Do I need crop rotation on an allotment?

Crop rotation is useful because it avoids growing the same crop group in the same bed year after year, reducing the chance that crop-specific soil pests and diseases build up. Keep it simple enough that you can actually follow it.

Rotate groups, not every variety

The RHS example uses a four-course sequence: potatoes and tomatoes, roots including onions, peas and broad beans, then brassicas. Other crops with fewer crop-specific soil problems can be fitted into available space. Your plan does not need four equal beds if you grow much more of one group than another.

Record what grew in each bed, including failed plantings. A notebook or plot plan is more reliable than memory after winter. Perennial crops and permanent fruit stay outside the annual rotation.

Rotation has limits

Rotation supports good plot hygiene; it does not guarantee freedom from disease. Start with healthy planting material, remove clearly diseased debris appropriately and clean reusable supports where guidance calls for it.