Succession Cropping

Succession cropping will help you get the most out of your vegetable garden.

Here are two succession cropping strategies:

• Plant a portion of a specific crop a little bit at a time; for example, plant a row of beans today and a second row three weeks from now. This will allow for a staggered or succession of harvests.

• Plant a crop today and after harvesting the crop, plant a second crop in the same place for a second harvest. For example, plant beets in the cool spring and follow with a crop of peppers during the warm summer.

When planning your succession cropping keep the following in mind:

• Days to maturity and date of expected harvest. Each plant requires so many days from sowing to reach harvest. The days to maturity for a crop and a succession crop must fit comfortably into your growing season–the total number of frost-free days or growing days for each crop. (Or you must plan to protect your crops from killing cold weather.) Be sure to plant warm-season crops so that they will come to harvest in warm weather.

• Nutrient requirements. Crops from the same family are best not planted in succession; they have the same nutrient requirements and will leave the soil lacking in specific nutrients if planted one after the other. Allow for crop rotation or be sure to work well-aged compost or manure into the soil before sowing the second crop. Crops from the same family also will be susceptible to the same pests and diseases.

Here are succession-cropping suggestions that might work in your region:

Crop coming out Succession crops to follow Artichoke, globe Green bean, pea Broad bean, fava bean Brussels sprouts, late spring cabbage,corn, squash, kale, cardoon Bush green or snap bean Main lettuce, endive, summer and winter spinach, kohlrabi, parsley Pole green or snap bean (longer cropping season than bush bean) Cauliflower, autumn sown cabbage Beet Broad, bush or pole green or snap bean, kale, pepper, chicory Broccoli Celery, leek, maincrop potato, corn, kohlrabi, tomato, sunchoke Brussels sprouts Early and second early potatoes, beet, celery, leek, mint, shallot, sunchoke Cabbage (spring harvest) Radish, beet, kohlrabi, onion  Cabbage (autumn harvest)  Early potatoes, cucumber, radish, pepper, celeriac, chives, squash, sunflower  Carrot  Bush or pole beans, autumn harvest cabbage  Cauliflower  Pea, maincrop potato, summer spinach, rutabaga  Celeriac  Broad bean  Celery  Garlic, mint, onion, shallot, savory  Chicory  Broad bean, Brussels sprouts, carrot  Chives  Broad or green bean, spring harvest cabbage, endive, corn, lettuce  Corn (sweet)  Autumn harvest cabbage, pea, kohlrabi, lettuce, New Zealand spinach  Cucumber  Maincrop potato, onion, pea, autumn harvest cabbage, carrot  Garlic  Broad or green snap bean, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, autumn harvest cabbage  Kale  Broad bean, pepper, early potato, carrot, rhubarb, celeriac  Kohlrabi  Pea, summer and winter spinach, broad bean, autumn harvest cabbage  Leek  Tomato, green bush or pole bean, cucumber  Lentil  Corn, cauliflower, corn salad, endive, kohlrabi, onion, radish  Lettuce  Potato, celery , leek  New Zealand spinach  Maincrop potatoes, corn, autumn harvest cabbage, Brussels sprouts  Onion  Spring harvest cabbage  Parsnip  Kale, broad bean, pepper, rhubarb, sunflower  Pea  Brussels sprouts, celery, spring harvest cabbage, autumn harvest cabbage, carrot, turnip, tomato, autumn harvest cauliflower, cucumber, squash, autumn-sown onions, winter spinach, leek  Pepper  Lettuce onion, radish, winter spinach  Potato (early)  Spring harvest cabbage, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, tomato  Potato (second early)  Kale, cabbage, savoy, pea  Potato (maincrop)  Sprouting broccoli, spring harvest cabbage  Rutabaga  Broad bean  Spinach  Celery, second early potato, onion, tomato  Squash  Tomato, spinach, parsley, kohlrabi, chervil, cauliflower  Sunflower  Cabbage, winter squash  Tomato  Onion, green bean, radish, lettuce, pea, beet, autumn harvest cabbage,  Turnip  Pea, green bean