Succession Planting

Succession planting is an excellent way to make the most of an intensive garden. To obtain a succession of crops, plant something new in spots vacated by spent plants. Corn after peas is a type of succession.

Planting a spring, summer, and fall garden is another form of succession planting. Cool season crops (broccoli, lettuce, peas) are followed by warm season crops (beans, tomatoes, peppers), and where possible, these may be followed by more cool-season plants, or even a winter cover crop.

Relaying is another common practice, consisting of overlapping plantings of one type of crop. The new planting is made before the old one is removed. For instance, sweet corn may be planted at 2-week intervals for a continuous harvest. This requires some care, though; crops planted very early are likely to get a slower start because of low temperatures. In the case of corn, it can be disastrous to have two varieties pollinating at the same time, as the quality of the kernels may be affected. Give early planted corn extra time to get started, for best results.

Another way to achieve the same result is to plant, at once, various varieties of the same vegetable; for example, you can plant an early-season, a mid-season, and a late-season corn at the same time and have a lengthy harvest.

Starting seeds indoors for transplanting is an important aspect of intensive gardening. To get the most from the garden plot, a new crop should be ready to take the place of the crop being removed. Several weeks may be gained by having 6-inch transplants ready to go into vacated areas. Don't forget to recondition the soil for the new plants.

Some suggested succession planting guidelines are listed below;

Green Beans: plant every 10 days
Beets: plant every 14 days
Cucumbers: plant every 3 weeks
Collards: plant every 3 weeks
Lettuce: plant every 10-14 days
Melons: plant every 3 weeks
Radish: plant every 7 days
Spinach: plant every 7 days
Squash: plant every 6 weeks
Sweet Corn: plant every 14 days
Carrots: plant in spring & fall
Cabbage: transplant in spring & fall
Cauliflower: transplant in spring & fall
Broccoli: transplant in spring & fall
Tomatoes: transplant in spring & fall
Peppers: transplant in spring & fall
Peas: plant in spring & fall

As you can see, a productive season long garden is very possible, with you as
the benefactor and harvestor of the bounty.

Happy gardening, Terry