An Limitless Harvest: The Artwork of Succession Planting

The frenzy of mid-to-late summer season, because the harvests begin to roll in, is at all times a doozy. One second, you’re leaping for pleasure at your first eggplant, the subsequent, you’ve a bin stuffed with peppers you’re not sure what to do with. However what if I informed you that you might keep away from the mad rush by harvesting earlier and later whereas rising extra? Let me introduce to you succession planting!

For the longest time, I at all times considered succession planting within the easiest type: gardeners can area out the timing of their planting in order that their crops mature at completely different instances.

However then I noticed a chat by Meg McAndrews Cowden about her guide, Plant Develop Harvest Repeat: Develop a Bounty of Greens, Fruits, and Flowers by Mastering the Artwork of Succession Planting.

At first, I believed, how may you write an entire guide on succession planting? However with a background in pure useful resource administration, Meg has a novel tackle succession and the way it additionally applies to generations of crops.

So, I need to share somewhat bit extra about what precisely succession planting is and how one can grasp it in your personal backyard with the assistance of Meg.

PLUS, be certain to learn all the way in which to the top to see how one can win a replica of Meg’s guide and my very own for your self.

This submit will cowl…

Reprinted with permission from Plant Develop Harvest Repeat: Develop a Bounty of Greens, Fruits, and Flowers by Mastering the Artwork of Succession Planting by Meg McAndrews Cowden © 2022. Revealed by Timber Press, Inc.

Skilled Ideas for Succession Planting

Plan your planting instances to stagger when completely different crops mature all through the rising season and have recent greens for longer.
Develop completely different varieties of the identical vegetable to assist with completely different harvesting instances.
Constantly begin new seeds past the spring to increase the harvesting season.

Use frost safety to mean you can start seeds earlier and shield crops later within the fall.

heirloom tomato varieties in yellow, purple, orange, green, and red — Tomatoes tremendously profit from a few months rising indoors earlier than being transplanted exterior with safety.

What’s Succession Planting?

My unique tackle succession planting stays true, albeit an easier model. Right here’s how Meg describes it: “Within the easiest phrases, succession means one follows one other. In ecology, succession describes how plant communities develop over time, with completely different teams of crops succeeding each other.”

This implies succession planting can happen in a single season inside your annuals and greens or over a few years in how your bushes, shrubs, and perennials develop.

succession planting in a garden with permaculture design — When one era of crops dies, one other will come to exchange it.

Succession Planting in Follow

A forest is a superb instance of succession planting. The youthful bushes develop bigger, ultimately changing into overstory bushes. As a wildfire comes or a big tree dies, it’s going to fall down after which open up extra daylight to the bottom cowl crops. This then stimulates new progress, creating a relentless cycle of succession.

One other great instance is weed seeds. I typically discuss with the weed financial institution, which is the shop of seeds in our soil that may be dormant in our backyard for 25 or extra years. As quickly because the situations are acceptable, they develop. They’ll germinate on the proper time, filling in patches of soil.

In order you’ll be able to see, succession planting has a number of elements. In The Regenerative Backyard, I speak about polyculture gardens, and succession planting is an enormous a part of how we domesticate these.

Planting greens prepared for harvest at completely different instances, succession planting, and sowing a number of varieties of every vegetable are all a part of rising a polyculture backyard.

You additionally see it in meals forests and guilds. Some fruit and crops will mature in 5-6 years, whereas others could be prepared a yr after planting. All of the crops proceed to develop in not only one rising season however in a succession of time.

Stephanie succession planning in her garden — I’ve a combination of annual greens and herbs, in addition to some perennial herbs and edible bushes and shrubs.

The Juicy Advantages of Succession Planting

Okay, however why would you need all the additional effort of planning a succession backyard? Effectively, let me offer you a firsthand instance.

A couple of years in the past, I watched my new neighbours transfer in throughout the road from me. They constructed a brand new backyard stuffed with greens. After a few months of rising, ALL these greens got here into maturity concurrently.

I watched as out of the blue that they had buckets of beets and arms of kale and extra greens than any couple may know what to do with. Watching it was an ideal instance of why succession planting is so worthwhile, so I at all times guarantee I plant issues so that they mature at completely different instances as nicely.

“Succession gardening will improve your backyard’s productiveness by maximizing the times of your rising season, even when these days are restricted, and maximizing your area, even when your backyard is small,” says Meg.

