Why Crop Rotation Isn’t Necessary For Home Gardeners

[@wi54725]

1,000,000 thank yous for this video. I have been telling this to people for 25 years, and they never believe me. I will send this video on to a bunch of people to tell them to stick their pitchforks where their compost shines. I have a 50 x 2 foot area and 14 separate 4 x 4 raised beds, and I can produce as much as some small farms. I used to do square foot gardening, and now I do even more intensive. I have cucumbers as close together as radishes, and they produce more than we can eat. We give the extra to elderly neighbors that cannot garden any more.

[@beautyforashes2230]

I'd give your comment a hundred thumbs-up if I could. :)

[@jmichellea4041]

Awesome!

[@pjd2709]

@wi54725 That is so nice of you to share your excess veg! We could all do that this year.

[@annieb7919]

@@pjd2709 If you have Sr. Housing near you, that's a great place for sharing.

[@grape1829]

That is awesome. Grandmas and grandpas tend to appreciate clean fresh food. 👍👍

[@annieb7919]

I'm in my 9th decade and still do organic gardening in washer and dryer tubs. I've used the same soil and planted the same plants in the same containers for 20 years. NO problems whatsoever! I raise red wigglers (yes ~ in my house) and their "contributions", plus powdered egg shells, provide marvelous food for me with a plentiful abundance to share with those who are less blessed. Thanks for THIS, and ALL your great videos! Sure wish I could raise figs, bananas, avocados, etc where I live! (Not to mention kumquats, loquats, apricots, pomegranates, etc!)

[@beckyreynolds1206]

Annie B I just love this comment! God bless you!

[@victoriajankowski1197]

Check out David the good, he's here on KZbin and also has a book pushing the zone that might be interesting to you

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

Annie B great post

[@annieb7919]

@@beckyreynolds1206 Thanks Becky, and God bless you, too! Are you by any chance a Pre-Tribber?

[@annieb7919]

@@victoriajankowski1197 Thanks, Victoria. I, too, love David the Good although I don't have the book as I have problems reading since botched eye surgeries. Any suggestions on Edible Weeds? Do you grow Egyptian walking onions? Yummy, E-Z to grow, prolific but non-invasive. Put some in the ground and forget about them until you want to pull one.

[@beautyforashes2230]

Thank you, Luke! Some people following my gardening blog are puzzled as to why I drive in huge harvests each year despite not sticking to the rotation "rules" (I'd quickly run out of space, that's why I didn't even start to follow the rules. I only have 450 square meters to work with). I'm tired of explaining why I don't and why my experience tells me it's not necessary. Now I can just link them to your video, haha!

[@stephanieray6587]

You're such a good communicator, Luke... like the doctor of dirt! My parents threw some Elephant Garlic into the backyard back in the Eighties, and it still happily volunteers each year.

[@annas.697]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't plant rotate because of my garden layout. Now I will embrace it instead of stressing about it.

[@decyattysyachpchyol]

Likewise. I am not moving my T posts and trellises year after year.

[@ladydianagonifas]

Very informative, thank you, like you say it's not easy to rotate in my small garden, and now thanks to this video, I went feel bad planting tomatoes in the same spot as the last few years, what a relief. Thanks again, I've learnt so much from your gardening videos.

[@ViviTran29]

Luke, I'd like to applaud you for challenging the status quo! You've taught me so much! You're my Garden Hero!

[@krism7380]

Thank you for answering all my concerns regarding rotating crops, and for making my garden planning a heck of a lot easier from now on!

[@trast46]

thanks for the video. I always crop rotate and it is often a pain. I will be happy to not worry about that so much in the future.

[@antonette8093]

OMG I just stumbled on this video-4 years after it was posted. Thank you so much. I am new to gardening. I started last spring and failed (so much to learn). My fall garden was much better and this year was even better. I’m in zone 8A (coastal southeast NC) It’s not easy but you take so much of the anxiety away. I do enjoy fall gardening because it’s cooler and no humidity! Thank you for all you do.

