Crop rotation for the home garden
Last reviewed September 2026 · written from public-domain USDA/NOAA data and Cooperative Extension references — see how we source data
Rotation means not growing the same family of vegetables in the same soil two years running. It breaks pest and disease cycles and evens out how nutrients are used.
Why it works
Many soil-borne diseases and overwintering pests are family-specific: club root in brassicas, early blight in the tomato family, onion white rot. Moving the family away for a few years starves those organisms of a host.
Different families also draw on the soil differently. Leafy crops are nitrogen-hungry; root crops want less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium; legumes add nitrogen back.
Group by family
Nightshades: tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato. Brassicas: broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, radish, turnip, arugula. Cucurbits: cucumber, squash, pumpkin, melon. Legumes: peas and beans. Alliums: onion, garlic, leek. Umbellifers: carrot, parsley, dill, cilantro. Chenopods: beet, chard, spinach.
A simple plan
A four-group cycle that fits most gardens: legumes → leafy/brassicas → nightshades and cucurbits (heavy feeders) → roots and alliums, then back to legumes. Each bed moves one step along each year.
In a very small garden, even a two-year "family A / family B" swap is far better than nothing. Keeping a quick map of what grew where each year is the only real work. A cover crop in the off season is a natural fit between rotations.