I visited Chateau de Villandry in July, for the first time, and marvelled at the size and scope of the kitchen gardens - nine squares of low box hedges, each the size of a small allotment plot, filled with a meticulous geometry of colourful, healthy vegetables and herbs - from cabbages to celery, basil to beets, and pears to peppers.
What's even more impressive is that these immaculate gardens are being converted to organic methods - which makes careful rotation of the crops very important. The beautifully drawn plan presenting the scheme for summer 2010 was an inspiration.
So often I leave the planning of crop rotation until the last minute, and then scribble it hastily on pieces of paper which get progressively scruffier throughout the season. So this year I have taken a leaf out of Villandry's admirable book, and tried to create a lasting and attractive plan, showing crop positions for the last three years, and for the forthcoming autumn/winter and spring/summer seasons. It's always so much more complicated than I think. Partly because like all predictions that involve plants, the weather , and soil, I can never be sure when the growing season will begin and end, and when the space will become free. Will the early peas finish in time for me to plant out the climbing beans and courgettes in that space? Will I manage to organise the delivery of the manure before the ground becomes to sodden or frozen? Oh well, at least I have the drawings to refer to if the seasons don't behave, and like all plans they can be changed to suit the weather! 
