Crop Rotation and Companion Planting: Guidelines from Binette

Identifying a Previous Crop Before Planting

Record your crops in the corresponding plot along with their dates. This planting log is part of the practices outlined in the App Store and Google Play listings.

When you consult a crop profile, Binette may display a rotation recommendation linked to your plots. The calculation distinguishes between a favourable result, a result suggesting avoidance of repetition, and a neutral result. The recommendation remains informational: it does not block planting.

The absence of a message does not mean the location is suitable. A neutral result may correspond to a missing history or one without any signals flagged by the rules. A recommendation that is unavailable upon loading does not allow for any conclusions either.

Understanding What Is Included in the History

The guideline is based on crops recorded as planted in open ground within the plot. Crops grown in pots are not used as previous crops for that plot’s soil. A crop that has never been recorded cannot, therefore, be identified by this calculation.

The reference date is the planting date or, if that is missing, the sowing date, followed by the record’s creation date if neither is available. End dates also come into play in certain cases. Enter the actual dates when known: a creation date alone does not reconstruct the past season.

Crops still active in the current year are not treated as previous crops. Repeating the same family within this year does not trigger the warning about growing the same plant family again either.

Interpreting the Recommendation at Plot Level

Binette compares botanical families, certain vegetable categories, and the dates of previous crops. The recent presence of a legume may also influence the result. These rules generate a guideline; their outcome does not prove sufficient fertility or a measured disease risk.

The calculation does not know the exact location of each former crop within the plot. If you had tomatoes at one end and French beans at the other, the plot name does not replace your plan. When a recommendation refers to the former location of a crop, locate it yourself and check that it is free.

In practice, keep a dated sketch of the rows along with your observations. The RHS recommends preparing the rotation before the season and marking out the growing areas. Our crop rotation guide offers a method adapted to the available space.

Acknowledging Agronomic Limitations

Varying the families grown can help limit the build-up of certain pests and diseases associated with those crops. However, the University of Maryland notes that this protection remains limited in small gardens, where planting areas are close together. Keep track of observed problems in your assessment, even if the displayed recommendation seems encouraging.

A previous crop of beans does not indicate the amount of available nitrogen either. Jardiner Autrement links the benefit of legumes for the following crop to the unharvested parts and their gradual decomposition. The crop name and its dates alone do not indicate what was removed or left in place. Do not use the recommendation to infer how much fertiliser you can omit.

Similarly, sharing a category such as “fruiting vegetables” does not demonstrate that two crops have identical requirements. The rotation guideline must be considered alongside exposure, available space, and the actual condition of the plants and soil.

Preparing Companion Planting Separately

Crop rotation concerns crops that follow one another in the same location. Companion planting aims to organise plants grown in proximity. Binette’s rotation guideline does not calculate their compatibility or automatically place their neighbours.

To plan a plant combination, compare the growing period, plant development, and their requirements for light, water, and nutrients: these are the criteria suggested by the University of Maryland. A supposedly beneficial pairing does not eliminate the need to reserve the necessary space.

The companion planting guide helps you refine this objective. The site’s interactive matrix allows you to explore four plant combinations with their conditions and limitations.