Is your organic vegetable garden looking a bit lack luster?  Is your vegetable garden not producing as in years passed?  Have you been having problems with insect pests?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, your soil is probably tired.  Learn why this happens and how using what I call the 3 C’s of organic vegetable gardening, will help revive your soil. 

What Is Tired Soil?

Tired soil usually happens when vegetables from the same family have been planted in the same location for multiple years.  It can also occur when no or not enough organic matter has been added. 

Is Your Soil Tired?

The best way to find out if your soil is tired is to do a soil test.  You can use a home testing kit found at your local gardening center or online.  Choose a kit that will measure pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash. Or use your local extension offices.  I've not used the services of an extension office, but understand they offer a deeper analysis if asked. Find your local extension office.

Fixing Tired Soil in Your Vegetable Garden

Now, that you know you've tested your soil and know what it's lacking, you can amend the soil.  Accordingly, add the appropriate organic compost and organic garden supplements.  This will help your soil temporarily.  However, it’s not the full and long-term answer.  That's where the 3 C’s come in. 

What Are the 3 C's of Organic Vegetable Gardening?

The 3 C’s of organic vegetable gardening are: Crop rotation, Companion planting and Cover cropping.  Incorporate these into your vegetable garden maintenance routine.  It will promote healthy soil resulting in better flavor and a better yield.  Using the 3 C’s is especially important for home vegetable gardens where space is limited. 

Why Not To Use A Chemical Fix

Using man-made chemicals to try and fix the soil will eventually worsen the condition of your soil.  In time your garden will become out of sync with nature.  Making it be impossible to grow healthy plants without the use of more chemicals.  At that point, one may question why not just buy produce from the local grocer. 

Organic vegetable gardening takes a some work and thought, but it costs less and the rewards are definitely worth it. Perhaps, the greatest reward is your family being able to eat all natural, healthy and delicious produce.  In my book, it just doesn’t get any better than that!

Crop Rotation When Organic Vegetable Gardening

First of the 3 C’s, is Crop rotation. Planting a crop from the same family, in the same place creates a monoculture.  A monoculture creates soil nutrient deficiencies and promotes pest and disease issues.  To avoid this, rotate plant families every three years.  This will create a polyculture, which allows the soil to replenish itself and pests and diseases to die off on their own.  Learn more about polyculture from Cornell University Department of Horticulture.

So, what is a crop family you ask?  A crop family is a way to group vegetables by their tendency to use similar nutrients from the soil, contract the same diseases and attract the same insect pests.  Below is a list of vegetable families from Mother Earth News.

• Onion family: onions, garlic, leeks and shallots
• Carrot family: carrots, celery, parsley and parsnips
• Sunflower family: lettuce, sunflowers and a few other leafy greens
• Cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and many other leafy greens, as well as rutabagas and kohlrabi
• Spinach family: beets and chard
• Cucumber family: cucumbers, melons, squash and gourds
• Pea family: peas and beans
• Grass family: corn, wheat, oats and rye
• Tomato family: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes

Companion Planting When Organic Vegetable Gardening

Next, let’s talk about the second of the 3 C’s, Companion planting.  Most vegetables have a beneficial companion plant that increases soil nutrients, deter pests or offer some other benefit. 

The most complete guide of companion plants I’ve come across is from Permaculture News.  They offer a comprehensive chart from IDEP for download.  If you’re serious about organic gardening, you’ll definitely want to check it out. 

Below is a quick reference guide.  It offers basic companions for common vegetables to help with organic vegetable growing.

Special Note About Companion Planting

Companion planting is not a science.  It's more of a practicing art that gardeners who prefer organic vegetable gardening use.  When working with nature there are so many variables.  You may find a plant companion in the above guide doesn't work well in your garden.  When that happens, jot it down in your Garden Diary.  Add a little detail to your notes.  Such as, what else was planted in the bed, plant varieties and description of the plants, etc.  Doing this will help you choose better pairings.

Cover Cropping When Organic Vegetable Gardening

Finally, let’s talk about the last of the 3 C’s.  Cover cropping. Planting cover crops adds nutrients and organic matter to soil.  Their roots also reduce winter erosion and break up hard soil.  And some plants retain certain nutrients.

Soil testing as mentioned above, helps figure out deficiencies so you can determine which cover crops to plant.  Learn more on the basics of cover cropping.

Fall Cover Crops

Planting a fall cover crop is essential to adding nutrients and organic matter in organic vegetable gardening. 

Another alternative to planting a fall cover crop in the home garden, is mulching vegetable garden beds with the appropriate organic matter.  Then, turning the organic matter in the spring.  It will provide similar benefits to planting a cover crop. Many have seen great success with this.  

For easy reference to what to cover crop to plant, below are tables showing fall and summer cover crops and some of their benefits.  Another great resource with loads of detailed information on cover crops.

Summer Cover Crops

Some final notes on cover cropping.  Combining grasses and legumes produce the best results.  Cover crops are hardy to most climates.  However, your local County Extension Office can provide you with the best varieties and how much to use.

Putting It All Together

So, you now know what the 3C’s of organic vegetable gardening are, crop rotation, companion planting and cover cropping and how together they help revive soil.  But, how do you put all this information together and use it to improve your vegetable garden? 

That’s a great question, and one that deserves some considerable detail.   In my next post, A Healthier Organic Vegetable Garden, I'll show how to put all this information together.  You'll also learn, how to create a plan specific to your vegetable garden's needs.  Go there now.

You may also want to check out January in the Garden for some gardening ideas and inspiration.  It's part of the Home and Garden Smattering Gardening Calendar.

I hope you enjoyed the post. Have you tried companion planting? What’s your go to pairing?  Tell us in the comments below.

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