Succession Planting: What Is It and Why Do It?

Introduction
Succession or successive planting helps you prolong your harvest period and provides a steady supply throughout the season. Regardless of the size of your garden, succession planting can be a highly effective technique that lets you enjoy a consistent, abundant harvest throughout the year. As the term suggests, you stagger the seeding of your crops. So what are some of the other advantages of succession planting and how do you go about doing it correctly? Read on to find out more.

What’s succession planning?
Succession planting involves reseeding or continuing to plant crops with the view of having staggered harvests. In other words, you’re spacing out the planting or seeding, say, every fortnight or month or, in some cases, 7 to 21 days.

The benefits of succession planning can include the following:

• Consistent supply - You’ll have new crops maturing all the time so you can enjoy your favorite herbs and vegetables throughout the season.
• Avoid feast or famine - Spacing out the planting means you won’t have too much of the crop to harvest at any one time.
• Small gardens - Succession planting is also advantageous if you have a small garden. You can reuse the same pot or small plot continuously over a season to boost yield.
• Protect supply - Additionally, succession planting can also lower the risk your crops will be devastated by pests, disease, or weather since you’re seeding continuously.

Varieties For Staggered Planting
Staggered planting is one of the four main methods for succession planning, along with companion planting, harvest and sowing, and planting the same crop with different maturity dates.

Staggered planting involves planting the same crop every few weeks so you can reap an ongoing harvest. Rather than everything maturing at the same time, you’ll have new crops ready for harvest once the earlier one is completed. Some of the best crops for staggered planting include Asian greens, beets, bush beans, carrots, cucumber, leaf lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, and summer squash.

Season & Climate
The climate and season should guide your succession planting program. For example, you might commence with lettuce, spinach, carrots, radish, beets, and other cool-season crops in early spring. These are usually harvested within a month or two. Then you could follow these up with warm-season varieties like squash and cucumbers, staggered in three- or four-week intervals.

12 Tips For Effective Succession Planning
Consider these tips for effective succession planning:

1. Crop types - Some of the best crops for succession planning include arugula, basil, beans, beets, broccoli raab, carrots, chicory, cilantro, mache, dill, endive, green onions, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mizuna, mustard, bok choi, radish, rutabaga, spinach, swiss chard, tatsoi, and turnips.
2. Mix crops - You don’t need to plant the same varieties over the whole season. You can mix crops by planting a different variety once you’ve harvested the previous crop.
3. Seeds and seedlings - Stock up with the right seeds and seedlings ahead of time. Sow seeds in trays so you have them ready to transplant for the next succession planting. Check seed packages to check whether the seed can be directly seeded onto the bed or if it needs to be started in a tray indoors.
4. Seedling planning - Consider what will be ready to harvest in four to six weeks and start your seedlings now to replace those.
5. Soil - As with your lawn and other plants and trees, keep enriching the soil with compost, fertiliser, and other nutrients as would be appropriate for the season and in between sowing and transplanting for optimal results
6. Aerate soil - Aerate the soil using a shovel, fork, tiller, or other appropriate tools every time you harvest and plant new seedlings. Aerating minimises compaction, optimises drainage, oxidises the soil, and enables plants to absorb as much nutrients as possible.
7. Block planting - Grouping crops in the same family together in plots makes it easier to water and fertilise as appropriate.
8. Quick maturing - Varieties that mature faster is ideal for succession planting, so choose these where possible. The seed packages will tell you the estimated maturity periods.
9. Hot-weather germination - Certain varieties have seeds that don’t germinate in hot weather. Always seed these indoors under lights and plant them when it gets cooler.
10. Frost protection - For plants that are sensitive to cold, try cold frames, hoops, and other protection to extend your growing season into the coldest months of the year.
11. Reduce waste - Reduce waste by working out how much you’re likely to eat every week or fortnight and sow for a corresponding amount at the relevant intervals.
12. Smaller spaces - If you’re limited in terms of space, try faster-growing varieties to maximise yield. For example, lettuce, radishes, and peas mature quickly and can be grown on trellises and other vertical arrangements.

Conclusion
Succession planting can provide you and your family with a steady supply of homegrown food throughout the whole growing season. Sufficient sunlight, fertile soil, and using suitable varieties are essential. Keep seedlings on hand to quicken the time to maturity. Experiment with different varieties and don’t forget to rotate them if appropriate. Companion planting and intercropping can be great strategies to combine with succession planting. With careful planning, you can make the most of any growing space, large or small.