Crop Rotation Plan for the Home Garden

   

     Why rotate your backyard garden crops? Many of the plants that are in the same "family group" have diseases in common. Many of these diseases are difficult, or impossible, to control using chemicals. The best solution for disease control is crop rotation. 

     Also, choose resistant varieties of vegetables to help thwart diseases. For example, tomatoes with a "V" "F" and/or "N" after their names indicates resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt and nematodes. 

     For crops with no resistant varieties, choose those varieties that are meant to grow in the area you live. And, it helps to spread an inch or two of compost over all your garden beds before you plant each year.

CROP ROTATION FOR THE HOME GARDEN

YEAR 1

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard

YEAR 2

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn

YEAR 3

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans

YEAR 4

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots

YEAR 5

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant

YEAR 6

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.

ANNUAL COVER CROPS FOR CALIFORNIA

Warm Weather: Buckwheat, cowpeas, soybeans, black eye peas.

Cool Weather: bell or fava beans, winter peas, vetch, clover.