[@shesows630]

So thankful for this video! I’m a first timer and was already starting to plan for next year and it was stressing me! Now I can peace knowing I can just retry what works in the same spot!

[@KMouseff]

Well, that just saved me a whole lot of unnecessary stress. Thanks, Luke!

[@andrelabonte2294]

No one has ever explained crop rotation to me like you just did. Makes sense. Thanks ☮️🇨🇦

[@debbiehenri7170]

You're absolutely right and this is very well-explained. I live in Scotland and traditionally we would have really wet weather for months and months on end. It didn't matter whether I had potatoes in a well-cultivated bed, in a new bed made up on fresh ground, or 300ft away in growing bags and containers - potato crops would have blight to some degree. Last year, we had a peculiarly hot Spring - and not a trace of blight to be found on any of the potatoes, even though some surviving tubers had resprouted in the same beds I'd used in previous years. They were perfectly good - and that's when I began to have my own doubts about crop rotation for everything. In recent years, I have gone beyond remaking beds with just the compost made from kitchen scraps. Now I add lots of moss (as it grows really thick and lush by the stream and quickly breaks down into the most beautiful compost), chopped dead ferns and bracken, lots of half-decomposed leaves (oak, hazel & beech) dredged from the stream, crumbling twigs, beech mast & beech flowers. This year I have the addition of horse manure courtesy of my new neighbour's horse. For me, the addition of nutritional materials is not a once a year job. If I find something 'suitable' I can add to the soil when plants are actively growing (without swamping them of course), it's added. Variety does keep pests under control, and once you taste the difference between shop-bought spinach and home-grown you quickly learn to suffer a few slug holes or a little beetle nibbling the edges.

[@julianbell321]

Debbie Henri - potato blight is AIRBORNE. I am also from Scotland, the reason we didn't suffer blight in2018 was that the humidity in the air was low due to the hot, dry weather. Please simply Google potato blight and find some reputable advice not the misleading nonsense on this channel. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

[@fredfrond6148]

Great video, immense amount of practical knowledge. The natives had it right with the three sisters corn, squash and beans grown together. Where the bean climbs the corn, the nitrogen intensive corn is fed by the nitrogen fixer bean plant and the squash grows on the ground so that weeds are blocked out and rodents dislike climbing over the squash to get the corn and the beans.

[@BellanaturallaBlogspot]

I'm from Alabama where the Boll Weevil was a big deal. You are right that farming on a large scale is different from backyard gardening. The greatest advice is to know your soil and know your plants. If I can't amend the soil in time for a planting, I let that bed rest until I can get to it. Same if there was a pest or fungal issue. Then I'll just rotate that crop to another location. Reusing soil hasn't been a big issue unless I failed to address any prior issues.

[@deonarly]

I like how you say “In the gardening we should simplifying things not making things complicated”.

[@grahamthomas6283]

AT LAST FOUND SOMEONE WHO TALKS SENSE thanks for your time 🐞🐦👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bubbles8851]

Thank you for saving me a $30 subscription to Garden Planner. Also, thank you for reminding me of the difference between monoculture and polyculture.

[@joybrown8644]

Already bought it. 🙄

[@falkinable]

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!! I've been racking my brain on how to accomodate my drip irrigation setup for crop rotation but what you said makes so much sense. This info helps a lot.

[@susanc8170]

I totally agree. I've had years where I've rotated my garden crops and then I've planted things in the same places for several years. My garden hasn't suffered from either practice. What matters is soil amendments. Compost is absolutely the best thing ever.

[@AcornHillHomestead]

This a huge relief! In a 30 x 40 garden with a mix of sun it drives me crazy to plan on rotations and spacing. I finally decided to do it my own way because of space limitations and time constraints. I have had zero issues. I use mainly organic fertilizers and natural materials like organic matter like leaves, compost and wood chips. Yes I do use the occasional commercial fertilizer at times but I use it sparingly. Recently as an aside we had cedar rust (fungus?) on a Honey Crisp apple tree. I used organic Serenade and a heavy mulch. WOW WOW. The tree I was going to be taken out last fall and I gave it one last year. Well this year it looks amazing. Fingers crossed. So organic methods do work.

