I'm sure others out there are like me and grow a lot of peppers and tomatoes. I have a large garden (always growing) but have trouble rotating my crops every year because most are of the same family. By the books, after planting a crop you should wait four years to replant crop(or same family crop) again in the same location. I have been lucky so far with bugs and fungal problems without rotating but I know I have to change things soon. I'm planning to plant some "green manure" crops in the spring as well as some beans/legumes for extra nitrogen but really don't know where to start. Any gardeners with suggestions? Aybody else suffer from overchilieidous? Watch out it spreads through chile plants!
-
Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.
crop rotation
- Thread starter POTAWIE
- Start date
I have the same concern. I'm on year number three with limited rotation possibilities. I do till in mushroom compost every spring to help replenish the soil. Don't know if it helps the lack of rotation issue or not. I also test the soil and add fertilizer if needed. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
What I ususally do is add some better soil at the end of the year or before I plant. I find that that usually works fine.
I would think, based on what I learned about crop rotation in botany in high school, that adding fresh potting soil each year would solve the problem.
Although, the larger your pepper crop, the higher your annual expense...
Can you say "compost"?
T
Although, the larger your pepper crop, the higher your annual expense...
Can you say "compost"?
T
LOL.....I did forget to mention that at $3.00 - $4.00 per 40 Lb bag of mushroom compost, it is probably not a viable solution for a large garden!! But for Mr. smalltime like myself (3' x 35') it is a little more manageable. But still costly.
I always compost and add extra soil and additives but I'm still worried about pathogens, insects and unfriendly bacteria etc. (which are harmful to specific crops) building up. Some people put large clear plastic tarps over their gardens to solarize the soil and kill off any pests. I see this method killing and/or relocating a lot of worms and beneficial insects too. Since this tecnique must be done with plenty of sun and heat, it doesn't work good for me the northern gardener. What works great is big pots, but thats another topic.
We only have a small area dedicated to our beloved pepper plants. Our soil is approx. 85% sand and we plant in the same spot every year. During the winter months we add the ash from our outdoor firepit, toss in any peels from fruits that we don't use, and about 2 weeks before planting, we till and add "black cow" manure to the garden area. Generally speaking, we haven't had any major problems in our plants over the last 5yrs of growing in the same spot.
Ya I don't have the opportunity to rotate my peppers so I make sure that I mix in a good compost in the fall after the plants are done and then I fertilize with fish emulsion once a month during the growing season.
I use cow manure and the compost out of my small compost pile. I have had no problems for the last 4 years, and I grow peppers year around down here. My parents have been gardening in the same garden for 30 years and have never rotated crops, just paid very good attention to taking care of the soil by adding compost and manure.
