My favourite rotation is HLC
- 1 year Heavy Feeder
- 1 year Light Feeder
- 1 year Cover Crop
Generally speaking, heavy feeders include brassicas, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucurbits, corn,
and alliums.
Light feeders include carrots, beets, beans, peas, lettuce, and most herbs.
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In the HLC rotation:
- You spread compost/manure then plant your heavy feeder.
- The next year, your light feeder uses the residual fertility left after the heavy feeder.
- You wrap up with a year of cover crops to clean up the fields and prepare for the next cash crop.
- Another HLC cycle begins!
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Once your rotation is going, you can spread compost/manure in the late summer/early fall of your cover crop year. This way you heavy feeder field is ready to plant the following spring
And of course you can sprinkle more cover crops in your H and L years once the crop is finished. Or even before the cash crop if your timing is right!
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This rotation scheme is designed around growing one crop per field per year. You can adapt this if you want to have more successions per year – alternating H & L crops with strategic compost applications.
What’s your favourite rotation scheme?
My next free online workshop is on Thursday December 2 at 2pm Eastern & 7pm Eastern …
