Can You Replant Tomatoes In The Same Place?

Question:

Can you replant tomatoes where you have had tomatoes the year before if the tomatoes had no problems? Thank you.

Hardiness Zone: 7a

4doglarry from Morganton, NC

Answer:

4doglarry,

To get the most out of your soil and reduce pest and disease problems, it's best to avoid planting the same annual crops in the same place each year. Because crops in the same family are susceptible to the same soil borne pests and diseases, it is also wise to avoid replanting where any of that crop's relatives were grown during the previous year. For example, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all in the same botanical family (nightshade). That means to minimize the potential for pest and disease problems, you should not plant tomatoes in the same spot you planted peppers or eggplants last year. Crop rotation is also important in regards to soil nutrients. For example, beans actually put nitrogen back into the soil, whereas corn and zucchini are heavy nitrogen feeders. By rotating crops every year, you will ensure that no one part of your vegetable garden gets depleted of important nutrients.

Here is a list of some vegetables families. These can all be planted together in one part of the garden and swapped the following year with a different family group.

• Legumes and pods: Beans, Garden peas, okra, sugar peas.

• Brassicas: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, turnips.

• Alliums: garlic, onions, scallion.

• Solanaceous, root and tuber crops: Beets, carrots, eggplant, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes.

Good luck!

Ellen