Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi there,

I still question about crop rotation. I'm looking at planting some autumn planting onion / shallots and I'm wondering if I should plant them in the same place where I've had my spring planted onions (which have just or more less finished).

What do others do? Should I use a different bed?

Note this is only my second year, and I'm trying to change everything around each year.

I usually follow Potatoes with Onions so after my Earlies I plant Leeks and a few days ago I put Onion sets (Senshyu Yellow and Shakespeare) and Garlic in the same bed where later Potatoes had been. Definitely wouldn't put them where you have just harvested Onions from.

Hi, I don't follow a strict rotation (because I'm far too disorganised), but In any space, I do always grow something different to the previous year. The exception is runner beans, due to shading etc... Bur always work the soil over and add to it.

As Geoff says due to rot etc... Onion, garlics and shallots should always be in a different place. Mine will be where the broad beans were this year.

Pawty

I agree with Geoff and Pawty and wouldn't plant the winter onions in the same bed as the summer ones. Mine usually follow the broadbeans and peas with the soil just enriched a bit with onion fertiliser and 'sweetened' with a touch of lime. That same bed will have been heavily manured two years ago.

Thanks for the comments. I guess I had though that you pick a bed and use that for a given family of veg for a year, where as I think you're all suggesting that it's better to think about it as succession.