Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Solanaceae—pepper, tomato, tomatillo, ground cherry,
potato, eggplant
Umbelliferae—celery, dill, carrot, fennel, parsnip, parsley
Gramineae—wheat, rye, oats, sorghum, corn
Amaranthaceae—grain and vegetable amaranth
Convolvulaceae—water spinach, sweet potato
Some plants will do better or worse depending on what was
grown before them. Such effects can be partially canceled by
the use of intervening cover crops between main crops.
Thankfully, a large amount of research has been done on the
matter, and while nobody is sure of all the factors involved, a
few general rules have emerged from the research.
• Never follow a crop with another crop from the same
botanical family (e.g., don't follow potatoes with tomatoes or
squash with cucumbers).
• Alternate deep-rooted crops (like carrots) with
shallow-rooted crops (such as lettuce).
• Alternate plants that inhibit germination (like rye and
sunflowers) with vegetables that don't compete well against
weeds (like peas and strawberries).
• Alternate crops that add organic matter (e.g., wheat) with
crops that add little organic matter (e.g., soybeans).
