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Crop rotation is important in order to make the most of the vegetable patch and achieve the best possible crop yields. Especially with potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) there are a few things to consider and to plant the right plants.

In a nutshell

  • Potatoes are heavy feeders
  • Differences in early and late potatoes
  • never plant potatoes again in the same year or the following year

Potatoes unsuitable

Potatoes should not be sown again after harvesting because potatoes are heavy feeders and leach out the soil. Due to the high nutrient requirement, the soil structure is also reduced during the first sowing, so that a second sowing promises little chance of strong growth. In addition, pests and/or pathogens may have remained in the soil from the potato as a previous crop, which can destroy subsequent potato cultivation.

Crop rotation after early potatoes

New potatoes are brought forward in March or sown directly in the vegetable patch in April when the outside temperatures are appropriate. Harvest time is usually in June/July. This creates space in the bed that can still be used for the rest of the growing season. Now only plant medium feeders. Since the cultivation year is already well advanced, pre-germination/pre-breeding is recommended for plants that can still be harvested in late summer or early autumn. But autumn and winter vegetables are also ideal crop followers.

Suitable plants for the subsequent crop in the same year and with a late harvest time are, for example:

  • Chinese cabbage
  • fennel
  • Kohlrabi
  • chard
  • carrots
  • radish
  • Salads, such as endive and iceberg lettuce
Chinese cabbage, carrots & chard (from left to right)

Tip: Do not plant other fruiting plants from the nightshade family after potatoes, such as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. They are also among the heavy feeders and can be attacked by potential potato pests or residual pathogens.

crop rotation in the following year

When the new gardening and growing season begins, the soil in the bed should already have been well fertilized. This is best done with green manure after the last harvest of the bed in the previous year. After the early potatoes have been planted, only weak consumers should be planted in the years that follow, until, ideally, in the fourth year, potatoes and other heavy consumers can return to the bed. These plants, for example, can be planted as weak feeders to follow a “potato year”:

  • beans
  • peas
  • Lamb's lettuce
  • cress
  • radish
  • arugula
  • spinach
  • onions
Lamb's lettuce, cress & rocket (from left to right)

Crop rotation after late potatoes

Late potatoes are usually harvested in September or October. Many possibilities of sowing with medium or weak eaters are still in development same year do not remain as a result. Some examples are:

  • autumn spinach
  • Winter Purslane/Winter Postelein
Winter purslane (Claytonia perfoliata)

crop rotation in the following year

Basically, after the cultivation of heavy-duty autumn potatoes, the classic annual plan applies.

in the second year after planting potatoes, only plant medium feeders. You can also choose these in addition to the medium consumers already mentioned above:

  • blood dock
  • Chicory
  • strawberries
  • garlic
  • Kollenziest
  • leek
  • lovage
  • Parsely
  • Beets
  • pole beans
Strawberry & Garlic Plant

in the third year after potato cultivation only put weak consumers. In addition, the following examples are ideal for crop rotation:

  • bittercress
  • earth chestnuts
  • garden orchard
  • oat root
  • Herbs such as thyme, curry herb and sage
  • Jerusalem Artichoke
Barbarakraut, garden orache & Jerusalem artichoke (from left to right)

Notice: The first year is always the date of the first sowing/planting. This automatically makes the following year the “second year of cultivation”.

frequently asked Questions

Is corn suitable as a crop rotation for potatoes?

Yes, but not in the same year. Even if new potatoes are planted, the corn has too little time in the current year to ripen sufficiently well. Therefore, corn should always be planted or sown in the following year after potatoes.

Can heavy feeders be planted after potatoes and heavy fertilization?

Yes you can, but you shouldn't do it. Potatoes that consume a lot of food not only deprive the soil of an enormous amount of nutrients, but also "tires" the soil. When it is exhausted, it is then not able to absorb nutrients from fertilizers in sufficient quantities and deliver them to the roots. Fertilizing is always good after growing heavy feeders, but this is only helpful for subsequent medium or light feeders. Only when the soil has fully recovered after about four years can fertilizer be completely stored again.

When can other nightshade plants be planted after potatoes?

With all nightshade plants it is kept like with potatoes: Wait three, better four years after the potato harvest before you then plant any nightshade plant at this point in the bed.

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Category:

Vegetable garden