You've probably felt the same way: you stood in front of the vegetable patch in spring and had to think for a long time about where the radishes, carrots, lettuce and tomatoes were the previous year. To prevent this from happening again, it makes sense to create a cultivation plan for the vegetable garden based on crop rotation and mixed culture.
How to create a planting plan for a vegetable patch?
To create a planting plan for a vegetable bed, you should first decide which types of vegetables you want to grow, consider the crop rotation (heavy feeders, medium feeders, weak feeders) and include sensible mixed crops in the planning to ensure he althy plant growth and high yields to support.
Step 1: What vegetables do you want to grow?
Not everyone loves green beans or peeling beets. That's why the first step in the cultivation plan is to consider which vegetables to plant in the coming year.
Also include the size of the bed in this planning. It makes more sense to grow fewer varieties, but in sufficient quantities for family needs.
Step 2: Pay attention to crop rotation
The crop rotation is crucial if you don't want to unnecessarily deplete the soil. Therefore, divide the planned plants into the following groups:
- Heavy eaters
- Middle eaters
- Weak eaters.
The Heavy Eaters
These have a particularly high nitrogen requirement. As a rule, these are summer vegetables such as peppers, cabbage or tomatoes.
The middle eaters
They have a medium nutrient requirement and are planted in the second year in the place where the heavy feeders were cultivated the previous year. Examples of medium-food sources include spinach, garlic or onions.
The weak eaters
These require relatively few nutrients or even partially supply the soil with nitrogen again in the third year. They ensure that the substrate can recover. They include many herbs but also beans and peas.
Green manure
Green manure is often neglected in the vegetable garden because there is not enough space. However, it makes sense because it attracts beneficial insects such as bees, bumblebees, butterflies and other insects.
Note mixed cultures
When drawing the cultivation plan for a vegetable bed, consider sensible mixed crops or mixed row crops. Certain vegetables grown side by side support each other's growth and reward your gardening efforts with higher yields.
Tip
If you are unsure about the quality of the soil in your vegetable garden, it may make sense to have a soil sample tested. You then know exactly which trace elements are missing and can fertilize very specifically.
