the end, my back, feet and legs were killing me. I made an egg casserole for dinner and had to take it out to the store to David. Then, I just sat on the couch with my feet up.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Hi there! It is 6am and I have been awake since 4:15am when my right foot decided to wake me up with full blown neuropathy. Around 5am, it was pretty calm and I was trying to go back to sleep when my left foot got the memo and Bam! Full blown in that foot. So much for sleep. I got up and tried to make a cup of coffee but the dogs started harassing me on the legs with their tongues so I had to let them out. It should be another fun day with my lack of sleep.

Maybe today I will take some photos of the store so far. We really do need a divider wall or curtain in there because customers should not be able to see everything going on in there.

Meanwhile, I am still working from the Fulfillment building because there are still a lot of seeds in there and my stuff has not yet been moved. I will be stuck behind the store counter so I need to clean that out before I can move in. A lot of junk got tossed in there on the shelves. Every time a customer comes, I still have to go all the way up to the store in the heat unless I am already up there pulling orders.

I counted and packed a bunch of seeds this afternoon and shipped out some of my older orders. At this rate, I will never catch up. I work each day with my back, legs, and feet aching, trying so hard to find seeds and get orders out.

Some customer got a shipping notice today that I mailed her order and she sent David a scathing email complaining that the order did not go out sooner. I should have refunded it instead of searching for missing seeds.

Here she is getting things on sale for $1.95 that should have cost her $4 or more and she is carrying on like she bought a million dollar piece of property while we are trying our best with three people to move, count seeds, and fill orders for hundreds each week. What nerve. She had to wait an extra two days because we are in the middle of a move. How ungrateful can you get?

I guess she thinks she is the only one who ordered from us. She isn't.

This sale is huge and some people have been ordering six to ten page orders which can be 50 to 100 items. Our orders are all pulled by hand. We don't have expensive machines and now, due to the economic turn down, we have no employees to help us.

It takes a long time to pull such large orders. I used to pull all orders the same day or the day after but most orders were not big ones. When things are 50% off, people want everything. I spend hours on my feet each day pulling orders and I hurt all over after working 11 to 12 hours out there each day. I am just really disgusted that because this woman's order took two days more than she thought to be mailed out, she is angry.

At 5:30pm, I came in the house and made enchiladas for Gordon night. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the couch.

For disgruntled customers, we provide fresh, Non-GMO, heirloom, top quality seeds. We count and pack them here on the farm and we make our own envelopes. We hand pull and double check each order. Then we pack them in boxes and shipping envelopes, buy postage, and mail them all by hand. It takes time.

If you want fast, go to Walmart and buy the old seeds they have on hand that are only available in the spring. If you want the good seeds, you will have to wait until I can get around to your order because there are hundreds of other orders in front of you and I pull them in date order, first in, first out.

Or you can come in to the Farm Store and pick out your own seeds. We do have a retail store on the property.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Good morning. I was awakened at 5:02am with neuropathy in my left foot--a full on attack. I finally went back to sleep. The right foot did not attack.

David watched Gordon make an omelette last night and decided to try it. Now David used to make omelettes a long time ago but he has not had much time lately. He made some this morning as Gordon inspired him.

The day was crazy. Nacho and his team mowed the lawn and did a few other things including taking the huge, three compartment commercial sink out of the kitchen building. We are selling it, as well as the refrigerator and stove in there.

Encino Pest Control came to do their monthly service for the business as well as their quarterly house spraying.

We had one helper come in this afternoon for about six hours. I spent most of the day finding seeds and mailing out the oldest orders. I still have a huge pile of orders to pull and get out. I did have to count some seeds and pack them so I could mail some out in orders.

Of course, today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday so there was no mail pickup. This sale is still going on so orders are now pouring in but sales are low because most seeds are under $2. There are a few seeds that are under $1 because we are overstocked.

We did sell one office chair today, our only in-person sale. We have more. We also have plenty of eggs and no customers for them lately.

Matt had an afternoon dental appointment in San Antonio. Afterward, he stopped by Cane's chicken and picked up dinner for us. He got back around 5pm. I ate Cane's at my desk and kept working in Fulfillment. David kept working up in the Farm Store along with Matt and the helper who left after 6pm.

I worked until 9pm, mailing out orders. Around 6:30pm, Matt and I went over to the den. Matt pulled down the old curtains and blinds and put them in the dumpster.

