Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
This can mean the same crop or another crop. For example, this year as soon as we harvested our
broccoli, we were able to plant that same garden space with tomatoes. We also harvested our bush
beans and immediately replanted with new bush bean seedlings we'd already started, allowing us to
get a double harvest out of a single growing season.
On a diFFerent Scale
It is totally possible to practice succession planting on a very small scale. If all the space you have for
growing produce is a large container garden, you can still pack it to the max. The same rules apply. Start
with lettuce or other cool-weather greens and sow the seeds for basil indoors. After your first lettuce crop
is spent, you can remove it from the container and quickly put in your basil seedlings. Successive planting
works even in a tiny balcony or patio garden!
One of my favorite ways to plant successively is to plant a warm-season plant after a cool-season
plant. Sometimes I see gardeners put their tomatoes out early in the spring, but tomatoes really do
prefer lots of warm sunshine to grow their best. Start the tomato seeds indoors and let your cool-
season lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage do their thing for a while.
After you've harvested your full cool-season crop and those plants rebel against the heat, you'll be
able to take them out, lay down extra mulch and compost, and immediately replant with tomato,
pepper, or eggplant starts.
The other way to plant in succession is to start seeds at different times. This allows you to always
have a new wave of crops maturing, as you harvest the first set of plants. Vegetables that do well
with this technique are usually fast-growing plants such as beans, radishes, and lettuce.
Both of these successive planting techniques used together can keep your garden healthy, vibrant,
and always producing something for your backyard homestead.
Extending the Growing Season
One of the other ways you can produce more food on your backyard farm is to extend your grow-
ing season. The beginner version of this is planting seasonally—cool-season plants in the fall or
early spring, and warm-season crops through the heat of summer.
But what if you're greedy like me and don't want to be tied to the typical growing season? That's
when you get creative with a few more advanced tricks for extending the season. Let's look at
several of these options.
