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Gardening Tip: Rotate those vegetables!

We're grateful to Sunset Magazine for this gardening tip, which appeared in the April 1997 edition.

Diseases and soil-dwelling pests, such as root-knot nematodes, tend to build up fastest where closely related plants are grown in the same ground year after year. Keep in mind that vegetables fall into just a few groups. If you avoid putting plants from the same group into the same ground any more than once every four or five years, you'll minimize disease buildup.

Here are the main groups:

Alliums

chives, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots

Brassicas (also called cole crops)

broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radishes

Chenopodiaceous Vegetables

beets, chard, spinach

Legumes

beans, peas

Solanaceous Vegetables

eggplants, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes

Some plants, including basil, carrots, corn and lettuce, don't belong to any of these groups, so you can rotate them in any time. But it's still best not to grow any of these vegetables in the same ground during consecutive years.

 

Copyright 2002 by Interpretive Gardens, Incorporated
7777 White Fir Street
Reno, Nevada 89523-8930
Voice: (775) 747-2222 -- Fax: (775) 747-1227
Email:staff@interpretivegardens.com