Crop rotation is an important agricultural practice you should implement in your home garden. It has been used on farms and gardens for centuries to reduce damage from insects, limit crop diseases and manage soil fertility.
Vegetable crops in the same botanical family are often susceptible to similar diseases and insects. For crop rotation to be effective, gardeners should not plant vegetables belonging to the same plant family in the same location for two to three years.
For example, if you grow vegetable crops like peppers, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes this year, those crops should not be planted in the same area the following year, because these plants belong to the nightshade family.
It also is important to grow soil building crops. Legumes, such as peas and beans, should be rotated around the garden for their ability to enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen.
Crop rotation in a small garden is difficult, but changing plant families grown in an area of a garden from year to year is vital. Keeping a garden journal or map as a reminder of where vegetables are planted each year will help in planning crop rotations.
The following are commonly grown vegetables grouped in their proper botanical families. Members of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and collards are members of the Brassicaceae, or mustard, family. Onions and garlic are members of the Alliaceae, or onion, family. The Cucurbitaceae, or gourd, family includes cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, squash, pumpkin and gourd. Garden peas and snap beans are in the Fabaceae, or pea, family.
By JJ Barrett, WVU Extension Agent – Wood County