Crop Rotation Groupings
| Group | Plants |
|---|---|
| A | Cantaloupe, Cucumber, Gourd, Melons, Pumpkin, Squash |
| B | All beans, Cowpeas, Vetch |
| C | Eggplant, Irish Potato, Pepper, Tomato |
| D | Asparagus, Beet, Carrot, Garlic, Herbs, Shallot, Sweet potato, Swiss chard |
| E | Corn, Okra |
| F | Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Cauliflower, Collard, Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Rutabaga, Spinach, Swiss chard, Turnip |
A vegetable rotation plan should be used when deciding where to plant vegetables. Vegetable crop rotation is the key to long term success in vegetable gardening. Failure to rotate crops annually will result in increased soil borne disease, nematodes, soil insects, imbalance of essential mineral elements, and a dramatic decline in productivity. Crop rotation is one of the most economical ways to aid in prevention and control of insects and disease.
Vegetables in the same family grouping are likely to be susceptible to the same diseases and organisms. Rotate through the groupings above so vegetables from the same group are not planted in the same location more than once every 3 to 5 years. I have my garden equally divided into six sections. I plant based on the grouping table above. I simply rotate all groups clockwise in the beds each season. I grow groups A through E in Spring, Summer and group F in the winter. In winter I grow nitrogen fixing crops in my empty beds or cover them with leaf mulch until spring.
