🌱 ORCAS ISLAND PERMACULTURE GARDEN 🌱

8-YEAR CROP ROTATION MASTER GUIDE

30 Raised Beds (4'×8' each = 960 sq ft total) • Zone 8a/8b Maritime Climate

📋 About This System

This comprehensive 8-year rotation system prevents disease buildup, optimizes soil fertility through strategic crop sequencing, and maximizes year-round production in Orcas Island's maritime climate. Each year, every bed group rotates to the next crop family, ensuring 5-7 years between same-family plantings.

Production Capacity: 770-1,250 lbs of vegetables annually (enough for 3-5 people year-round)

Key Benefits: Disease prevention • Soil health • Pest control • Balanced nutrition • Food security • Sustainable resilience

🗓️ Annual Planner Files (Click to Open)

Year 1 Planner Year 2 Planner Year 8 Planner

Each planner fits on one A4 landscape page with monthly schedules, rotation assignments, and key tasks!

Complete 8-Year Rotation Matrix

This table shows which crop family occupies each bed group every year. Follow horizontally to see one bed group's journey, or vertically to see all families in a single year.

Bed Group	Year
Bed Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Beds 1-4	Allium Garlic, Onions	Apiaceae Carrots, Celery	Chenopod Beets, Chard	Cucurbit Squash, Cucumbers	Fabaceae Peas, Beans	Solanaceae Tomatoes, Peppers	Asteraceae Lettuce, Salad Mix	Brassica Kale, Broccoli
Beds 5-8	Apiaceae	Chenopod	Cucurbit	Fabaceae	Solanaceae	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium
Beds 9-11	Chenopod	Cucurbit	Fabaceae	Solanaceae	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae
Beds 12-14	Cucurbit	Fabaceae	Solanaceae	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae	Chenopod
Beds 15-18	Fabaceae	Solanaceae	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae	Chenopod	Cucurbit
Beds 19-22	Solanaceae	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae	Chenopod	Cucurbit	Fabaceae
Beds 23-25	Asteraceae	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae	Chenopod	Cucurbit	Fabaceae	Solanaceae
Beds 26-30	Brassica	Allium	Apiaceae	Chenopod	Cucurbit	Fabaceae	Solanaceae	Asteraceae

📌 How to Use This Table: Find your current year (column) and bed numbers (row) to see which family to plant. After Year 8, rotation returns to Year 1 configuration and continues indefinitely!

Crop Family Color Legend & Details

Alliaceae: Garlic, Onions, Leeks Apiaceae: Carrots, Celery, Parsnips Chenopodiaceae: Beets, Chard, Spinach Cucurbitaceae: Squash, Cucumbers Fabaceae: Peas, Beans Solanaceae: Tomatoes, Peppers Asteraceae: Lettuce, Salad Mix Brassicaceae: Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage

🌿 Why This Rotation Works

Disease Prevention: 5-7 year gap between same families prevents pathogen buildup
Nitrogen Cycling: Legumes (Fabaceae) fix nitrogen → Heavy feeders (Solanaceae, Brassica) follow
Pest Management: Rotating families breaks pest lifecycles naturally
Soil Structure: Deep roots (carrots, parsnips) alternate with shallow roots (lettuce, greens)
Nutrient Balance: Heavy feeders → light feeders → nitrogen-fixers creates equilibrium

🎯 Strategic Sequences

Allium → Apiaceae: Garlic's pest-repelling residue benefits carrots (carrot fly deterrent)
Fabaceae → Solanaceae: Nitrogen from peas/beans feeds heavy-feeding tomatoes/peppers
Chenopod → Cucurbit: Beets/chard prepare well-fed beds for hungry squash
Solanaceae → Asteraceae: After tomatoes, lettuce doesn't mind slightly depleted soil
Brassica → Allium: Brassicas break pest cycles before garlic planting

📅 Year-Round Production Calendar

Year-Round: Kale, chard, leeks, parsnips (overwinter with row covers)
March-November: Lettuce, spinach, arugula (succession planting)
April-October: Carrots, beets, radishes (succession)
June-October: Peas (spring + fall), beans (summer)
July-September: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash
July Harvest: Garlic (replant beds immediately with fall greens!)

⚙️ Critical Success Factors

Compost: 2" on all beds spring, 1" mid-season, 2" fall (5-6 cu yds/year)
Succession Planting: Lettuce/radishes every 2wk, carrots 2-3wk, beans 2wk
Season Extension: Row covers Oct-Mar for greens, Wall O'Water for tomatoes May
Slug Management: #1 priority! Hand-pick, beer traps, iron phosphate
Legume Roots: ALWAYS leave pea/bean roots in soil for nitrogen!
Garlic Timing: Plant Oct 15-30, harvest July, replant beds same day

Annual Production Estimates (30 Beds, Established System)
Category	Annual Yield	Key Crops	Storage Ability	Nutritional Priority
Fresh Greens	200-300 lbs	Kale, lettuce, chard, spinach, arugula	Use fresh/freeze	Vitamins A, C, K, iron
Storage Crops	150-200 lbs	Garlic, onions, winter squash, carrots	Excellent (3-6 mo)	Food security, year-round use
Fruiting Vegetables	100-150 lbs	Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant	Can/freeze	Vitamins C, A, antioxidants
Legumes (Protein)	60-100 lbs	Peas, beans (snap, fava)	Fresh/freeze/dry	Protein, complete with grains
Root Vegetables	100-150 lbs	Carrots, beets, parsnips	Excellent (fall harvest)	Fiber, vitamin A, minerals
Squash Family	100-150 lbs	Summer squash, winter squash	Winter: 3-6 mo	Vitamins, beta-carotene
TOTAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION:		770-1,250 lbs/year (enough for 3-5 people year-round!)

💚 Getting Started: Year 1 - Start with 10 beds | Year 2 - Expand to 20 beds | Year 3+ - Full 30 beds. This phased approach prevents overwhelm and builds skills progressively. By Year 8, you'll have a mature, self-sustaining permaculture system with incredible soil health and maximum production!

📚 Additional Resources:

Original detailed planning documents: orcas_island_planting_plan.md and quick_reference_charts.md

Based on WSU Extension research for western Washington maritime climate