Friday, August 11, 2017

Plant Isolation Distances Table


Please note, these distances have been formulated for rural environments – no one has data applicable to urban growing, but the suspicion, and the experience of most SLOLA members, indicate that the distances will vary from these, and sometimes by quite a bit. In the final analysis, one needs to learn one's own growing situation and note air flow and insect activity. These charts also do not account for 'organic' methods which almost invariably means more insects interacting with the plants and create further variances from the figures below.

Plant
Isolation Distance

(Ashworth)*
Isolation Distance

(USDA)
Pollinator
Amaranth
¼ to 2 miles 1
wind, insects
Arugula
½ mile (2640')
660 feet 7
insects
Basil
150 feet
insects
Bean, Common
0 to 1 mile 4
0 5, 4
self 2
Bean, Fava
0 to 1 mile 4
0 5, 4
self 2
Bean, Lima
0 to 1 mile 4
0 5, 7, 4
self 2
Bean, Tepary
0 to 1 mile 4
0 5, 7, 4
self 2
Beet
5 miles
wind
Broccoli
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Broomcorn
660 feet 7
self 2
Brussels Sprouts
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Cabbage
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Cantaloupe
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Carrot
½ mile
insects
Cauliflower
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Celery
1 mile
insects
Chinese Cabbage
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Chinese Mustard
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Chives
1 mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Collards
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Cilantro
½ mile
insects
Corn
2 miles
660 feet
wind
Cotton
¼ mile 6
self, insects
Cowpea
0 to 1 mile 2
0
self 2
Cucumber
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Dill
1 mile
insects
Eggplant
50 feet
self 2
Fennel
½ mile
insects
Garlic
1 mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Garlic Chives
1 mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Gourds
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Kale
½ mile
660 feet 7
insects
Lamb's Quarters
5 miles
wind
Lettuce
25 feet
self 2
Melon, Honeydew
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Melon, Musk
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Mustard
½ mile
660 feet
insects
Okra
1 mile
825 feet
self, insects
Onion
1 mile
¼ mile
insects
Parsley
1 mile
insects
Pea
50 feet
0 2
self 2
Pepper
500 feet
30 feet
self, insects
Potato
30 feet 3
30 feet 3
self, insects 3
Pumpkin
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Radish
½ mile
660 feet 7
insects
Sorghum
660 feet
self 2
Spinach
5 miles
wind
Squash
½ mile
¼ mile 7
insects
Sunflower
½ to 3 miles
½ mile
insects
Swiss Chard
5 miles
wind
Tomatillo
0 4
30 feet 7
self 2
Tomato
0 4
30 feet
self 2
Turnip
1 mile
660 feet 7
insects
Watermelon
½ mile
¼ mile
insect

Footnotes:

  1. Green amaranths may need only ¼ mile, grain amaranths up to 2 miles.
  2. Potatoes are not commonly reproduced from seed.
  3. See note on tomatoes and beans in the article on Saving Seeds True-to-Type.
  4. "Distance adequate to prevent mechanical mixture is necessary".
  5. Isolation distances for cotton vary from 100' between similar varieties, to ¼ mile between 'upland' and 'Egyptian' types ('foundation' or 'preservation' grade).
  6. Extrapolated from similar species.

* Seed To Seed, Ashworth, Suzanne © 2002, Seed Savers Exchange

No comments:

Post a Comment