As gardeners, we often dream of a longer growing season—more time to enjoy fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers. While your garden’s growing season may be limited by climate or the average frost dates in your area, succession sowing can help you extend that season, allowing for multiple harvests throughout the year. This technique involves planting seeds at regular intervals to ensure a continuous supply of fresh produce. In this blog post, we’ll explain what succession sowing is, how to do it, and how it can help you maximize your garden’s potential.

What is Succession Sowing?

Succession sowing is the practice of planting seeds in stages throughout the growing season, rather than all at once. This strategy allows for staggered harvests, preventing a glut of crops all at once and ensuring a steady supply of fresh food for an extended period. It’s especially useful for crops that grow quickly or mature in a short amount of time.

The goal of succession sowing is to maximize the productivity of your garden space by filling it with crops at different stages of growth. By sowing seeds every few weeks, you can enjoy a continuous harvest from early spring to late fall (or even longer in mild climates).

Why Should You Use Succession Sowing?

Succession sowing is an effective way to:

  1. Maximize space: If you’re growing in limited space, succession sowing allows you to get the most out of each garden bed by continuously planting new crops.
  2. Avoid overwhelming harvests: Instead of harvesting a massive amount of crops all at once, succession sowing spreads out your harvests, making it easier to manage and enjoy fresh produce without waste.
  3. Extend the growing season: By planting in phases, you can continue harvesting crops into the cooler months and sometimes even into winter, depending on your climate.
  4. Increase yields: Succession sowing helps ensure that there is always something growing in your garden, increasing the overall yield for the season.

How to Start Succession Sowing

Succession sowing doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require some planning. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Choose the Right Crops

Not all plants are suitable for succession sowing. Generally, you’ll want to focus on crops that mature quickly or have short growing seasons. Here are some great options for succession sowing:

  • Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, etc.): These crops grow quickly and can be harvested multiple times throughout the season.
  • Radishes: One of the fastest-growing crops, radishes are perfect for succession sowing.
  • Beans and peas: These crops are fast-growing and can be sown in stages for multiple harvests.
  • Carrots: Carrots can be seeded every few weeks for a steady supply.
  • Beets: Like carrots, beets can be seeded at regular intervals for a continuous harvest.
  • Herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley): These herbs often bolt quickly, so sowing new seeds every few weeks can provide a continuous supply.
  • Turnips and other root vegetables: Similar to beets and carrots, root vegetables grow well with succession sowing.

Avoid crops with long growing seasons, such as tomatoes or pumpkins, as these need more time to grow and are less suited for succession sowing.

2. Plan Your Planting Intervals

Once you’ve selected your crops, plan how often you’ll sow seeds. The timing will depend on the plant’s maturity rate and the length of your growing season. Here are some guidelines for common crops:

  • Fast-growing crops (radishes, lettuce, spinach): Sow seeds every 1-2 weeks.
  • Medium-growing crops (beets, carrots, beans): Sow seeds every 2-3 weeks.
  • Longer-growing crops (cabbage, kale, chard): Sow seeds every 3-4 weeks.

The goal is to space out your sowing so that you’re always planting a new round of seeds as the previous crops are nearing maturity. The key is to maintain consistent planting intervals that align with the time it takes for each crop to reach maturity.

3. Use a Planting Calendar

A planting calendar is an essential tool for managing succession sowing. It helps you keep track of when to plant each crop and when to expect harvests. You can use a digital calendar, a garden planner, or even a simple notebook to log your planting dates and intervals.

In your calendar, note the ideal planting dates for each crop, keeping in mind the average last frost date in spring and the first frost date in fall. This will help you determine the best time to start each round of seeds and ensure that you’re not planting too late in the season for crops to mature.

4. Prepare Your Garden Beds

To make succession sowing successful, your garden beds must be well-prepared and ready for multiple plantings. Follow these tips for preparing your soil:

  • Amend soil regularly: As you harvest crops, you’ll need to replenish the soil’s nutrients for the next round of plants. Compost and organic fertilizers can help maintain soil fertility.
  • Use crop rotation: For long-term soil health, practice crop rotation. This prevents the depletion of specific nutrients and reduces the risk of soil-borne diseases.
  • Keep weeds in check: Weeds can quickly take over a garden bed, especially when sowing multiple crops throughout the season. Regularly pull weeds and keep your beds tidy to give your plants the best chance to thrive.

5. Monitor Growth and Harvest Promptly

As your crops grow, be sure to monitor their progress and harvest them at their peak. Harvesting crops promptly encourages new growth and ensures that your plants remain productive. When harvesting, leave some space in the soil for the next round of crops to be seeded.

Seasonal Considerations for Succession Sowing

  • Spring and Summer: In the early part of the season, focus on cool-weather crops like lettuce, spinach, and radishes. As temperatures rise, switch to heat-loving crops like beans, cucumbers, and herbs.
  • Fall: Don’t stop planting once the weather cools! In the fall, you can still sow cool-weather crops like kale, carrots, and beets. For even more of a harvest, try using row covers or cold frames to extend your growing season into winter.

Examples of a Succession Sowing Schedule

Here’s an example of a basic succession sowing schedule for a small garden:

  • Week 1: Sow lettuce, radishes, and spinach.
  • Week 2: Sow more lettuce and radishes, plus peas.
  • Week 3: Sow carrots and beets.
  • Week 4: Sow another round of lettuce and spinach.
  • Week 5: Sow beans and peas.
  • Week 6: Sow herbs like basil and cilantro.

Continue this cycle throughout the growing season, adjusting based on your crops’ growth rates and the season’s progression.

Final Thoughts

Succession sowing is a great way to extend your growing season, maximize your garden space, and enjoy a continuous harvest of fresh produce. With a little planning, you can ensure that your garden is always producing, from the first spring greens to the last autumn harvests. Whether you're growing in a small backyard, on a balcony, or in a community garden, succession sowing is a technique that can help you make the most of your growing season.