If climate change is a reality, science predicts the severity of pests and diseases to grow. In order to break our reliance on pesticides alone, we must employ the resilience of biologically diverse systems. Simply put, planned crop rotations are one strategy to adapt to global change.
You can experience your local planet right at home by growing plants. Farmers work outdoors day in and day out so outdoor experience comes with the job. Gardeners can model what farmers manage over hundreds of acres on micro-sized plots of land. If you consider the specific relationships a insect pest has with specific plants, you can appreciate the power of crop rotations.
Plan and project the plant families you intend to grow during different seasons. Separate your land into distinct plots that serve as boundaries through which you can orchestrate a rotation. Consciously, select plants from various families and build in a calendar to time planting and harvest. Think of your land as a diversified portfolio that grows ever more resistant to volatile times of pest and disease.
The cycle of crop rotations comes full circle as we face unpredictable times. What appears to be a prudent practice to land stewardship while breaking dependence on synthetic inputs might not stand up to economic challenges. Not all plant families are created equal and thus they fetch variable prices. So long as our world is volatile we need to depend on resilience to weather the storm. How much of a risk are we willing to take?
I just came across your blog by way of the Hidden Hollows Farm blog and applaud your mission. As a professional cook, I think it’s especially important to support responsible and sustainable food sources, and really understand how our food gets to the table. I’ve just started doing some urban vegetable gardening in containers on my balcony and will be sure to follow your posts. Thanks for the insights.
by the way I also prefer the old logo. the gradient color shift integrates well with the header as a whole. the new logo seems to have a “stamp” like quality which i suspect would add more weight to your header. the boxing in of the letters also appears confining and doesn’t have the same expansive feeling of the old logo.
Interesting article .
What do we rotate our crops with ?
How do we find out?
Very nice post! thank you for sharing this valuable info!
A good rule of thumb is never to plant the same crop family in consecutive years, and to rotate legumes (peas and beans) with heavy feeders like corn, tomatoes, and potatoes.
I followed my summer sweet corn with winter fava beans, for example.