For a healthy garden it is important rotate crops from year to year within your garden. You don’t want to grow the same plant, or plants from the same family, in the same location year after year. The chart below lists common garden vegetable families and will help you with your crop rotation plan. 

For example: If you grew tomatoes in bed “A” last year, you will want to rotate them to bed “B” this year – or at least a different location within a single bed. In addition, you don’t want to plant any other vegetables from the Nightshade family in bed “A” this year. 

Rotating crops keeps your soil healthy and reduces the likelihood of insect and disease pathogens that can build up when the same plants are grown in the same location year after year.

Vegetable Plant Families

Onion Family (Amaryllidaceae) chives garlic leek onion Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae) beet chard spinach Mustard Family (Cruciferae) broccoli Brussels sprouts cabbage cauliflower Chinese cabbage kale kohlrabi mustard greens radish rutabaga turnip

Composite Family (Compositae) lettuce     endive globe artichoke Jerusalem artichoke Cucurbit Family (Cucurbhaceae) cucumber muskmelon pumpkin squash (all types) watermelon Grass Family (Gramineae) corn

Legume Family (Leguminosae) beans (all types) pea Nightshade Family (Solanaceae) eggplant tomato pepper potato  tomatillo Parsley Family (Apiaceae) carrot celery Florence fennel parsley parsnip