It involves returning to the soil what is taken from to restore its structure and nutritional content. If you practice common sense gardening, you may have to tolerate some imperfection in your produce - a flea beetle bite here, a scab mark there. Since the home gardener does not have to meet government grading standards or make a profit, a pinch of imperfection is a small price to pay for a reduction in pesticide use. Crop Rotation Crop rotation is a regular schedule of planting in which different crops are planted in different parts of the garden each year. Rotating crops will prevent the continued depletion of certain nutrients in particular areas of the garden which would occur if the same crops were planted there year after year.
Vegetables differ in their nutrient or fertilizer requirements.
If these are planted in the same area of the garden year after year, they will soon use up the available nitrogen. By grouping together crops which have similar nutritional needs and planting them in a different area of the garden each year, you allow the the soil to replenish lost minerals. Plants also differ in the extent and distribution of their root systems. These types of plants should also be rotated. Peas and beans are members of the legume family.