[@laurabehenna9602]

That's great news, Luke. I'm done with stressing about unnecessary crop rotation!

[@HLT646]

I used the same 12' x 12' rised bed for 7 years, and I grew the same thing every year in the same spot, and I never had any issues, but one and that was Aphips. I would just go to my local farm supplies and get a deal of Ladybugs, and that fixed my problem. I did every years I needed to add some more potting mix, plus any compost I had as well, and my garden produced a whole lot of vegetables.

[@tamekahill2826]

Thanks for sharing I never crop rotated. I do just like you add to my soil.

[@kinghollywood494]

Tameka Hill

[@tauceti8341]

I feel its nicer sometimes to just plant the seed in the ground rather than being worried about macroscale consequences and rather see how what you've done influenced your microclimate. I didn't like my arugula at all, but I got complacent, let it flower, and my god the bees going insane, and the first time ever I seed a bird even eat the seeds from it! It's so easy in gardening to get bogged down with rules, season, lighting, etc for instant success. We forget to be our child likes selves and explore our curiosities and study our failures.

[@necymamaril3735]

You just explained what I needed to know. Million thanks to you. I have a small garden and only grow vegetables for myself and sometimes give some to my friends. And it makes so much sense!

[@amysnipes4245]

I always like what you have to say. You are a FAST talker!!! I finally figured out how to set it at 75%. Much better for this gray haired gardener. 😊

[@Donna_G]

When I had my community garden plot, I would put my tomatoes, beans, peas, and squash in pretty much the same spots year after year with no ill effect. I kept a compost pile right in the plot. Many of the other gardeners around my plot thought it was unsightly. But, by the next Spring, the stuff in the pile was pretty well composted and I could just mix it in with the rest of the soil.

[@yogidevendrabiriyani1777]

i swear you're my favorite internet gardening advisor!

[@Velkhana22]

Thank you for bringing up the bananas! We're actually in the middle of a huge fight to not have the same exact thing happen with our current monoculture banana, too, because it's apparently very close to being a similar problem yet again, leaving us with no varieties of bananas ready for meeting the demands on growers. Also, fun fact for those who don't know, candy bananas taste wildly different because that's what the original major banana crop tasted like! New bananas taste nothing like the ones your grandparents or great grandparents had. You can still find them, but they're so rare and protected that it's like $45 for a bunch of them.

[@christaball4568]

I have a very small garden with a large raised bed and many pots while I live with my aunt and uncle but I love being able to help with food in this way and it’s such a good way to help with anxiety and stress! I’ll be moving within this year so a yard is definitely my top priority! These videos are always so helpful for me and I love watching!

[@socrnjazzz]

Luke, I’ve been watching your videos for years but this is by FAR the one I’ve needed to hear the most! Thank you so much for explaining this!!

[@stevelehman79]

Thanks for sharing. You hit the nail on the head. People who question you should look into Back to Eden Gardening and how it works. I do raised beds which can apply the same principle. Love your videos

[@claressalucas8922]

I've grown beautiful tomatoes in the same containers for nigh on 15 years now. Glad you agree!

[@annieb7919]

Me, too, for 20+ years. NO problems!

[@jmas2312]

I totally agree with Luke. I have planted tomatoes in the same garden bed for 10 years. I've learned a lot over the years, and last summer was my best season yet. I keep the soil fresh and healthy and stuff grows. :)

[@MartinPHellwig]

In short; you don't need to crop rotate when in effect you soil rotate.

[@chromecrescent]

Lol true - You are moving the soil or moving the crops either way

[@efrenchen293]

Not soil rotate so much as soil amend I suppose

[@daughteroftheking971]

Thank you so much! I have put far too much work and stress into trying to rotate crops in four 3x6 beds.

