Succession Planting

Have you ever found yourself harvesting a bumper crop of vegetables from your garden all at once, leaving you overwhelmed with produce? There’s a fantastic solution: succession planting. This method involves staggering your planting schedule, allowing you to harvest root vegetables, leafy greens, brassicas, and more at various times throughout the season. By sowing small amounts of crops like carrots, radishes, and broccoli over several days or weeks, you can enjoy a continuous supply of fresh produce. Don’t feel pressured to plant everything immediately after the last frost date. Gardening is a season-long journey, and the joy lies in the entire process of planting, tending, and harvesting.

Planning for a Steady Harvest

To enjoy your favorite vegetables all season long, careful planning is essential. Think about the quantity you typically consume each week. This will help you determine how much to plant to meet your needs. Additionally, consider how much you want to preserve. If you enjoy home-canned or frozen vegetables during the winter, plan a fall garden with cool-season crops suitable for preservation.

What is Succession Planting?

Succession planting involves sowing small batches of vegetables that are usually harvested as whole plants or can be harvested only a few times. These crops are planted at intervals of 1-3 weeks to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the growing season. Unlike plants such as cucumbers that produce all season, vegetables like carrots are harvested once. Succession planting maximizes the productivity of your gardening space by allowing you to plant a new crop once the previous one is harvested. Here are some of the best crops for succession planting:

Best Crops for Succession Planting

– Arugula: A peppery green that adds zest to salads.

– Bok Choy/Pak Choi: Perfect for stir-fries and soups.

– Carrots: Sweet and crunchy, ideal for fresh eating and cooking.

– Green Onions: Versatile and easy to grow.

– Lettuce: Enjoy fresh, crisp salads all season long.

– Peas: Great for fresh snacking and cooking.

– Spinach: Nutrient-packed and perfect for salads and cooking.

– Turnips: Delicious root vegetable for roasting and soups.

– Beets: Sweet and earthy, great for salads and roasting.

– Bush Beans: Perfect for fresh eating and canning.

– Cilantro: Adds a burst of flavor to many dishes.

– Kale: Hardy and nutrient-dense green.

– Mustard Greens: Spicy and nutritious.

– Radish: Quick-growing and crunchy.

– Swiss Chard: Colorful and versatile leafy green.

Expanding Your Garden Space

If you’re interested in succession planting but have limited space, consider using containers to expand your growing area. Raised beds and vertical planters are excellent options for patios and balconies. For a steady supply of herbs and leafy greens, try using Bloom Master Hanging Baskets, Boxes, or Stacker containers. Short-rooted vegetables like carrots, radishes, green onions, and leafy greens can also thrive in raised beds.

Embrace the Gardening Adventure

Succession planting offers a way to spread out your harvest and avoid the overwhelm of a single, massive yield. By planning ahead and utilizing your space creatively, you can enjoy fresh vegetables throughout the growing season. Gardening is not just about the end result but about relishing the entire journey, from the first seed sown to the last vegetable harvested. 🌱🍅🥕