The Sauk County Gardener

Effective Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

“There is nothing that is comparable to it, as satisfactory or as thrilling, as gathering the vegetables one has grown.”

— Alice B. Toklas

I was finally able to plant in my vegetable garden this past weekend. Even though it’s just my husband and I, we plant a relatively large vegetable garden. I’m fortunate as he built eight 4’ x 8’ raised garden beds plus we have four medium-sized galvanized tanks filled with soil as well to plant surplus crops. Even with all of that space, it’s important to pay attention to crop rotation.

Crop rotation helps improve soil fertility and nutrient availability to your vegetables. It can also help with insect pest management and disease. Studies have shown that when crops are not rotated, crop production numbers eventually decline, primarily because of soilborne diseases and various insect pests.

To effectively implement crop rotation, start

Selecting the Right Tomato

“There is nothing better than picking up sun-warmed tomatoes and smelling them, feeling them and scrutinizing their shiny skins for imperfections, dreaming of ways to serve them.”

Andres

My husband and I just finished repotting our tomato plants for the Sauk County Master Gardeners Association’s annual tomato plant sale. Our event coordinator asked everyone donating plants to not only include the plant name, but also note whether it was determinate or indeterminate and if it was a hybrid or an heirloom. Until I became a master gardener, I never really paid much attention to that information. I was just looking for a delicious by identifying the “groups” your crops are in – legume, leaf, fruit, or root. I’m using those terms loosely, but you’ll get the gist in a minute. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soils – think beans, peans, and lima beans. If you grow potatoes, you can plant them with the legume group instead of with the roots. Potatoes have the same issues as other nightshade plants (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants) and could benefit from a year break in the typical rotation schedule. Leaf crops need nitrogen – think greens, lettuce, spinach, brassicas – broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and herbs. If you plant corn, put it in with the leaf crops due to it being a heavy nitrogen feeder. Fruit crops are ones that need more phosphorus: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, squash, and melons. Finally, root crops are ones that require potassium. This group consists of vegetables such as beets, carrots, radishes, onions, garlic, and turnips. For my garden, my top crops are tomatoes (fruit group), broccoli and Brussels sprouts (leaf group), beans (legume tomato. Knowing some of this information will help you not only select a delicious tomato but can also help you select the right tomato for your garden space and desired way of using tomatoes.

The first thing to consider is whether the tomato is determinate or indeterminate. A determinate tomato will have the majority of its fruit ripen about the same time. They tend to be bushier and shorter overall, making them ideal for smaller gardens. They produce most of their fruit at the terminal end and will stop shoot production once flowers have formed on the ends. They also tend to ripen earlier. If you are looking to can tomatoes, make salsa, or sauce, having most of your tomatoes ripen around the same time can be very helpful. Indeterminate tomatoes have a longer growing