DibbleCrop rotation means not growing the same plant family in the same spot two years in a row. It is one of the oldest and most reliable ways to keep a garden healthy without chemicals. The idea is simple: pests and diseases that target a family build up in the soil where it grows, and different families feed on the soil in different ways. Move the families around and you break both cycles.
A simple four-group plan
Legumes fix nitrogen, leaf crops use it, fruiting crops are heavy feeders, and root crops are light feeders. Each season, move every bed on to the next group, then start the cycle over.
The cycle Dibble follows runs in this order, then repeats:
- Legumes
- Leaf crops
- Fruiting crops
- Root crops
Picture four beds. This year bed one grows legumes, bed two leafy greens, bed three fruiting crops, bed four roots. Next year each group shifts to the next bed. Legumes leave nitrogen behind for the hungry leafy greens that follow, and so on around the cycle.
Know your families
To rotate, you need to know which family each crop belongs to. The big ones in a vegetable garden are the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes), the brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale), the legumes (beans, peas), and the alliums (onions, garlic). Every crop page in Dibble lists its family and a rotation note, and the app warns you when you are about to plant a family back where it grew last year.
