How to Do Succession Planting
Understand the four approaches to succession planting., Keep it simple for your own home garden., Know which crops grow when., Harvest one crop then plant the next one straight away., Stagger plantings of the same crop., Be aware of which plants...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand the four approaches to succession planting.
They are:
Planting the next crop straight after one crop is harvested.
In this case, the seasonal growth requirements of the first and second crops need to coincide with the planting and harvesting times.
The same crop but planted in a staggered manner.
Rather than planting the whole crop at once, it is seeded in stages, so that plants from the crop mature at different weeks.
Intercropping and companion planting.
Planting two crops that are not related and don't compete at the same time in the same place, in a pattern.
Same crop but different varieties of it that mature at different times. -
Step 2: Keep it simple for your own home garden.
These systems can be very complex but only if you know what you're doing and really, only if you need to do so for a commercial growing business.
For home, keep it simple as suggested in the following steps. , The success of succession gardening relies on knowing the growing times of each crop.
Some plants are perennial (all year round in temperate zones) while other plants grow only part of the season, others require the whole season to grow, and some plants can be pushed hard into late autumn and winter.
If you have mild winters, you can grow more crops than someone living in a place with harsh, snowed-in winters, so use your seasons wisely according to where you live; with harsher winters, you'll need to be more aware of early-cropping varieties that can be harvested before the frosts set in. , This method should be done using a crop that reaches maturity in mid-summer, so that there is plenty of time to grow a crop that will thrive from mid-summer into autumn/fall.
Harvest the crop and turn over the soil.
Any plant material left behind can be incorporated into the soil unless it is diseased or mildewy, in which case it needs to be removed and consideration should be given to solarization of the soil.
Add some fertilizer.
This could be well-rotted manure, compost, or whatever usual fertilizer you prefer.
Even up the soil.
Use a rake or similar to even it out.
Sprinkle seeds over the soil and pat in according to the instructions for the seed type.
Pat down.
Water the seeds.
Germination should be fast as this is during the warm summer months.
The weeds will also grow well, so be sure to remove them constantly. , This method allows you to retrieve the crop at various stages of maturity.
This is great for a continuous garden salad and it's ideal for those running a cafe or restaurant using homegrown foods.
It works well for lettuce and other salad vegetables, many herbs, and so forth.
Some plants not suitable for this method include peppers and tomatoes; anything that takes a long time to mature won't be such a good stagger crop.
Plant some of the seed initially when its planting season starts.
Two weeks later, plant the next lot of seeds.
And repeat this in two week lots.
Thin seedlings as specified for the particular plant.
Enjoy the varied attention that the plants need; you will be dealing with them at different stages, so the work needed in the veggie patch will be varied, and therefore interesting and faster for each task. , Incompatibilities, soil depletion, pathogens, and disease are possibilities when some plants are planted following others, so it is important to know what not to plant.
For example, beans should not be followed by onions and garlic, and beans and onions should not be followed by tomatoes. -
Step 3: Know which crops grow when.
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Step 4: Harvest one crop then plant the next one straight away.
-
Step 5: Stagger plantings of the same crop.
-
Step 6: Be aware of which plants should not be planted in the same soil following a harvested crop.
Detailed Guide
They are:
Planting the next crop straight after one crop is harvested.
In this case, the seasonal growth requirements of the first and second crops need to coincide with the planting and harvesting times.
The same crop but planted in a staggered manner.
Rather than planting the whole crop at once, it is seeded in stages, so that plants from the crop mature at different weeks.
Intercropping and companion planting.
Planting two crops that are not related and don't compete at the same time in the same place, in a pattern.
Same crop but different varieties of it that mature at different times.
These systems can be very complex but only if you know what you're doing and really, only if you need to do so for a commercial growing business.
For home, keep it simple as suggested in the following steps. , The success of succession gardening relies on knowing the growing times of each crop.
Some plants are perennial (all year round in temperate zones) while other plants grow only part of the season, others require the whole season to grow, and some plants can be pushed hard into late autumn and winter.
If you have mild winters, you can grow more crops than someone living in a place with harsh, snowed-in winters, so use your seasons wisely according to where you live; with harsher winters, you'll need to be more aware of early-cropping varieties that can be harvested before the frosts set in. , This method should be done using a crop that reaches maturity in mid-summer, so that there is plenty of time to grow a crop that will thrive from mid-summer into autumn/fall.
Harvest the crop and turn over the soil.
Any plant material left behind can be incorporated into the soil unless it is diseased or mildewy, in which case it needs to be removed and consideration should be given to solarization of the soil.
Add some fertilizer.
This could be well-rotted manure, compost, or whatever usual fertilizer you prefer.
Even up the soil.
Use a rake or similar to even it out.
Sprinkle seeds over the soil and pat in according to the instructions for the seed type.
Pat down.
Water the seeds.
Germination should be fast as this is during the warm summer months.
The weeds will also grow well, so be sure to remove them constantly. , This method allows you to retrieve the crop at various stages of maturity.
This is great for a continuous garden salad and it's ideal for those running a cafe or restaurant using homegrown foods.
It works well for lettuce and other salad vegetables, many herbs, and so forth.
Some plants not suitable for this method include peppers and tomatoes; anything that takes a long time to mature won't be such a good stagger crop.
Plant some of the seed initially when its planting season starts.
Two weeks later, plant the next lot of seeds.
And repeat this in two week lots.
Thin seedlings as specified for the particular plant.
Enjoy the varied attention that the plants need; you will be dealing with them at different stages, so the work needed in the veggie patch will be varied, and therefore interesting and faster for each task. , Incompatibilities, soil depletion, pathogens, and disease are possibilities when some plants are planted following others, so it is important to know what not to plant.
For example, beans should not be followed by onions and garlic, and beans and onions should not be followed by tomatoes.
About the Author
Lori Cook
Experienced content creator specializing in lifestyle guides and tutorials.
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