The two year gap allows mineral balace of the soil to be maintained, makes better use of organic matter and most importantly reduces the risk of pests and disease. This method works for almost any garden apart from very small gardens.
These do not need to be rotated:
Rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, Globe artichokes, Asparagus, Seakale and Herbs
The 3 year rotation plan
Plot A
Potato, Tomato, Pepper and Aubergine (Eggplants), Marrows, Courgettes and other cucerbits and squashes
Plot B
Legumes, Onions and Roots
Plot C
Brassicas Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohl-rabi, Oriental greens, Radish, Swede and Turnips
Brassicas follow legumes, onions and roots. Legumes, onions and roots follow potatoes and potatoes follow brassicas.
Thanks for your advice. I didn't rotate my tomatoes one year because I changed my crop rotationcrop rotation plans and ended up with a bad case of blight. Won't do that again. (Plus I read not to compost store-bought tomatoes because they can spread blight. So I stopped doing that, just in case.) Generally, I rotate my raised beds like this (but I still tweak things now and then, and add other minor crops to these main ones): Year 1 is cukes and cabbage family. Year 2 is tomatoes/peppers. Year 3 is legumes. Year 4 is zucchini. Year 5 is tomatoes/peppers. Year 6 is garlic/onions. Year 7 is compost and letting the bed rest (a biblical concept). I try to keep two years between planting plants in same spot. It's still a work in progress. But it's fun work.
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