Rotation query

[ElizaD]

Hi Charles

One of my beds was planted up with 1/3 sugar snap peas and 2/3 cupidon dwarf French beans. The sugar snap have now finished cropping and I am wondering if I can put some more dwarf French beans in the space vacated by the sugar snap. I would not usually follow a legume with a legume but I have nowhere else and I want more beans! I have not grown legumes in this bed for three years and they won’t be grown in it again for about the same period of time. I have sometimes planted lettuce in the same place after clearing if I’ve been short of space but would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Many thanks

Eliza

[charles]

Yes no problem at all, I say similar in most of my books, rotation needs looking at differently, forget the four year ‘rule’ when you are double cropping.
For example in ‘rotation’ terms, beans followed by beans equates to a year of Brussels sprouts, in terms of time.
Stay flexible, your options for cropping increase!

[ElizaD]

Thanks, Charles, just what I wanted to hear. Two or three years at most is all I generally manage in rotation terms in any case but I do generally try not to follow with the same groups of plants. Growing a lot more veg this year and so space is tight. I read in your books that you sometimes only manage two years between the same group of plants, particularly salad stuff, but I hadn’t really thought of the length of time a crop is in the ground, yes, the peas are only there a short time in the scheme of things. Makes life easier.

Thanks again
Eliza

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