Beginner's Guide to Succession Planting

Want to know an easy peasy way to double, even triple your harvesting capabilities without even really trying? Try succession planting. Essentially, as soon as you harvest one vegetable, plant another in it's place.



Garden space prime real estate. Think of your vegetables as renters. If they aren't paying (producing) then kick them out and find (plant) something else that will. When you adopt the succession planting method you not only use your garden space more efficiently, but you can also keep your grocery costs down by having your garden produce more efficiently during the growing season.
 

Helpful Tips

1. Most vegetables can be planted closer together than you'd think, so pack them in there!  
2. Add compost between plantings to give the soil a boost.
3. Stagger your potential harvest so you are not inundated with more vegetables than you can eat or preserve at one time, leaving you to enjoy a particular vegetable for the entire summer and not just a week or two.
4. Consult the back of individual seed packets to see when the last plant date is to optimize your harvest.  
5. Toss the old plants on your compost pile and use the compost in next year's garden.

Vegetables You Can Plant in Early Spring and Again in the Fall : Cabbage, broccoli, carrots, spinach, peas, lettuce, beets, greens.

Vegetables You Can Plant Every 7 Days For a Continued Harvest: Lettuce, spinach, radish, bok choy, kale.

Vegetables You Can Plant Every 14 Days For a Continued Harvest: Beans, peas, beets, turnips, corn

 

Vegetables You Can Plant Every 21 Days For a Continued Harvest: Cucumbers, melons, carrots

 

Vegetables You Can Plant Every 30 Days For a Continued Harvest: Summer squash, Swiss chard

Just remember, succession planting is where it's at, whether it's spring, summer or fall. Now get out there and grow!