RE: Crop rotation from IPM News

**"Jeff Ball" j*@starband.net**

Nan,
Your note on crop rotation being important is interesting and not
surprising.  However, here is a good example of a piece of data appropriate
for commercial applications not being appropriate for home vegetable
gardens.  Rotation is not important on any garden 2000 square feet or
smaller, IF you interplant and have the soil mulched 365 days a year.
Rotation is supposed to help avoid a buildup of insects, disease, as well as
weeds.  In a well mulched vegetable garden there should be no weed problem.
The ants, spiders, and ground beetles inhabiting the organic mulch 365 days
a year will take care of over 60% of the eggs and larvae of pest insects and
the microbial buildup in a healthy soil with high organic content takes care
of most fungal disease problems.
When one is growing 500 acres of corn, the rules are different.
Jeff Ball

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