Somewhat than speeding to reap all the things in a few months, what if you happen to may harvest meals for an entire eight months? Or dare I say it, even the entire yr lengthy? “[This could possibly] meet your meals wants, cut back seasonal overwhelm, create a extra strong native meals system, and thus feed you extra utterly,” says Meg.

And it’s not simply you who will profit. This additionally offers a possibility for the native wildlife to have an prolonged season. You’ll be able to assist feed bees who get up early and wish flowers to energise themselves or birds who linger longer than regular within the fall on account of rising temperatures.

different types of bees — Succession planting can also be extraordinarily helpful to our pollinating pals, giving them meals sources for longer.

Learn how to Succession Plant

Now that you simply’re on board with the concept, there are a lot of points to think about when succession planting. With somewhat planning, it’s not arduous to do in any type of area or backyard.

Steady Planting

Steady planting is the concept that there is no such thing as a planting season; it’s an ongoing a part of your backyard. “Greedy the notion that a backyard is rarely totally planted is vital to embracing the idea of steady planting,” says Meg.

So whereas spring may be busy, so can the summer season and fall for planting.

seedlings in a small tray — Begin seeds indoors past early spring and into early summer season for an extended harvest.

Selection

Why not develop a number of types of the identical vegetable? When you’ve got some favourites, you’ll be able to really assist to stagger their harvest instances simply by selecting a distinct selection.

“Planting a number of completely different types of the identical vegetable (or fruit, for that matter) with varied maturation dates is the easiest option to implement staggered succession planting,” says Meg.

Tomatoes are an ideal instance of this. From cherry to beef steak, you’ll be able to lengthen the harvesting time by a month or extra simply by planting a number of varieties slightly than focusing your efforts on one.

A pile of freshly harvested currant tomatoes — Like these currant tomatoes, smaller tomatoes are typically prepared for harvesting sooner than bigger varieties.

Blocking

Blocking is usually seen in large-scale agriculture. Consider neat and tidy rows of crops and greens. This could really assist maximize area and hold observe of all of your harvests.

Endurance

I don’t suppose endurance will get spoken of sufficient, and I really like that Meg factors it out as an integral a part of succession planting. As she says, “Seed beginning is a marathon, not a dash.”

You need to plan so your crops develop and produce for so long as attainable, particularly if you happen to reside in a spot with a shorter rising season. So plan forward, and make sure you and your crops can sustain with the planting.

soil blocks used for seed starting in a garden — It’s essential to solely plant what you’ll be able to deal with caring for.

Zone Bending

Zones is usually a useful gizmo to assist us decide what can develop, however all of us have distinctive microclimates that may make it tougher to foretell precisely how issues will go while you plant them.

Frost dates are very irregular, particularly with altering climates. However you need to use frost protectors, greenhouses, and even develop lights to assist start your season early and lengthen it late.

Umbrella Greenhouse over peppers — I will help my peppers by putting them out earlier utilizing a easy umbrella greenhouse.

Interplanting

Interplanting is an enormous one in terms of succession planting. “This implies rising a couple of kind of vegetable or flower concurrently in the identical proximity,” says Meg. “Additionally known as intercropping, and typically known as companion planting, this mingling of a couple of kind of plant in an area creates a residing mosaic—fairly actually a backyard salad.”

Not solely does this maximize area, however it could possibly enable crops to assist one another. One tall plant could present shade for a decrease plant, or one flower could stop pests from feasting on one other plant. It can also cease weeds from rising by taking on any empty area.

harvesting nasturtium An Limitless Harvest: The Artwork of Succession Planting — Nasturtium is nice for interplanting because it traps aphids and different pests and is an edible flower.

Staggering Harvest

That is the one which succession planting is thought for. That is the place you ensure that not all the things harvests on the similar time. For instance, it would be best to be certain that not all of your tomato crops want harvesting directly but additionally that different crops within the backyard aren’t additionally reaching maturity on the similar time.

Meg notes, “Contemplating the maturation charges of crops paired collectively is a part of the equation, in addition to guaranteeing acceptable mild ranges stay all through the period of every plant’s lifecycle.” In different phrases, make sure the crops get the fitting situations to reap as deliberate.

Heirloom Vegetables in a barrow — Staggering your harvest ensures you don’t have to fret about preserving all the things and might get pleasure from recent veggies for longer.

