Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
Read More
Perhaps you’ve seen it driving through the state- a large field that was once soybeans is now corn, the next year, wheat. But is crop rotation really that important for your home garden?
Yes! The rotation of your crops around your garden in a systematic order will make sure you aren’t planting the same crop in the same bed year after year. This helps maintain healthy soil and prevents depletion of nutrients. Each plant requires different nutritional needs, and your crops will affect the soil in a particular way. Rotating your plants takes advantage of abundant nutrients left over from certain crops and allows the soil to recover nutrients that were depleted during the past growing season. Plus, it interrupts cycles of disease and decreases insect infestation.
Becoming aware of the vegetable families will help ease the confusion of rotating your garden. In general, vegetables do well when planted next to others in the same family. Below are common vegetables and the families to which they belong. The similarities between the plants in each family are quite distinct.
Alliaceae (Onion Family)
Chive, garlic, leek, onion and shallot
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth Family)
Beet, spinach, and Swiss chard
Apiaceae (Carrot Clan)
Carrot, celery, dill, fennel, parsley and parsnip
Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Artichoke, lettuce and sunflower
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, radish, turnips
Cucurbitaceae (Gourd Family)
Cucumber, gourd, melons, luffa, pumpkin, summer and winter squash, including zucchini
Fabaceae- Leguminosae (Pea Family)
Alfalfa, broad bean, lima bean, peas, snap beans and soybeans.
Poaceae (Grass Family)
Corn
Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)
Eggplant, pepper, potato, tomatillo and tomato
Some vegetables do particularly well when planted in succession or after other plants in the same soil. For example, beans and legumes leave soil rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes leaf development, so leafy crops like lettuce and cabbage should be planted in the same bed after beans On the other hand, crops in the Gourd or Nightshade family, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, should not be planted after beans, because the nitrogen in the soil will produce leafy plants with less fruit. Thin-leafed crops, such as carrots and leeks, grow well when planted after leafy plants because there will be fewer weeds in the soil. Tomatoes enjoy the deeper soil left from carrots and beets, and cucumbers will provide weed suppression following a year of thin-leafed crops.
As you plan your garden for the upcoming growing season, take note of the crops you intend to plant and group them by family. Sketch your garden plot and divide it into the appropriate number of beds per family. Label each bed with the family of crops you intend to plant. Keep this layout in a garden journal for the following year. It will be easier to refer to this guide than recall your garden layout by memory. Next year, re-sketch your garden layout and beds. Rotate the vegetable families among the beds, moving in the same direction year after year.
The chart (see images) is an example of a four-bed, counter-clockwise rotation system using common vegetables.
The letters correspond to the following vegetables:
A: Peas and beans
B: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce and spinach
C: Beets, carrots, leeks, onions and turnips
D: Cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers
For home gardens, crop rotation can seem complicated; you are often growing a large variety of crops in a smaller garden plot. But, if you plan ahead and keep a record of your garden layout, crop rotation will be easy and beneficial and you’ll soon notice a healthier and more fruitful garden.
Barbara Arnold is green corps coordinator at Franklin Park Conservatory.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Featured Articles
Ohio Farm Bureau applauds Gov. DeWine dyed diesel executive order
The executive order waives state penalties and suspends discretionary enforcement related to the use of dyed diesel on public highways through Dec. 31, 2026.
Read More
Growing our Generation: Representing Ohio in Charlotte
Maggie Preston, Lincoln Deitrick and Denver Davis describe their role in agriculture, their Farm Bureau involvement and what it means to win their respective state awards.
Read More
Legal with Leah: Changes to Fuel Taxes and Dyed Diesel Regulation
Associate General Counsel Leah Curtis breaks down the changes to Ohio’s fuel tax, recent guidance on dyed diesel and what farm families need to know.
Read More
Gripp business solution to establish Ohio test group
Gripp is launching a 60-day cohort in mid-January for Ohio Farm Bureau members, offering discounted access to its asset-tracking app.
Read More
Ohio must not make it easier to seize your property for data centers, other projects
Ohio Farm Bureau recently published an op-ed in The Columbus Dispatch highlighting the importance of protecting private property rights as discussions continue around expanding eminent domain powers in Ohio.
Read More
What would Grandma and Grandpa have wanted?
These discussions should not begin and end with a developer’s offer. Identifying family goals now gives the family something to plan around.
Read More
Ohio Farm Bureau, partners pack 10,000 meals to kick off Food and Farms Month
Ohio Farm Bureau joined leaders from across Ohio’s food and agriculture industry this week to pack 10,000 meals for central…
Read More
Ohio Farm Bureau supports expanded use of dyed diesel
The administration recently issued an executive order easing restrictions on the use of tax-exempt dyed diesel fuel for on-road agricultural transportation.
Read More
Legal with Leah: Eminent Domain and Quick Take
Ohio Farm Bureau Associate General Counsel Leah Curtis explains how the eminent domain process works in Ohio, what ‘quick take’ means and when it can be used.
Read More