• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Edible Learning Lab
  • Home
  • Start

    Essential Reading

    Program Overview

    The broad strokes of the Edible Learning Lab Program.

    Teachers Primer

    A guide to help teachers visualize their edible education program.

    Farmers Primer

    Learn how to turn your farm into an edible classroom.

    Organizations Primer

    Discover how you can bring edible education into your community.

    Grants & Funding

    There are numerous grants and funding sources to get you started.

    Equipment Recommendations

    Buy the same equipment we use in our flagship Lab.

    The Legal Stuff

    Privacy Policy

    Terms and Conditions

  • Lessons

    Advanced Lesson Search

    Beginner Lessons

    The Beginner Lessons form the foundation with a sound overview of the core concepts of food production.

    Intermediate Lessons

    The Intermediate Lessons allow students to experiment and prove the core concepts.

    Advanced Lessons

    The Advanced Lessons give students an opportunity to apply what they've learned in the previous levels.

    Lessons By Station

    Seed Starting Curriculum

    Soil Management Curriculum

    Vermiculture Curriculum

    Hydroponics Curriculum

    Composting Curriculum

    Water Management Curriculum

    Seed Saving Curriculum

    Teaching Kitchen Curriculum

  • Blog

    Our Top Posts

    What is a Food Desert?

    Gain insight into food deserts, the communities they impact, and how edible education may offer a solution.

    The Difference Between Rainwater and Tap Water

    Not all water is created equal especially when we're talking about the health and development of plants and people.

    Why Rain is Important

    Rain or the lack of an adequate supply can have profound effects on farming and the communities that rely on the harvest.

    Anatomy of a Seed

    It all begins with a seed and this article dives deep into the 5 primary parts of the seed that make it all possible.

Crop Rotation Log

Jun 14 by Dave Creech Leave a Comment

crop rotation log downloads

Keeping track of your crop rotation plan is a good practice to get into. At Modern Steader we started tracking our crop rotation schedule with a simple Crop Rotation Log to allow us to plan ahead and work efficiently. You can download the PDF of the Crop Rotation Log and fill in the blanks or download the EXCEL spreadsheet and use that.

Farmers in the Middle East used a form of crop rotation as far back as 6000BC. They did not understand the science behind the practice; they simply knew, through trial and error, that it worked. Growing the same crop in the same place for many years (monoculture) leads to an increase in pests and soil-borne disease. With crop rotation, various crops are grown in such a way that no crop is planted on the same piece of land more than once in at least three (preferably four) planting cycles.

Below is a good sample from Farmer’s Weekly of a crop rotation system using five plots, over five growing cycles.crop rotation log

Growing tips for a continuous supply

The steadier your supply of vegetables, the better your cash flow. So stagger your planting to ensure a continuous supply of the crops. Do this by making smaller plantings at regular intervals (for example, every four weeks) during the planting season. Use days from planting to predict maturity, and plan your harvesting accordingly.

You can also achieve a steady supply by using single plantings of crops that don’t require a certain stage of maturity to be ready for harvesting. These can simply be harvested when they are large enough. A good example is sweet potatoes.

Filed Under: Edible Learning Lab, Teach the Teacher Tagged With: crop rotation, Planting, planting your first garden, soil management

About Dave Creech

I am a Husband, Foodie and Entrepreneur striving to live healthier and happier through better food and outdoor living. I started my Urban Garden in early 2013 in an effort to grow as much of my own food as possible. I am continually learning to live more simply, waste less, be more efficient and generally build a better skill set.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search All Lessons

Our Lessons are organized into three levels. With our Detailed Search, you can drill down to the Lessons you need most.

Filter by Lesson Number, format, keyword, or rating.

  • Search Beginner Lessons
  • Search Intermediate Lessons
  • Search Advanced Lessons

Featured Pages

  • Foundation Lessons
  • DIY Projects
  • Recipes

Don’t miss out

We publish new resources for teachers several times a week and we can deliver those right to your inbox. You'll never miss another post again!

Contact Us

  • Be specific and share as much detail as you can.

Featured Recipe

sweet pepper cheese dip

Sweet Pepper Five-Cheese Dip

Footer

Our Content Libraries

  • Resource Library
  • Foundation Series Lessons
  • Recipes
  • DIY Projects

© 2023 Edible Learning Lab | Site by Vestor Logic