AS the ground becomes unworkable, sit back and plan a new vegetable plot and crop rotation for the New Year.

Creating a vegetable patch can bring rich rewards if you plan carefully. Growing compatible crops together is likely to reap richer harvests. The idea behind crop rotation is that you avoid planting the same crop in the same bit of ground more than one year in four to stop root diseases building up and to make the most of resources.

Crops which can be grown together include legumes (peas and beans), comprising peas and broad, French and runner beans; the onion family, including garlic, leeks, onions, shallots and spring onions; roots and tubers, including carrots, parsnips, beetroot, potatoes and tomatoes; and brassicas (cabbage family), featuring Brussels sprouts, cabbages, swedes and turnips. Green veg which require regular watering can be separated from less thirsty root crops.

By swapping the main groups of vegetables around in a regular order, you can make best use of the nutrients in the soil because different crops need different amounts of nutrients. Prepare the ground, digging to break up compacted soil and weeding. Add bulky organic matter before planting season starts. It may be better to do this in spring, using compost as a surface mulch.

If you have an existing vegetable plot, dig it over this winter. Frost and rain will break them down and leave a crumbly soil by spring. On light, sandy soils, wait until spring before digging. The four-year rotation is a good technique which is easy to plan. For example: Year One: Plot A - potatoes; Plot B - pea family; Plot C - Cabbage family; Plot D - onions and roots.