Garlic, shallots, Egyptian onions and bed rotation

I have a bed that I grow garlic in. It is outside the fenced in area because I have found that garlic is less prone to getting eaten by woodchucks. I just read however that you shouldn't plant garlic in the same bed two years in a row. I am not sure if that means I need to create more beds than I had planned and what else should I grow in these beds ? I have found that woodchucks will even eat the leaves off of butternut squash plants.

I also grow alot of Egyptian onions which helps create partial shade. I almost use it like a cover crop but it is changing the nature of my soil ?

The same bed rotation advice also seems to apply to shallots. Can I remedy some of that by adding stuff to the soil in the fall such as additional compost, bone meal etc ?  Maybe I could move some soil out of one bed into another and then add additional compost or swap a wheelbarrow full of soil in from a different bed ?  

I have found after a few years of growing Egyptian walking onions in the same bed that the density of bulb clusters has slowly diminished. I dug the remainder and am moving them to a different bed(s) . Yes, I personally would add some amendments to the soil if you are replanting your alliums. I am tempted to create a new row of walking onions in a couple of different beds as well as growing them under/near fruit trees. Depends on my time and energy this fall. The original walking onion bed grew densely enough to choke out most grass and whitetop(Cardaria). That is no longer the case . I have not amended that bed at all in the last few years.

I have more Egyptian onions than anyone can imagine. They help created partial shade and cover for other plants. I rip tons of them out all the time to make room for other stuff. When we go to a thai restaurant, I put a bunch in a giant 13 gallon bag which is very easy to fill and I give them to the restaurant. I guess they are like a green manure type thing but they are the easiest thing to grow that I have ever seen and they do help keep out grass also.

I must have a 200 or 300 square feet of beds and easily half the beds are covered with these onions. They make my garden area look green and lush but I hardly eat them or do anything with them. I just try to keep them thinned out but they always keep spreading. They come up very early in the spring, probably by march they are already decent in size so when it's time to plant spinach or other things you can get some partial shade out of them

I'm not an expert. I have a bed I use primarily for onions and garlic, because they take such a long time to grow.  I always plug other stuff in where there's space. Monoculture attracts pests and disease. Thought I have read garlic doesn't do well sharing it's space.  I grow borage, spinach, and strawberries with the onions and garlic.  I never have any problems.  I do add compost every planting season.  
It's my understanding (remember not an expert) rotating crops is primarily for large monoculture farms. If you have the space rotate.  For a lot of us it's completely impractical.  I grow a little of everything in all my beds, so there's no way to rotate.  I add a new layer of compost each growing season, which is spring and fall for me. I'm lucky enough to be able to grow year round.  I have very little pest problems, no disease, and get great production.  Each year has its challenges, but my experience is I haven't had any ill effects from not rotating crops.  
I say grow what you want where you want. Throw in some other veggies, and flowers, maybe add some compost and and call it good.
Good luck to you. Happy gardening

One of the main reasons is disease prevention, white rot is the classic one here for onions, if you end up with it it is nearly impossible to get rid of.

As an aside I see many people talk about planting borage with... insert other plants here, HOW? it gets over 4 ft tall and just as round it takes over the whole bed!

Maybe it's the weather, or a different type, but my borage gets about 12" tall.  It does spread, but the garlic and onions just push threw the leaves.  You can always trim it back. Especially if you have chickens, they love the leaves.

I have to agree with Jen as it's pretty much the same way here.  I do try to rotate the tomatoes, peppers and potatoes but I'm always popping plants in between and wherever I have room.  My garlic was a failure this year so moved to a different bed for next year. My onions were one of those crops I planted wherever I had the space and they did better in some beds than others.

Jen Fulkerson wrote:

It's my understanding (remember not an expert) rotating crops is primarily for large monoculture farms. If you have the space rotate.  For a lot of us it's completely impractical.  I grow a little of everything in all my beds, so there's no way to rotate.  I add a new layer of compost each growing season, which is spring and fall for me. I'm lucky enough to be able to grow year round.  I have very little pest problems, no disease, and get great production.  Each year has its challenges, but my experience is I haven't had any ill effects from not rotating crops.  
I say grow what you want where you want. Throw in some other veggies, and flowers, maybe add some compost and and call it good. Happy gardening

"rotating crops...completely impractical"

Can I just say you made my day.

With a vast number of small beds in our newly enlarged, intensively planted garden this year, keeping track of what I planted, what I transplanted, what I replanted due to seed (grower?!) failure, keeping my one or four season seed/plant locations correctly tracked was making me dizzy. Was already dreading figuring out correct plant family rotation next year--and then keeping that record up for the supposed 3 year rotation that is needed. Yeesh.  A burden off my shoulders, and a burning question answered--does it really matter unless you are a big time farmer. thanks!

And to Skandi Rogers' point. Yes, onions are the one exception I would actually make to rotating a crop. I've not had a problem with pests in them yet, but I'm successfully harvesting healthy tops and bottoms out of the same bed over a one+ year period, so probably on a thin line with them already.