[@rachelleo8527]

Exactly what I've been wondering and stressing about. Thanks for the informative video!

[@a.b.5321]

Rachelle O Me too! Perfect timing. 😃

[@jelankfo]

Great info. I've been wary about planting nightshades together but this has gotten me to rethink that.

[@gabrielbayley4247]

you just keep hitting it out of the park with your 2019 growing season videos

[@rachelball1174]

Thank you for another great video. We practiced crop rotation on the family farm when I was a kid, but as a home gardener I've never done so. It simply not necessary. I just love your passion for gardening. How about an update on the 87year old tomato? I'd love to know how its going.

[@colleenh2939]

Exactly the problem I have had. I never really rotated my crops until about 4 years ago when I started using a gardening program that said I could not plant my tomatoes and garlic in the same spot that I had done the year before. The next few years my tomato harvest went way down and not only that, but my cucumber harvest too. This year I am planting them in the same place where they did so well for years in hope that it will make the difference. Thanks for the very helpful info.

[@emmamemma4162]

I think many gardens only have one place that is sunny/warm enough for tomatoes (where I live they are mostly grown indoors or in greenhouses, but a south-facing wall could also work). Do you think this is the case with your garden? Do you add a lot of material between growing seasons?

[@christinelindeman1984]

Late comer to this video as well as the companion planting one.... and you saved my life! I have a small, tightly enclosed garden and I can't tell you how nearly impossible it has been to create plans each year where I can rotate, companion plant and avoid creating shade from climbers. Phew! What a great thing to know!

[@doggiefamily908]

Thank you for giving me some peace. I have tomatoes in the same bed for 5th or 6th year in a row. Last winter I added some forest soil and wood ashes. I have the best tomato plants ever. They are almost 5 feet tall, with tons of green tomatoes on them.

[@mycozygardencottage]

Thank you so much! I didn't make a record of where I planted everything last year and you're right! It gets hard to rotate crops in a home garden, especially when you can't remember where everything was! I'm so glad I can stop worrying about that!! Another great video Luke!

[@amberwilder8650]

Wow, that makes sense. Sometimes the obvious is overlooked cause we just go along with what 'they' say & we never think why they're saying that. Thank you.

[@HGrimes]

I’ve had such a hard time with cucumber beetles this year and everyone keeps telling me to stop growing squash for a couple of years. I’m hesitant not just because I love my squashes and they love my soil, but it took me 4 years of growing squash to build up a healthy population of squash bees. I used to have to manually pollinate those plants because there were no bees, and they do a way better job than me! If I starve the beetles of squashes, I’d have to starve the squash bees too and start over. I think I might just be stuck with the annoying beetles…

[@terrytillman5715]

This was really good to learn. This year I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the crop rotation thing and am so glad that I don't really need to do it!

[@imari2305]

So basically just feed your soil by continually adding compost. Simple and easy to do. Thanks Luke.

[@jchny00]

I rotated after the first year of my garden, not since. Its located on a hillside so I learned quick where the peppers and tomatoes liked to be. Once I saw what areas stayed more moist i adjusted my planting.

[@katkur9731]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for this video! So,so many questions answered! You are so knowledgeable and precious! Thank you for everything you do!❤

[@LindaB651]

I've grown a small suburban garden for well over a decade, and tend to base my planting on light needs of particular plants (some areas get more or less light. ) I compost everything from my kitchen, and put it all back into the soil; there have been no problems, but there have been, possibly unfounded worries. . Thank you for clarification!

[@Fulkersons]

Thank you so much, I feel better because the way my raised beds are and what I grow crop rotation isn't an option.

[@christianealbreit2273]

I have been looking for this answer and explanation for two years now. Thanks so much.

[@hollykrupinski6727]

THANK YOU!! I need to simplify!! I always make things too complicated! Garden rotation has always caused me stress!

