Brian, you are like many people who don't have the fexability to move crops to different areas from year to year. You'll get conflicting opinions about crop rotation but IMO the concept is drastically overplayed. I have planted tomatoes 11 years in a row in the exact same greenhouse soil and plan to continue doing so for the forseeable future. If you or I were in the south where soil born diseases were a real threat the situation would be different but I would continue as you have been doing until a problem surfaces.

A few suggestions for you to continue would be to remove previous year's plant debris at the end of every crop season. Also mixing the surface soil to incorporate any surface diseases into the soil where natural soil microbes will compete with them and diminish chances for their survival. Your cover crop is an excellent idea and you could even take it a step further in using some of the brassicas that can ast as biofumigants. Lastly, try incorporating a biofungicide drench with your plant roots at transplant time. You could even get a headstart by seeding into a potting media containing biofungicide such as is offered by ProMix and others over the last few years.

If you run into specific bacterial of virus diseases you still have another option... plant resistant varieties the following year. There are serious pest diseases like Late Blight that won't overwinter in our area (not much you can do by rotating) but which are controlled when they do show up by variety selection or by chemicals. Your eyes on your plants, early detection and early control, are your best solution.

I agree with above. Mandatory crop rotation is more of a commercial theory than practical for most home gardeners. Sure, if you can move/rotate, do so. But most cannot.

So additions of large amounts of fresh and/or composted organic matter to the soil at LEAST once a year (2x is better) goes a long way toward insuring good crops in successive years. Cover crops are an excellent way of doing this and the active bacteria in well-composted organic matter goes a long way toward helping control even soil borne diseases.

Dave

I also try to rotate, but one cannot go very far in a space
just 25' x 25'. Still I try, but frankly when I compare experience to the old days when I worked with 4 large garden plots totaling an acre within a 35 acre minifarm/orchard, I am having no worse, but rather, a better experience with my little garden dealing with the foliage crud.

I have solved most of my normal problems using a soil drench at planting time of Actinovate. Pricey stuff at around $20 with shipping for just 2 ounces but it's all
I need for the soil drench and several cover sprays.

I absolutely have no interest in the company that produces
and sells it, but it surely has worked for me.

By the way, I have 2 small raised bed gardens of about 40
square feet each and after 5 years of trying have stopped growing tomatoes and peppers in them. Here it is. In spite
of growing just at the edge of a nice clean lake, and having a great water pumping system, I just cannot manage
to keep the raised beds watered to the satisfaction of the plants. Raised beds take a lot more attention than a plain
old in the ground garden. I just like to spend too much
time riding around the lake than standing on the edge watering!

foliage crud

Brian,
We garden near you outside of Black Diamond toward Covington in a clearing in the woods.

Great suggestions of adding lots of organic matter yearly to soil. You should be able to find all the free horse manure you can load, but be sure they don't use weed free hay because of the herbicide it contains.

In 2010 our tomatoes got blight in 2 beds & in containers. However, not in subsequent years due to diligent cleanup & loads of horse manure + bedding. Sometimes it seems excessive layering of manures, but by May it's reduced and even the red worms have mostly moved on.

Be sure to add enough lime as our winter rains wash it all out. Your garden beds will be great!

Corrine

Here is a link that might be useful: soil concerns after late blight thread

I've been growing tomatoes in the same bed for the last 5 years. Three years ago went no till. I remove the plants and debris at the end of the season, then cover with horse droppings and cover with compost. When it's time to plant the bed is ready. Ami

My favorite tactic to try and have a good tomato crop in the same area of the back yard -- planting five to ten different types of tomatoes. Usually about three cherry types, and four types of full size fruit. Some hybrid, some not. Always find one variety that does better than the rest.

Other things are turning the topsoil over twice in the freezing weather, and moving holes a foot from the holes last year.

I always mulch the plants with compost, but recently have become more picky about where my outside grass and leaves come from.

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all the great tips! I feel much more comfortable knowing that I can keep using the same boxes as long as I ammend the soil each year.

Below is a link to my veggie garden during the 2011 season.

Thanks again for all the tips and advice!

Here is a link that might be useful: Brian's Garden