Real-life examples of examples of crop rotation strategies for every garden

Let’s start with one of the best examples of crop rotation strategies for a home garden: a straightforward 4-bed rotation. Imagine four raised beds, all about the same size. Instead of planting whatever fits wherever it fits, you organize by crop family.

Here’s how a very realistic version looks over four years:

Year 1

• Bed A: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant (nightshade family) with basil and onions tucked in.
• Bed B: Lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, broccoli (leafy and brassicas).
• Bed C: Beans and peas (legumes) climbing on trellises, with some radishes and herbs around the edges.
• Bed D: Carrots, beets, onions, garlic, and potatoes (roots and alliums).

Year 2

• Nightshades move to Bed B.
• Leafy/brassicas move to Bed C.
• Legumes move to Bed D.
• Roots and alliums move to Bed A.

You keep that same rotation pattern going each year, just shifting each group one bed over. This is one of the clearest examples of examples of crop rotation strategies because:

• Nightshades (heavy feeders) never follow themselves, which helps with soil-borne tomato diseases like verticillium and fusarium wilt.
• Legumes leave behind nitrogen that benefits the next heavy-feeding crop.
• Root crops don’t have to compete with big leafy plants for light and space.

For more on how rotation helps manage soil diseases, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has a helpful overview of crop rotations and soil health: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soil/soil-health-crop-rotation

Four-season backyard plan: examples include tomatoes, corn, and cover crops

If you want something a bit more advanced, here’s another example of a 4-bed layout that layers in cover crops and succession planting.

Bed 1: Tomatoes and friends
Year 1: Tomatoes, peppers, basil, marigolds.
Fall: After harvest, sow winter rye and hairy vetch as a winter cover.

Year 2: That bed becomes your corn and squash bed. The rye/vetch is cut down and left on the soil surface, then you plant corn in blocks with winter squash or pumpkins running underneath. This is one of the best examples of crop rotation strategies for heavy feeders: tomatoes in one year, then corn and squash taking advantage of the organic matter and nitrogen from the cover crop.

Bed 2: Salad and brassica bed
Year 1: Spring lettuce, spinach, and radishes, followed by summer broccoli, cabbage, or kale.
Fall: Sow a quick oats and pea cover crop.

Year 2: This bed becomes your tomato bed, moving the nightshades to clean ground that hasn’t seen them in at least two years.

Bed 3: Legume-focused bed
Year 1: Bush beans, pole beans, and peas.
Fall: Leave the bean roots in the soil to break down, then sow a mix of clover and rye.

Year 2: This bed becomes your leafy/brassica bed, taking advantage of the nitrogen left from the legumes.

Bed 4: Root and onion bed
Year 1: Carrots, beets, onions, leeks, and maybe a patch of potatoes.
Fall: Sow a low-growing clover cover crop.

Year 2: This bed becomes your legume bed—beans and peas love the lighter soil that roots helped open up.

This four-season pattern is one of my favorite real examples of examples of crop rotation strategies because it:

• Keeps tomatoes moving to fresh soil every year.
• Pairs legumes before heavy feeders.
• Uses cover crops to protect bare soil and add organic matter.

The University of Minnesota Extension has a good explanation of using legumes and rotation to manage nitrogen: https://extension.umn.edu/soil-management-and-health/nitrogen-fixation-legume-crops

Tiny space, big impact: examples of crop rotation strategies for two beds

Maybe you don’t have four beds. Maybe you have two, or even one. You can still rotate.

Here’s an example of a 2-bed rotation that works well in many small yards:

Year 1

• Bed 1: Tomatoes, peppers, and basil in the back; lettuce and spinach in the front for spring, then bush beans after the lettuce bolts.
• Bed 2: Carrots, beets, onions, plus a row of kale and some radishes.

Year 2

• Bed 1: Carrots, beets, onions, kale, radishes.
• Bed 2: Tomatoes, peppers, basil, then bush beans after early greens.

Over time, you can add a winter cover crop to whichever bed will not hold tomatoes the following year. This is one of the simplest examples of examples of crop rotation strategies: just flip the beds each year so tomatoes and other nightshades never grow in the same soil two years in a row.

