I think this topic definitely falls in the "do as I say, not as I do" category.
Succession planting is a very simple concept: You stagger your planting times of seeds, one after another, so that you (theoretically) end up with a longer time period in which to harvest. This means you don't end up with, say, bushels of lettuce all at once before it bolts. Or maybe ten cabbages that need to be cut at the same time.
This is a really good idea. I heartily endorse it. I even try to do it occasionally. I mean, look at my cabbages! I just transplanted some of the big plants to different pots so I can use the shallow container to start more seeds.
So proud of myself.
Typically, however, I am not very good about succession planting. Part of it is that I'm just not the sort of person who plots out my garden in any detail. I suspect a dedicated list-maker would fare better at this, because that sort of person would happily create a schedule for planting and follow it.
I, being a rebel by nature (ha), dislike lists and planning in that way. So I just do it when I think about it.
The other reason is that I haven't had a lot of luck with it when I have actually managed to plant things in succession. My experience has been that the things that are planted first sometimes lag, and the things that are planted later grow faster, so that I end up with simultaneous harvests anyway.
I still try, though, with some things. Like the above cabbages.
So! Fellow gardeners: Tell me your own experiences with succession planting. Do you do it? If you do, how does it work for you?
I planted tomatoes in May '21. I planted more in May '22. Those harvests started coming in about a year apart, so I think I've got the hang of this.
ReplyDeleteI do that on occasion. Then there are tomatillos, which ripen in succession anyway. It's awesome to watch a tomatillo plant grow and bear fruit, a little at a time.
ReplyDeleteI think succession planting is a great idea. It makes sense. But I've never had it work. I can plant the lettuce whenever I want, but it all comes in at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI have the same thing happen with succession planting. Plant it when you have time--that's my motto.
ReplyDeleteDrew's comment really made me laugh. That's about it. My neighbor is an old farmer and has 4 garden plots that are probably about an acre of space all together. I watch his progress all summer and drool while i water my pots and eat my bitter lettuce.
ReplyDeleteRarely have I succeeded with vegetables that one is supposed to plant in summer for fall harvest. It may be the rainfall patterns or the all too probable lack of late summer energy on my part. Mil
ReplyDeletePlanted lettuce seeds; they sprouted but I didn't notice until they were long strings with teensy leaves. So I planted more, and it happened again. Next, I will buy the starts at a nursery. That's my type of successive planting.
ReplyDeletecabinart: Well, you're certainly in good company. After all these people saying they can't get succession planting to work for them, it makes me wonder who exactly is succeeding with it.
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