[@chrism3845]

I get what you are saying that viruses are already in the ground. The point of crop rotation (in my understanding) is that the bugs and viruses that attack a plant (say tomatoes and potatoes) INCREASE and INCREASE each annual season, over time, when the same crop is planted in the same location year in/year out. Rotations helps to reduce the increase and break to yearly cycle of viruses in the ground.As always great channel mate.

[@williscooper7750]

He addressed that by saying if you move them say 20 ft away, they can and still will come back. Just like I planted onions from bulb in deck rail planter boxes this year, never had anything but erbs there before, and they are getting rekted by early caterpillars. Where as the ones down in my raised bed are fine this year (about 30ft away from deck) but last year saw a good amount of early on caterpillar attacks.

[@Mulberrysmile]

Yes, that is correct, however I think the point is that small scale gardeners are doing things differently. Companion planting with different crops, as well as herbs or beneficial plants. We also take care of our soil, making a healthy habitat for earthworms which promote healthy soil biota. For example, in a study, verticillium wilt of eggplant was reduced and controlled by introducing earthworms. The effect also lasted when the worms were purposely killed off. The researchers didn’t know why, but I do because I’ve examined research on earthworms. They eat and digest bad bacteria molds and fungus. Their guts contain and spreads good bacteria. Earthworms also release something called “chiton” which somehow helps plants resist attack from insects and disease. This, the whole system is reliant on healthy soil, rather than just moving plants each year and/or using synthetic products for soil amendment that actually decrease soil health over time.

[@williscooper7750]

@@Mulberrysmile I couldnt have said it better. You absolutely backed what Luke was saying in this video

[@DovidM]

Many viruses are spread by insects. The virus may exist in the soil, but it might take an aphid to transmit the virus to the plant.

[@ThornsandMyrtles]

You just made my life a lot easier. Thanks and God bless!

[@judys8102]

Thank you so much, this is just the info I needed, calming my concerns about these issues. I love you and all that you do to help us less experienced gardeners. I recommend you to all my gardening family and friends.

[@shawndeelooney2690]

I am so thankful for your expertise and helping us to understand what is important and what just is not. Thank you. This really is taking a load off of me. I am going to be trying companion planting. I feel like that is a fun way to maximize my space and help with different issues, as well!!

[@mariannegieruszczak6867]

Very reassuring. I’ve planted same veg in same spot out of necessity, simply the best set up for my small garden and its various support structures. Mulch, soil replenishment, and keeping it tidy has pretty much eliminated pests and disease. Thanks for the insights.

[@heidimarchant5438]

I now understand how my farmer husband has no idea on how to educate me about small gardening.

[@cherylhirschdiyfun4636]

Makes a lot of sense. I never followed the package rules anyway, I always did it the way my grandma did. Thanks for confirming what I thought was ok to do.

[@Seaspray127]

You nailed it, buddy. This is why we should all have a home vegetable garden. Sustainable farmer Newman Turner grew a record crop of wheat because he had his "temporary ley" system which interspersed and rotated pastures with grain crop production, but for fruits and vegetables, the compost method is the most efficient and sustainable answer, especially with chickens.

[@tylerhartley8531]

You are always so excited for each episode lol

[@carolinehope1709]

Sure wish I knew this before! I have 9 raised beds & have been crop rotating for the past 5 years diligently & it has been very time consuming. I make my own compost & amend my soil twice a year. Got my garden all in for 2019 but next year I will follow your advice! Love your videos😊

[@simonhenry7415]

You saved me a lot of hassle with building new beds Luke, I'm just going to focus on keeping the soil nutritious from now on and keep my garlic in the same bed next year

[@LloydsofRochester]

I've been growing my garlic in the same bed for 10 years or more. No problem.

[@LloydsofRochester]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Keep saying this. Regularly. Throughout the year. Please! Especially in the spring and fall!

