If you have a small garden or vertical garden, you’re limited by space.
That can make it hard to implement beneficial practices such as crop rotation as there are only so many places your crops can go.
Thankfully, there’s a simple, highly effective solution.
Why Crop Rotation Is Important
Crop rotation is essential for maintaining soil health and fertility.
When the same crop is planted in the same place over and over, nutrients specific to that crop are constantly being pulled from the soil.
One way to avoid depleting the soil is to plant different families of crops in succession.
But, if you grow vertically, this can be hard to do.
After all, how can you rotate crops on fixed structures—like trellises—efficiently?
Since there’s a limited number of plants that vine and grow well vertically, options are naturally limited.
The Answer? Plant Legumes
Legumes provide a natural and effective way to replenish nutrient-depleted soil in your garden.
Common varieties include:
- sweet peas
- snow peas
- green beans
- black beans
- pinto beans
- field peas
- and more
This is because legumes have the remarkable ability to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil, promoting soil health and fertility.
After growing nitrogen-feeding plants, such as cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes, try planting something from the legume family after you harvest!
When it’s time to remove the legume plants, cut them at soil level instead of uprooting them. This method leaves the nitrogen-rich root system in the ground to replenish the soil for future crops in the same location.
Here’s how I do it:
Happy gardening!
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