If you’re working in containers, you can mimic this by dedicating certain pots to “leafy/legume” years and others to “fruiting/root” years, then swapping what goes where each season.

Family-based planning: examples include nightshades, brassicas, and roots

A lot of gardeners get stuck trying to remember exactly where each individual crop was last year. A much easier approach is to rotate by plant family. Here’s a family-based example of crop rotation you can adapt to any layout.

Group your plants like this:

• Nightshades: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes.
• Brassicas: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts.
• Legumes: beans, peas, cowpeas, fava beans.
• Cucurbits: cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, melons.
• Roots and alliums: carrots, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, leeks.
• Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, chard, arugula.

Then, use this pattern as one of your working examples of crop rotation strategies:

Year 1

• Area 1: Nightshades.
• Area 2: Brassicas and leafy greens.
• Area 3: Legumes and cucurbits.
• Area 4: Roots and alliums.

Year 2
Shift each group one area over. Nightshades move into last year’s brassica area, brassicas into last year’s legume/cucurbit area, and so on.

This system is flexible. If you suddenly decide to grow more cucumbers and fewer beans, they still stay in the same general group and follow the same rotation path. It’s one of the best examples of crop rotation strategies for gardeners who like freedom but still want a plan.

For a deeper look at plant families and disease cycles, Cornell University’s gardening resources are very helpful: https://cals.cornell.edu/school-integrative-plant-science/extension-outreach/gardening-resources

Real examples for specific crops: tomatoes, corn, and brassicas

Sometimes you just want to know, “Where do I put the tomatoes, and what follows them?” Here are a few focused, real examples of examples of crop rotation strategies built around popular crops.

Example of a tomato-centered rotation

Tomatoes are the drama queens of the vegetable garden—high reward, high risk. Soil-borne diseases like early blight and wilt can build up if you plant them in the same spot too often.

Try this 3-year pattern:

• Year 1: Tomatoes with basil and onions. Mulch heavily.
• Year 2: That same bed becomes a legume bed with bush beans and peas. The different family interrupts disease cycles.
• Year 3: Turn it into a brassica and leafy bed with kale, cabbage, and lettuce. They benefit from the improved soil structure and leftover nitrogen.

Meanwhile, your tomatoes have moved to a different bed each year, not returning to the original spot until year 4. This is one of the clearest examples of examples of crop rotation strategies for gardeners who mainly care about protecting their tomato harvest.

Example of a corn and squash rotation

Corn and squash are heavy feeders, but they’re also classic partners. Here’s a simple 2-year example of crop rotation featuring them:

• Year 1: Bed A – Corn in blocks with winter squash or pumpkins around the edges. Bed B – Peas, beans, and a spring cover crop after harvest.
• Year 2: Bed A becomes the legume bed (peas and beans), and Bed B becomes the corn and squash bed.

You can repeat this pattern every two years. It’s not fancy, but it’s one of those real examples that fits easily into a busy gardener’s life.

Example of a brassica-friendly rotation

Brassicas (like broccoli and cabbage) are magnets for pests such as cabbage worms and flea beetles. You can’t magically erase them, but you can make life harder for them.

Try this 3-year cycle:

• Year 1: Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) with a floating row cover for extra protection.
• Year 2: Switch that bed to onions, garlic, and carrots. Many brassica pests don’t thrive on these crops.
• Year 3: Plant beans and peas, then a fall cover crop.

By the time brassicas return in Year 4, many overwintering pests will have moved on or declined. This is one of the best examples of crop rotation strategies for gardeners tired of picking green worms off their broccoli.

Examples of crop rotation strategies for mixed, messy beds

Real gardens are messy. You mix flowers with veggies, tuck herbs in wherever there’s space, and squeeze in one more tomato because you couldn’t resist that variety at the nursery.

