Rotating crops this fall can set garden up for success next spring

This is the gardener’s mantra: Success requires planning.

“To give your plants a healthy start next year,” says Kansas State University horticulture expert Matt McKernan, “the best practice is to rotate crops within the same family to a different location than where they’re growing this year.”

Crop rotation offers several benefits, according to McKernan.

“Plants in the same family are typically susceptible to similar pests,” he said. “Some pests overwinter in the soil; some are able to survive on plant debris. If the same host is available when the pests emerge in the spring, they will be able to continue feeding, and multiply the problem. Crop rotation breaks the cycle of these pests.”

McKernan added that plants in the same family also have similar nutrient requirements, so rotating crops prevents the soil from becoming depleted of those nutrients. “And, the varied root system depths from one plant family to the next contributes to the health of the soil,” he said.

“Now is the perfect time to make a map of the vegetable garden, including what crops were planted where this summer, so you can switch things up when you plant next year,” McKernan said. “For example, in the location where tomatoes are growing now, avoid planting anything from the Solanaceae family (such as eggplant, pepper or potato) next year.”