[@jelatinosa]

Exactly. Crop rotation refers to growing a completely new crop in a huge land area that a completely different crop was previously grown. It's not going to make much of a difference to just change the position or location of, say, your tomatoes in a small home garden. Thanks, you reinforced what I thought made sense. 👍

[@martybellinger]

Thanks for the info, I was told I shouldn't plant potatoes two years in a row in the same spot. Good to know I can!

[@Absynthexx1]

Luke, off topic but I just wanted to share that this evening for dinner I had my first ever salad made with lettuce that I grew myself and it was so good! I can't wait to eat all the other stuff later this summer when it's ready! I can see why people grow their own food instead of eating the garbage in the grocery store.

[@beautyforashes2230]

I just wanted to say your comment made me smile happily and remember my first year of gardening, and tasting the results. It's quite a revelation, and it actually is every year. It never gets old. I wish you great success and happy gardening!

[@mamamia8284]

I’m glad you’re enjoying gardening :). I am in my 3rd year of growing a little garden. Home grown stuff tastes better and it’s rewarding. However, all the stuff at the grocery store is a miracle even if not organic. My family immigrated from the former Soviet Union and many were literally brought to tears at how blessed we are to have so much food available at the grocery stores. I remember being little and dreaming and wishing that my parents could by an orange or a banana, which were a rare treat for us.

[@anduin1]

The realization that you can grow better food than in grocery stores is quite a major one. A lot of people are ignorant about the foods they pay for in terms of quality.

[@chrisbutton7959]

@@mamamia8284 that's why we need to be thankful for a we have and received

[@debbielebovic6573]

@@mamamia8284 I was just thinking the same thing! I am a native born American and I love to grow my own, but I don’t take for granted the multitude of blessings we have here, even those that are not organic!

[@muddyacres9334]

Thank you! What a load off my troubled mind!!

[@robinspeer1208]

Hmm. Food for thought. I rotate vegetables in my small raised bed. What you are saying makes sense.

[@havok9717]

Yes. Finally. I think this is the best advice I've been given to date.

[@kcbknitter]

This is very helpful. I am getting ready to plant my sweet potato slips and was stressing out about what I could plant it in due to what was grown there last year. Thanks.

[@SMk5hybrid]

Love your videos, I learn so much as a gardener. Been a fan for a while, but just found your page. Wish I would have found it long ago. So many great plants and deals. Thanks for the 50% off too! Thanks so much!

[@MsRosecrystal]

I have 70 plants growing in a 432 square feet. I don't crop rotate or worry to much of what is planted next to what. Garden is always a success.

[@thedrcopperhead]

Gardening for about seven years and I always wonder about this in the spring when planting. Have been trying to build my soil for almost two years now. Thank you for this video, makes perfect sense. Also thanks for the info on Mono-culture. Living in Iowa it's sad to see the lack of diversity. Forty percent of the corn we grow goes in our gas tanks. In what world does that make sense?

[@Marthajamjam]

I love your t-shirt!❤️

[@MIgardener]

Check out Freedom homestead on KZbin :)

[@marilynryan7822]

Watching in May 2020..after I went crazy trying to figure out where to plant everything and planted yesterday 🤦‍♀️Very informative. There’s next season👩🏼‍🌾

[@Gantzz321]

what video I would like to see is a Calender break down. What you plant when and where (indoors for transplant or outside). Combining your many many transplants with your fall planting and early spring in-ground planting. I just watched one of your videos and you talk about how you "broadcast" seeded a bed with spinach late in the fall, and how they came up in the spring (well some did). Do you start transplants mid-summer for a spring planting, to increase your growing season? etc

[@carocaro1881]

Thanks for that. I'm only on my 2nd year but had come to the same conclusion. Since I am adding organic matter between each crop (compost and straw mulch) to my no-dig beds, I vaguely move things around but without following hard and fast rules.

