Bed MemoryVegetable crop rotation chart
Rotate by plant family, not by single crop, and keep each family out of a bed for about 3 years. The chart below groups common vegetables by family.
Use the check to see which families are clear for one of your beds.
Check one bed
This check keeps nothing. The bed log on the home page keeps your beds in this browser.
The chart
| Family | Vegetables |
|---|---|
| Nightshades | tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant, tomatillo |
| Cabbage family | cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, radish, turnip, kohlrabi, arugula |
| Legumes | bush beans, pole beans, peas, fava beans |
| Squash family | cucumber, zucchini, summer and winter squash, pumpkin, melon, watermelon |
| Onion family | onion, garlic, leek, shallot, chives |
| Carrot family | carrot, parsnip, celery, parsley, dill, cilantro, fennel |
| Beet family | beet, chard, spinach |
| Lettuce family | lettuce, endive, artichoke, sunflower |
| Grasses | sweet corn |
How to use it
A simple four-bed plan moves each group one bed along each year: legumes, then cabbage family, then roots and onions, then nightshades and squash. Most gardens do not split so neatly, so the reliable rule is the gap: before you plant, check that the family has not grown in that bed in the last 2 years.
A worked example
A bed grew tomatoes last year and peas the year before. Kale is fine there this year, since the cabbage family has not grown there. Peppers are not: they are nightshades like the tomatoes.
Questions gardeners ask next
How many years should crop rotation be?
Extension guides commonly say 3 to 4 years for a family to return to the same bed, and longer after a disease.
Do I need four beds to rotate crops?
No. With fewer beds, keep a log of what grew where and move each family to the bed it has been away from longest.
Do herbs need rotating?
Annual herbs in the carrot family, such as dill, cilantro and parsley, rotate with carrots. Perennial herbs stay put.