Succession Planting of Vegetables

Depending on your chosen vegetables, you can get two or three plantings from a single spot in your garden each year. This segment discusses several different methods of succession planting to make the most of your vegetable garden.

Produced by the Department of Communications at Kansas State University. For more information, visit our website at: http://www.kansasgreenyards.org

Transcript:
Succession Planting of Vegetables

There are several different ways to use succession planting in your vegetable garden. The easiest way is to plant the same vegetable two or three times. For example, you could plant a small area of radishes every two or three feet. And then plant the same amount of radishes again two or three more times every week. That will allow you to harvest a small amount of radishes at one time over a longer period of time, rather than harvesting a whole lot of radishes – more than you might want to eat – at a single time.

Another type of succession planting is to plant one type of vegetable in the early spring, and then replace it with a second type of vegetable in the late spring or early summer. Then, if you plan well, a third vegetable can be planted in the late summer or early fall for a fall or winter crop. By doing that sort of succession planting, you can essentially get three different vegetables from the same spot in your garden each year.

For example, you can plant lettuce or radishes in the early spring, and then harvest them by early May. After that, the same area can be planted with a tomato, pepper, or squash. The tomato, pepper, or squash can be harvested until early September or even mid-September. And then that area can be replanted with a lettuce or a spinach or some other fall vegetable for harvest late in the fall.

A third type of succession planting is if you plant several different types of the same vegetable at the same time. For example, if you plant four different kinds of tomatoes, one tomato variety might be one that ripens very early – after only 50 days. The next type of tomato may ripen after 65 days. The third tomato might ripen in 75 days, and the fourth tomato might ripen in 100 days. By planting those four different varieties, you’ve spread out your harvest so that you have tomatoes over a longer period of time.

Sometimes, when using succession planting, you don’t take advantage of the earliest possible time to plant a crop. For example, if you have peas, beats, or carrots planted, they may not be ready to be harvested until late May or early June. Normally, we plant squash and cucumbers in early to mid-May. But, if you’re not concerned about being the first one on the block to have squash to harvest, then you can plant your squash or cucumbers after you’ve harvested your other spring vegetables. And then, you’ll have a later crop of those vegetables to eat as well.

Depending on your chosen vegetables, you can get two or three plantings from a single spot in your garden each year.

This feature story prepared with Rebecca McMahon, Kansas State University Research and Extension Horticulture Agent, Sedgwick County. For more information, visit your local county extension office or visit our website at KansasGreenYards.org.