Succession Planting

Succession planting is a set of strategies for gardening that aims to maximize yield by effectively utilizing spacing and timing intervals. Growing vegetable crops in succession can help you maximize the space used in your garden, extend the window for harvesting crops, maintain a constant supply of harvestable goods, and optimize the yield and quality of harvested vegetables.

Most common vegetables are annuals, which grow from seed, flower, and produce fruit all in one season. Tomatoes and peppers produce fruit all summer, and although they sometimes take a break in very hot temperatures, they will continue until frost kills them. Root vegetables like carrots are harvested by pulling the whole plant up, while other vegetables, such as green beans and peas, have a more limited lifespan and peter out after a few weeks of harvest. All these are reasons why you should use succession planting — sowing new seeds every few weeks will keep your garden producing from spring through fall.

Succession planting works best when crops are spaced properly, and seed tape can help make that easier. Seed tape evenly spaces seeds at the right distance, helping plants grow without overcrowding. This makes the most of your garden space, improves airflow, and reduces the need for thinning. When combined with succession planting, using seed tape can help ensure each round of planting gets off to a strong, healthy start.

Peas, lettuce, carrots and potatoes are all examples of early spring vegetables that are sown as soon as the ground is free of winter cold. Plant a few seeds or seedlings of these varieties every couple of weeks until a week or two past your last frost date. Lettuce and peas need to mature before hot summer weather arrives and it takes from 45 to 60 days to do that depending on variety. For lettuce you can get a little extra harvest by planting some heat tolerant or long day length varieties as spring advances. Succession planting, but in reverse, is used from mid-summer so that the vegetables mature in cool fall weather. Just sow a few seeds each week from 10 weeks to about a month before your first expected fall frost.

Beans and sweet corn are among the most common summer vegetables for succession planting. From about a week after your last frost the first seeds can be sown. Continue sowing new seeds every two weeks until July 4th; these seed will grow and produce until the first fall frost. Make sure to check the number of days the variety takes to mature to ensure that your harvest is before the first expected frost in fall.