Many people think of grains or vegetables when we talk about Crop rotation but others of us think in terms of fruit. What are you growing in your crop rotation? I’m growing mostly brome and fruits and have nearly eliminated erosion. The soil on my farm is drastically improving since I acquired this farm over 23 years ago. The blackberries fix large amounts of organic materials deep in the soil where there was once only clay. Blackberries send out a lot of runners and eventually the roots die leaving very rich soil behind. The soil in those areas turned from yellow to black. it’s amazing the difference 1 person can make! Autumn olives are great nitrogen fixers and are part of rotation strategy. Pears are very long lived and will be one of biggest new crops. I’m growing aronia and blackberries since those are no spray crops and slightly better for the farm long term.
I think polyculture might be more relevant to perennial plantings than crop rotation. With a broad diversity of plant families, a lot of the same benefits are reported.
Your results sound like the idea of succession that permiculture people talk about.
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