Bed MemoryNightshade family vegetables
The nightshade vegetables you grow in a garden are tomato, potato, pepper (sweet and hot), eggplant and tomatillo. Ground cherries belong to the family too.
For crop rotation they count as one crop: a bed that grew potatoes last year should not get tomatoes this year. Check a bed below.
Check one bed
This check keeps nothing. The bed log on the home page keeps your beds in this browser.
Why the family matters more than the crop
Rotation guides from extension services group vegetables by plant family, because many soil-borne pests and diseases that bother one member bother the others. Moving tomatoes to a new bed does little if potatoes or peppers grew there last year.
A worked example
You have three beds. In 2025 the back bed grew potatoes, the fence bed grew peppers and the side bed grew bush beans. For 2026 tomatoes, both the back bed and the fence bed had a nightshade within the last 2 years, so the side bed is the one to use. The back bed is clear for nightshades again in 2028.
This page is about growing nightshades, not about eating them.
Questions gardeners ask next
Are peppers nightshades?
Yes. Sweet bell peppers and hot chili peppers are both in the nightshade family, so they rotate with tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant.
Are sweet potatoes nightshades?
No. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family. They do not need to rotate away from tomatoes or potatoes.
How long before nightshades go back in the same bed?
Most rotation guides say at least 3 years, and longer if a bed had disease. This site warns when a nightshade grew in a bed in either of the last 2 years.
Is tomatillo a nightshade?
Yes, tomatillo and ground cherry are in the same family as tomato.