BAU Farm Intelligence← Decision layer

BAU Crop Compatibility & Succession Plans

What follows what — and when to plant the next round

Two tools in one place: a plant-family compatibility grid that says which crop can safely follow which and how long to wait, and a succession planner that staggers plantings so harvest comes in steadily instead of all at once.

Crop compatibility grid

Read down the left for the crop family you grew last year, and across for what you're considering next. A check means it's a clean break; an X means the same disease and nematode pressure carries over.

Last year ↓ / Next ➝NightshadeCucurbitBrassicaLegumeSweetpotatoGrassStrawberryOnion
Nightshadeokokokokok
Cucurbitokokokokok
Brassicaok
Legume
Sweetpotatookokokokok
Grass
Strawberryokokokokokok
Onionokokokokokok
Nightshade (tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Southern blight, bacterial wilt and root-knot nematode build in the soil where nightshades repeat.
Cucurbit (watermelon, cucumber, squash, melon)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Fusarium wilt, gummy stem blight and cucumber beetle pressure carry over on cucurbit residue.
Brassica (broccoli, cabbage, collard, kale)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Clubroot and black rot persist in soil and residue; a break also breaks the cabbage worm cycle.
Legume (snap bean, pea, soybean)
Keep 2 years between plantings. White mold and root rots build up, but legumes leave nitrogen behind for the crop that follows.
Morning-glory family (sweetpotato)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Root-knot nematode and soil rots are the limiting factor in repeated sweetpotato ground.
Grass (sweet corn, small grain)
Keep 1 year between plantings. Grass crops are the cleanest break in the rotation — they suppress many vegetable soil pathogens.
Rose family (strawberry)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Strawberry ground carries anthracnose and crown rot; a long break plus a grass cover is standard.
Onion family (onion, garlic, leek)
Keep 3 years between plantings. Pink root, white rot and onion thrips carry over where onions repeat; white rot sclerotia survive for years.

General rotation guidance for Zones 6–9 for soilborne disease and nematode management. It is not a field-specific diagnosis — a soil test or an extension agent's call on your ground overrides it.

Succession planner

Days to first pick come from the published extension budget's own planting and harvest window for that crop, so the dates track the same calendar the cost numbers assume.

Staked tomato: roughly 90 days from planting to first pick, with a pick window of about 89 days in the published budget.
#PlantFirst harvestLast harvestAcresExpected lb
1Apr 5, 2026Jul 4, 2026Jul 26, 20260.521,000
2Apr 19, 2026Jul 18, 2026Aug 9, 20260.521,000
3May 3, 2026Aug 1, 2026Aug 23, 20260.521,000
4May 17, 2026Aug 15, 2026Sep 6, 20260.521,000

Yield per planting uses the budget's own per-acre yield — your own harvest records override it as soon as you log them.

North Carolina taxes, grants and who to call

Taxes

  • Flat state income tax at a rate that has been stepping down each year.
  • Qualifying farmers buy farm inputs and equipment tax-free with Form E-595QF (Qualifying Farmer Exemption Certificate) after applying to the Department of Revenue; new farmers can get a conditional exemption.
  • Present-Use Value program: farmland is taxed on its farm use, not market value; apply through the county tax assessor.

Grants and cost-share to ask about

  • NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund grants
  • NC Agriculture Cost Share Program through county soil and water districts
  • Specialty Crop Block Grant (NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)
  • USDA NRCS EQIP cost-share and FSA microloans (county USDA service center)

Who to call: NC State Extension and N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension and your county USDA service center.

Award sizes and rates change, so none are counted in this crop mix. Confirm with the agency. Add expected awards in the profit calculator · grant deadlines.