Fabaceae — Legume family

Shared risks

• root rots (Fusarium, Pythium)
• bean rust
• pea aphid
• Mexican bean beetle

Named risks, not an arbitrary score: these are the organisms that carry over in soil, debris or volunteers.

Rotation guidance

Leave 2 years before returning any legume family member to the same bed. Rotation concerns previous seasons in a bed; it is separate from which plants grow together now.

• Legumes host nitrogen-fixing bacteria; most nitrogen benefit to other crops comes after residues decompose, not while the legume grows.

Sources

• Belowground nitrogen transfer from legumes to non-legumes under managed herbaceous cropping systems. A review (2016)
• Living soil, healthy garden: crop rotation and soil health (2023)

Exceptions and small-garden notes

Short crops (radish, arugula, baby leaves) still count as occupancy for the family. In a garden with one or two beds, strict rotation is impossible; instead, alternate families within a bed by half, remove crop debris, choose resistant cultivars and keep a bed history so the planner can warn you.

Other families: Solanaceae · Brassicaceae · Cucurbitaceae · Apiaceae · Asteraceae · Amaryllidaceae · Lamiaceae · Amaranthaceae · Poaceae · Rosaceae · Other families