Poaceae — Grass family

Shared risks

• corn earworm (also tomato fruitworm)
• corn smut
• raccoons and birds

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 grass family member to the same bed. Rotation concerns previous seasons in a bed; it is separate from which plants grow together now.

• Corn is tall and a heavy feeder; plan shade and fertility around it.

Sources

• Home, garden, turf and landscape pests (2025)
• Food yields and nutrient analyses of the Three Sisters: a Haudenosaunee cropping system (2016)

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 · Fabaceae · Cucurbitaceae · Apiaceae · Asteraceae · Amaryllidaceae · Lamiaceae · Amaranthaceae · Rosaceae · Other families