[@dianneb208]

I agree! I have been planting my garlic, tomatoes and cucumbers in the same spot for over 10 years. Every year, I top with some - less than an inch - of compost and add a shovel of compost to the planting hole. I have never had any problems. I rotate the rest of my garden veggies based on the plant demands of the nutrients - heavy feeder, than a light feeder.

[@amyhubbard30]

Extremely thankful for this video

[@debbielebovic6573]

Thanks tons! Wow what a valuable piece of information I’m a native Michigander living in Toronto. We have the same climate and gardening challenges, for the most part. I really enjoy and learn a lot from all your videos. Hope you get to 1,000,000 subscribers soon!

[@cozycasasmr4510]

I have been thinking this since I started gardening but kept hearing different and it didn't make sense, so thank you for this video!

[@BD-cu4cq]

I fully agree with you. I grow my potatoes in the same bed..I have done it for 7 years. I just throw cheap bags of organic compost into the old soil, mix it up and everything is good to go.

[@eldritchjoe7642]

Planning some permanent raised bed builds and the garden space and was really concerned about building it in such a way that rotations wouldn't be a nightmare to figure out with spacing and how many should have climbing apparatuses and how many don't need them . This has saved me a LOT of time and headache and probably money not feeling the need to double up on certain elements to always have a spot. Thank you!

[@joybrown8644]

I knew I saw permanent trellises on a prominent gardening channel. However, it also stresses crop rotation. I thought, how the heck do I do both? I don’t want permanent trellises on every single one of my raised beds.

[@kathybluxome5514]

THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP!!!

[@TheKoolbraider]

Great to hear this. I don't have a big enough area to rotate mt tomatoes, beans and peas.

[@jennifermohler1862]

Love your shirt Luke! Glad i have your families videos to watch! You are so informative. I can see your passion. Where are Levi explains too? Will there be more? Also i know the basics of npk but id love to understand more in depth the scientifics behind it. And why different crops and flowers require specifics. Aaaand (sorry Luke!) I would love to know how to harvest my worm castings efficiently. And your favorite way to use them in detail, such as how much, how often, and for what? Thanks for being a part of my own gardening!

[@miketiraterra5579]

Thanks for this info as I've been so stressed out about this!

[@kathygreeson6001]

Thank you!!! We do crop rotate, for all those reasons you mentioned. Its nice to know we dont have to. We do put mushroom compost in our beds every year. And when planting i add organic water soluble fertilizer. Does this sound like enough? Thanks again for the great video!!💕

[@Jellyfishmz12]

Thank you so much for this! Saved me from much further hair pulling planning.

[@vishyoutubevideos]

thanks for this video, Luke. I've been wondering about this very thing as of late. You've set my mind at ease on the subject. One less thing to worry about.

[@peteacher52]

Thank you. Your exposition justified a suspicion I've had for some time i.e., crop rotation on a small scale is pointless when compost and blood & bone is used regularly. My own observations over many years bear out what you say. Some regard to companion planting does not go astray. Decades ago I boarded with a sheep farmer for a while. His home garden went like this: disc half an acre with the tractor. Mix all the seed of different types together in a big bowl. Broadcast seed by the handful thus - one for the house, one for the butterflies and one for the feral goats. The vegetables were brilliant and nobody minded brushing a few caterpillars off the outer leaves. A few sacksful of rakings from beneath the shearing shed slats also helped big time. Col, NZ

[@mickeemickee3713]

You cracked me up laughing when you said, "It's almost like they think we're going to be taking a large farming implements down our raised beds"

[@spritecut]

Well argued. Thanks for clearing this up.

[@endeend1]

Adding compost is important. I would suggest rotating with legumes like beans or nitrogen fixer cover crops like alfalfa or clover because those replenish the soil with nitrogen and green manure when you TIL it back in, they (beans) taste good and you can grow the cover crops during off season. In terms of pests like aphids you can companion plant some flavorful herbs or alliums, that works for me

[@Trailtotable]

Good info, i was stressing on rotations this year but mostly i have stuff interspersed all over