Does your garden give you way too much of everything in July, then not much at all by September? Succession planting fixes that. By spacing out your sowings and filling empty spots as crops finish, you can keep fresh food coming from early spring until the first hard frost. In this guide, you'll learn four simple succession methods, which crops work best and how to plan your schedule.
What is succession planting?
Succession planting means planning your garden so that as one crop finishes, another is ready to take its place. Instead of planting everything on one weekend in May, you plant in waves. The result is a steadier, more manageable harvest and much more food from the same space.
1. Stagger sowings of the same crop
Instead of sowing a long row all at once, sow a short section every 1 to 3 weeks.
- Radishes: Every 7 to 10 days.
- Lettuce and arugula: Every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Cilantro: Every 2 to 3 weeks, since it bolts quickly in heat.
- Bush beans: Every 2 to 3 weeks until about 10 weeks before your first fall frost.
2. Plant varieties with different maturity dates
Sow early, mid and late varieties of the same crop on the same day, and they'll ripen one after another. Days to maturity on the packet tells you which is which. For example, pair a quick lettuce like Black Seeded Simpson (about 45 days) with a slower romaine like Paris Romaine (about 65 to 70 days).
3. Follow one crop with another
When a crop finishes, pull it and plant something new in the same spot. A few classic pairings:
- Spring peas, then summer squash or cucumbers: Peas finish in early summer, just in time for a warm-season crop.
- Spring lettuce, then bush beans: Lettuce bolts as summer heats up, and beans love the warm soil.
- Garlic or early potatoes, then fall greens: Once they're harvested in midsummer, sow kale, spinach or radishes for fall.
4. Interplant fast and slow crops
Sow quick crops in the spaces between slow ones. By the time the big plants need the room, you've already harvested the fast ones.
- Radishes between carrots: Radishes mark the row and are pulled long before carrots size up.
- Lettuce between tomatoes or peppers: Lettuce enjoys the shade as the bigger plants grow.
How do you plan a succession schedule?
Start with your average last spring frost and first fall frost dates. Then plan in three waves:
- Spring: Cool-season crops like peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes and kale, sown 4 to 6 weeks before last frost.
- Summer: Warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and basil, planted after last frost.
- Fall: A second round of cool-season crops, sown in mid-to-late summer. To time it, take the crop's days to maturity, add about 2 weeks for slower fall growth, and count back from your first fall frost.
Here in Minnesota, zone 5a, our first fall frost usually comes in late September or early October, so fall greens and radishes go in from late July through August.
Tips for succession success
- Feed the soil: Add an inch of compost before each new planting to replace nutrients the last crop used.
- Water summer sowings well: Seeds sown in hot July soil dry out fast. Water daily until they're up, and use a light mulch or shade cloth if needed.
- Keep seeds handy: Group packets by sowing date so it's easy to see what goes in each week.
- Keep notes: Write down what you planted and when, so you can fine-tune next year.
Best crops for succession planting
- Cherry Belle Radish (about 22 to 25 days): the quickest way to fill a gap.
- Slenderette Bush Bean (about 50 to 55 days): tender, slim pods, great for staggered summer sowings.
- Cilantro (about 50 to 55 days for leaves): sow often for a steady supply.
Keep your garden working all season
Succession planting turns your garden into a season-long rhythm instead of a one-time rush. Start with one or two crops this year and watch how much more you harvest. All our seeds are non-GMO and USA grown, and I pack each packet by hand here in Minnesota.
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