Vegetable Families

Major Vegetable Families

The Isolation suggestions are for commercial seed growers.  Use them as a guideline for your own garden, the important thing is to only plant one variety at a time from each species that cross pollinates.

The number of plants is the number you need to plant when saving seeds to avoid inbreeding depression.

How to use this guide:  find the vegetable you are looking for under common name, any other variety listed under the same species will cross pollinate with it and should not be grown at the same time.  If you do not see the vegetable you are looking for, it is because it is the only variety in it’s species and will not cross with any other species.

Amaryllideaceae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Allium                    ampeloprasum       leek                                           insect              1 mile               10

            cepa                     common (seed producing) onion     insect               1 mile              10

        shallot, multiplier onion

        potato onion, top setting onion

            fistulosum            Japanese bunching onion

            sativum               garlic, rocambole

            schoenoprasum  common chives

            tuberosum           garlic chives (Chinese chives)

Brassicaceae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Armoracia           rusticana             horseradish                                 

Brassica              juncea                  Indian Mustard, mustard greens     wind                2 miles             6                             

            Napus                  rutabaga, Siberian Kale,                   insect               ½ mile             8

                                        rape (canola)

            oleracea               broccoli, brussels sprouts               insect               1 mile              10

                                        cabbage, cauliflower, collards

                                        kale, kohlrabi

            rapa                            turnip, broccoli raab                insect               ½ mile             8

                                        Chinese cabbage

                                        Chinese mustard

Eruca                  sativa                   roquette (rockett)

Lepidium             sativum                garden cress

Raphanus            stivus                   radish                                              wind                2 miles             6

Rorippa               microphylla          large leaf watercress

Rorippa               nasturtium            watercress

Chenopodiaceae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Atriplex                hortensis             orach (mountain spinach)              

Beta                     vulgaris               garden beet, sugar beet, mangel       wind                2 miles             6

                                                        swiss chard    

Chenopodium      quinoa                 quinoa

Spinacia              oleracea               spinach                                            wind                5 miles             6

Compsitae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Cichorium           endivia                endive, escarole                              

Helianthus           annuus                sunflower

                            tuberosa              Jerusalem artichoke (sunroot)

Lactuca               sativa                   lettuce, celtuce                                   self                  15’-25’            0

Cucurbitaceae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Citrullus              vulgaris               watermelon, citron                         

Cucumis              melo                            muskmelon, cantaloupe

                                                        honeydew, casaba

                                                        Armenian cucumber

                                                        Asian picking melon

                                                        Pocket melon (vine pomegranate)

                                                        Vine peach (mango melon)

                            sativus                 cucumber (except Armenian,          insect               ½ mile

                                                        burr and African horned)

Cucurbita            all species            squash                                             insect               hand pollinate

Solanaceae

Genus                  Species                Common Name                               Pollinated        Isolation          #plants   

Capsicum            annum                 sweet peppers, chili peppers          insect              

                            frutescens            tabasco, squash pepper

Lycopersicon       lycopersicon        tomato

Physalis               ixocarpa              tomatillo

Solanum              melanocerasum   garden huckleberry

                            melongena           eggplant

                            tuberosum           potato