Crop Rotation

Make it a habit to change the location of crops each year. Rotating crops in the garden not only enhances soil fertility, but it can be effective against insect and disease pests that develop on a narrow range of vegetable plants. Moving crops to different sites isolates such pests from their food sources. This practice reduces the chances that soil borne insect and disease pests will gain a permanent foothold in your garden.

Backyard gardeners with limited space should at least avoid planting exactly the same crop or crops from the same family (see the following chart) year after year in the same part of the garden. For example, do not follow melons with cucumbers or squash, and do not plant peppers, eggplant, or potatoes where tomatoes grew the year before.

Top Ten Families of Vegetable Crops Grown in Home Gardens
Scientific and Common Family Names and Vegetables in Those Families
Amaryllidaceae (Onion Family) chives garlic leek onion Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family) beet chard spinach Cruciferae (Mustard Family) broccoli Brussels sprouts cabbage cauliflower Chinese cabbage kale kohlrabi mustard greens radish rutabaga turnip	Compositae (Composite Family) endive globe artichoke Jerusalem artichoke lettuce Cucurbhaceae (Cucurbit Family) chayote cucumber muskmelon pumpkin squash watermelon Gramineae (Grass Family) corn Lillaceae (Lily Family) asparagus	Leguminosae (Legume Family) dry bean fava bean lima bean snap bean pea Solanaceae (Nightshade Family) eggplant tomato pepper potato Umbelliferae (Parsley Family) carrot celery Florence fennel parsley parsnip
Adapted from Family Relationships Table, Vegetable Research & Information Center, University of California Cooperative Extension.