Q Is it OK not to rotate the crops in my small veg bed?
Ian Tomisson, East Sussex
A
PIPPA SAYS This is a more common question than you might think. Small-space veg gardening is becoming common as garden sizes decrease. But it’s important to remember that even in a tiny plot you can still practise some basic crop rotation. That said, I myself have never stuck to a rigid rotation plan – I find it too restrictive, particularly since I like to choose the amount of ground dedicated to each crop. Even more importantly, I only grow crops that my family likes to eat, and that excludes a number of the rotation classics.
So even if your vegetable plot is, say, 1.5m x 1.5m, you can still ‘rotate’ by ensuring that you don’t grow the same or closely related types of veg in the same part of it each year. Ideally you should avoid repeat plantings like this for at least two years. I find that works perfectly well.