Here’s how to handle rotation when your beds aren’t perfectly organized:

• Pick a “dominant crop family” for each bed each year. Even if you have a few extras mixed in, decide what the main crop family is (nightshade, brassica, legume, cucurbit, root/leafy).
• Track only the dominant family. In your garden notebook or app, write: “2024 – Bed 3: nightshades.” Next year, choose a different family as the dominant one in that bed.
• Avoid repeating the same dominant family within 3 years. That alone gives you most of the benefits you want from rotation.

One of the most realistic examples of examples of crop rotation strategies for mixed beds looks like this over four years:

• Year 1: Bed 1 dominated by tomatoes; Bed 2 by beans; Bed 3 by brassicas; Bed 4 by roots and onions.
• Year 2: Bed 1 dominated by brassicas; Bed 2 by roots/onions; Bed 3 by legumes; Bed 4 by tomatoes.
• Year 3: Bed 1 dominated by legumes; Bed 2 by tomatoes; Bed 3 by roots/onions; Bed 4 by brassicas.

You still get the benefits of rotation without giving up your creative, slightly chaotic planting style.

Modern trends: how gardeners are updating classic crop rotation

In 2024–2025, a lot of organic gardeners are blending traditional rotation with newer ideas about soil biology and climate resilience. Some current trends in examples of crop rotation strategies include:

• Shorter, more frequent rotations. Instead of waiting three or four years to bring a crop back, gardeners are using disease-resistant varieties and strong soil life to safely shorten the gap to two or three years for some crops.
• More cover crops in small spaces. Gardeners are sowing quick cover crops like buckwheat between main crops, then cutting them down and planting right into the residue. This adds organic matter and feeds beneficial microbes.
• Polyculture rotations. Instead of monoculture beds (all one crop), people are rotating plant communities—for example, a tomato–basil–onion mix one year, followed by a pea–lettuce–radish mix the next.
• Data-driven decisions. Home soil tests are cheaper and easier to access, so gardeners can adjust their rotations after seeing real numbers on organic matter, pH, and nutrients.

Research from the USDA and land-grant universities continues to show that even relatively simple rotation patterns can reduce disease pressure and improve soil structure over time. If you’re curious about the science behind this, the USDA’s crop rotation overview is a solid starting point: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soil/soil-health-crop-rotation

FAQ: common questions about examples of crop rotation strategies

What are some easy examples of crop rotation strategies for beginners?
One of the easiest examples is a 3-group system: Year 1, plant nightshades (tomatoes, peppers); Year 2, plant legumes (beans, peas) in that same spot; Year 3, plant brassicas and leafy greens. Then repeat. Another simple example of a beginner-friendly plan is to grow tomatoes and peppers in one bed and roots and greens in another, then swap the beds each year.

What is a good example of rotating tomatoes in a small garden?
Pick one bed or corner that will be the “tomato zone” for this year. Next year, move tomatoes to a different bed and plant beans or peas in the old tomato spot. In year three, follow with brassicas or roots. This 3-year loop is a very practical example of crop rotation for people with limited space.

How long should I wait before planting the same crop in the same place again?
Most home gardeners aim for at least 3 years before planting the same crop family in the same spot, especially for nightshades and brassicas. Some diseases can linger longer, but a 3–4 year gap is a realistic target for most yards. Shorter gaps can work if you’re using resistant varieties, good compost, and lots of organic matter.

Are there examples of crop rotation strategies that work in containers?
Yes. Think of each large container or group of containers as a “bed.” One year, you grow tomatoes and peppers; the next year, you grow beans or peas in those same containers; the third year, you switch to leafy greens and herbs. Use fresh potting mix or mix in compost each year, and avoid putting the same family back in the same pot for at least two or three seasons.

Do flowers and herbs need to be rotated too?
They don’t usually need as much attention as heavy-feeding vegetables, but it still helps. If you grow a lot of the same annual flower (like zinnias or sunflowers) in one spot and see disease, treat that patch like a crop and rotate it. Many herbs are perennial and can stay put, but big annual herbs like basil can be rotated along with your vegetables.

If you take nothing else from these real examples of examples of crop rotation strategies, remember this: don’t plant the same crop family in the same place year after year. Even a simple, slightly imperfect rotation will build healthier soil, calmer pest pressure, and a more resilient garden over time.