Vertical Gardening

Vertical gardening is an effective way to make use of small area. It was how I managed to develop some greens within the small sliver of solar my outdated backyard used to have.

“Check out pure landscapes, and also you’ll shortly discover vines ascending bushes, shrubs interluding in opportune gaps in in any other case dense forests, and different crops rising upward for daylight in inventive methods,” says Meg.

Develop vertical crops like tomatoes and vines like cucumbers or beans. Additionally, use area upwards and get inventive along with your rising area.

Lettuce seedlings growing in a raised garden bed. — I prefer to develop lettuce in my vertical mattress, planting extra seeds each time I harvest from it.

Edible Perennials

If you wish to have a lot of edible meals, don’t low cost the worth of perennials. Not solely will this decrease the quantity of upkeep it’s worthwhile to put in annually, however it’s going to additionally assist foster a extra resilient backyard. Plant fruit bushes, native edible bushes and shrubs, berries, and perennial greens.

What Crops Are Good for Succession Planting?

Fortunately, you’ll be able to apply succession planting to most of your favorite greens and edible crops. So long as it doesn’t have a protracted and set rising interval (like garlic, for instance) you’ll be able to most likely plant to succession plant with most of your edible crops.

Meg’s a succession planning professional, and right here’s a helpful succession planting chart primarily based on her suggestions. Make the most of these early begin instances, and proceed planting routinely till the final planting date.

*With safety is any type of frost safety, comparable to chilly frames or tunnel hoops. Maintain protected till after the final frost.

**Soil ought to attain a minimal temperature of fifty°F/10°C at 6 inches down earlier than planting exterior.

Free Printable Succession Planting Chart

When you’re able to plan your succession backyard, obtain my free succession planting chart printable! It features a print-friendly model of the chart above, in addition to a succession planting worksheet you need to use to fill out and plan your personal veggie backyard.

Obtain the Free Succussion Planting Chart Right here

Regularly Requested Questions About Succession Planting

Are you able to succession plant flowers?

Completely. Flowers are nice for interplanting, attracting pollinators in your vegetable crops and predators for pests. Then, you’ll be able to get pleasure from their magnificence whereas additionally they present a bunch of advantages to your backyard. You’ll be able to even plant edible flowers, so that they’re enjoying double responsibility.

I at all times purpose to have flowers blooming as early and as late as attainable to assist out my early and late wildlife. Meg’s favourites for succession planting are cosmos, zinnia, marigold, sunflower, and calendula.

What ought to be the succession plant earlier than tomatoes?

Tomatoes are sometimes one plant that gives an enormous harvest on the similar time. Earlier than the tomatoes are planted exterior, you might develop some speedy spring greens to take their spot earlier than they’re prepared for transplanting.

Begin your tomatoes as early as February 1 or as late as April 1. When you begin them early in February, they may get fairly large earlier than they’ll go exterior, however you’re going to get an earlier harvest.

Usually, you’ll be able to sow them six weeks earlier than the final frost, transplant them simply after the final frost, and harvest from July to September.

Be certain that to reap all of the tomatoes 2-3 weeks earlier than the final frost. Then, you’ll be able to plant quick-growing fall greens and even your garlic for subsequent yr of their place. Additionally, make sure you develop completely different types of tomatoes to assist with various maturity instances.

Ought to I succession plant cucumbers?

Cucumbers are nice for succession planting. First, start sowing your cucumbers indoors in Could, transplant them exterior in early June, after which you’ll be able to harvest these from mid-July to August.

Then, sow one other spherical 12 weeks earlier than the primary frost (finish of June), transplant them exterior 4 weeks later, after which you need to be capable of harvest them in September or about 4 weeks earlier than the primary frost.

what to put at the bottom of a raised garden bed — Intermingle crops of assorted sizes to get probably the most out of your gardening beds.

Win a Copy of Plant Develop Harvest Repeat!

Need a copy of Plant Develop Harvest Repeat? I’m gifting away one copy of Meg’s guide, together with my guide, The Regenerative Backyard, to 1 fortunate Backyard Remedy winner.

You’ll be able to enter one in all 3 methods. Enter on all three platforms to extend your probabilities of profitable!

This contest is open to these within the continental USA on-line. The competition closes on Could 4, 2023, the place I’ll use a random quantity generator to pick out the winner.

An Limitless Harvest: The Artwork of Succession Planting

Skilled Ideas for Succession Planting