There was a thick layer of sand and dust all over the window sills and the windows. I used a pile of Clorox wipes to clean it all which means it has not been dusted for a very long time. I have paid quite a few housekeepers since we have lived here and I don't think one of them has ever dusted these windows. It was truly disgusting. From now on, I will be cleaning the house. All of the windows have been bad but this one was the worst.

We hung the new drapes and they look really nice. Then Matt went home and I went back to work. I filled a large mailbag and I have a pile of large boxes to send out tomorrow with orders. I only wish I could have gotten out more of them.

Friday, June 20, 2025

Crop rotation is easy to do in raised garden beds. Just keep notes to refer to in a garden notebook that you can look at each time you plant.

Good morning. I have been up for over two hours now. I woke up at 4am on the dot with a clogged nose. I got up and used my Navage, which is a battery run netty pot that fills with water and cleans out your nasal cavity. It worked great but after going back to bed, within a few minutes, my nose was clogged again. I tried for quite a while to go back to sleep but it got worse. I got up, made a cup of coffee and some toast with blueberry cream cheese, and started working.

David has a doctor's appointment today at noon in San Antonio so we will lose a lot of time working on orders.

We got to the appointment early. About 30 minutes after the appointment, they finally called us in to see the doctor. He is nice but I did not like what he had to say.

We got home and I pulled and closed orders until 6pm. Then I went in and made a delicious sausage and egg scramble since we are floating in eggs around here. Anyway, the food was so good.

I started feeling bad and thought I had allergies but it got worse. Turns out I have a cold.

We watched the final episode of House. It was crazy and sad.

Then David put on a crazy show called The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh. It is funny but Amazon is not renewing it for another season. Too bad.

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Crop rotation can be done on the trellis as well. One season plant beans, the next plant cucumbers, squash, melons, gourds, okra, etc.

Considering I am sick with a cold, I slept very well. I woke up twice in the night, the second time at 6:03am. I got up and made coffee. Matt is bringing us breakfast. I believe Nacho is coming out to do some things for David today. The store will be open from 10am to 2pm and I have a lot of eggs so come out and get them. Don't wait until fall when the girls are molting and I have no eggs to give you like many of you did last fall.

Happy First Day of Summer! Of course, we have been in summer here in Texas for two months so it really means nothing to us.

Our store no longer looks like this.

Nacho came out to plan a wall in the store. He took measurements and David told him what he wanted and where. He also moved some things with Matt's help.

It rained here for about an hour close to lunch time. The air was cool and breezy. Now it is 1:45pm, hot, sunny, and miserable. The rain that we got did not even move the needle but I got soaked in it twice coming to the house to get David's lunch and again taking his lunch out to him. We have had zero customers today. I have a ton of fresh eggs and someone is missing out and buying crappy eggs from the grocery store with dull yellow yolks instead of nice orange-yellow yolks from my chickens.

For the past several weeks, we have been asking the mailman for more mailbags. He says there are no more. Where did they go? We have been using them for six years now and all of a sudden there are no more to be found? I guess we will start loading up boxes again like we used to before the post office started sending bags over.

The rain came back in late afternoon and hit hard again. We got 2/10 of an inch.

We watched the Svengoolie movie this evening while eating horrible food from IHOP in Lytle. Overcooked chicken...nasty and dry. David said his chicken fried steak and potatoes were awful as well. Just as the movie began, Todd Starnes reported on my phone that President Trump bombed three nuclear plants in Iran. I checked and it was not on any networks. Then I saw that Trump would be speaking to us at 9pm. We watched. It was a great speech. I wonder why Vance had that look on his face.

Back to the movie, it was one I'd never heard of, Valley of the Damned, made in 1960. It was strange.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Good morning. I slept very well. I woke up once at 3:02am and took some Nyquil. I went right back to sleep and woke up at 7:25am. I got up, had some breakfast and then went out to feed the animals. It is very humid out and I came in soaking wet so I had to change clothes. I keep falling asleep as I type this so I should probably go take a nap. It is 10am.

It is now 7:11pm. I slept a lot through the day. I sound horrible. Sometime this afternoon, Walmart groceries came. David put most of them away but he thoughtfully left a bunch of them for me to put away. I made some chicken noodle soup this afternoon. It was good but David won't eat it.

I went out and took care of the animals and came in all sweaty so I jumped in the shower. I feel somewhat better now.

Return from Crop Rotation to Our Sixth Year

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