Depends on where and when in the medieval period as farming was adapted to local conditions. In the southern half of England, 1100-1400 (and in parts a hundreds of years either way as this was still in practice in parts of east Anglia by at least the 1930s as my great grandfather and his generation were part of that farming system), it was a combination of market gardening and field monoculture. The land owners would have several acres of monoculture crop and part of the rent of the farmers would be labour to help grow the field crops.
Likewise, the farmer might have half an acre or so (1/8th for widows for example, maybe 10 or more for the "boy", our equivalent would be farm manager, but more). Most of that would be low labour staple crops. With maybe a small kitchen garden that needed high labour.
The spanish books I mention, some of them go into indepth explanations on the standard ridge and furrow system common in Europe at the time of al Andalusian conquest (circa 750ad). The seed is broadcast uniformly, some landing on top of the ridges, some landing in the furrows. This made agriculture more sustainable against poor weather as on dry years, the furrowed grain grew and on wet years the ridge grain grew best.
The agriculturalist Jethrow Tull (like the music group) has some interesting insights into where farming in europe was at when he introduced changes to the system.
But again, it wasn't uniform across europe, or even in one country, or even in one village. They adapted to the land and what it could provide.
What was universal was the need for a staple crop for the village, considerably more for selling, and quite a bit to give to the monarch. And a bunch to keep a reserve of at least three years of bad harvest so the population didn't starve if the weather turned.
an insomniac misanthrope who enjoys cooking, textile arts, farming and eating delicious food.
