Extend your garden’s growing season with the help of succession gardening
10/30/2020 / By Leslie Locklear / Comments
Extend your garden’s growing season with the help of succession gardening

Many farmers and gardeners take the chilly winds signaling the coming of both fall and winter as a sign for them to take a break from working in their fields and gardens.

That said, did you know that it is actually possible for you to extend your gardening season and get a second harvest? This can be done, all thanks to succession gardening.

Also known as successive planting, succession gardening can be done by staggering the planting of crops, or by planting varieties with staggered maturing dates.

Long extolled by farmers and gardeners, succession gardening can help dramatically increase your annual yield and even allow one to enjoy fresh vegetables well into fall and winter.

Aside from that, succession gardening can also provide other benefits  such as:

  • Maximizing space in your garden or farm.
  • Extending your growing season for as long as possible.
  • Minimizing the risk of crops being ruined by poor weather, pests or disease.

There are several methods by which one can pull off succession planting or gardening. Here are some of them.

Plant the same crop every few weeks

This method, which involves planting the same crop every few weeks, ensures a continuous harvest over a specific period of time since a new batch of crops will be ready as the earlier one gets harvested.

As noted by farmers, crops that are ideal for staggered planting are species that tend to have large initial yields before bolting or dying back. These include plants such as peas, arugula, broccoli, Asian greens, beets, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, radishes and summer squash.

A variant of this method, meanwhile, involves planting different varieties or cultivars of the same crop. According to farmers, this variation takes advantage of the fact that many cultivars grow in different seasons, thereby allowing a longer and more abundant harvest, as well as providing variation in terms of flavor and appearance.

Plant two (or more!) crops in the same spot

Intercropping or companion planting is an excellent way to squeeze even more productivity from your vegetable garden or farm. This method involves interplanting two or more crops in one spot. It’s perfect for those times when your garden bed or homestead has surplus space and you still have seeds from crops that may or may not have different growing seasons.

Plants that can be grown together include basil and tomatoes, onions and peppers, corn and beans.

Harvest and sow

This method involves growing different vegetables in the same space over the gardening season. When one crop is finished, one can immediately replace it with another crop.

According to farmers, this method is perfect if you have crops that have short growing seasons like salad greens and bush beans. Just remember to apply compost or till back the remains of the previous harvest into the soil as green manure before replanting so that the succeeding crops will not starve.

Plant crops from the same family together

If you have the space for it, try dedicating entire garden beds to plants from the same family. Not only will it make rotating beds from season to season easier, but it will also give gardeners more leeway when it comes to caring for the crops, as plants in the same family usually share similar watering and fertilizing needs.

Once your initial batch gets harvested, you can easily plant a new “family” in its place, thus continuing the cycle.

Short on space? Don’t worry – you can also try this with a square-foot garden!

How can I achieve success with succession gardening?

As with any other endeavor, succession gardening might seem challenging or even hard for a beginner. Don’t worry though, as succession gardening actually only takes a bit of common sense and a keen eye for details in order for you to successfully pull it off.

In any case, here are some tips you should follow in order to achieve a successful growing season:

  • Make sure you have enough seeds to get you through the season and that they are in optimal condition. Some seeds last for several years, while others need to be fresh in order to germinate properly.
  • Add organic compost, leaf mold, or biochar to the beds, between plantings, in order to keep the soil rich and healthy.
  • Make sure you have cover plants. These will help fix nitrogen in the soil, thus preserving its fertility.
  • Time will be of the essence, especially since you will be planting late into the season. This means that you will have to make sure that you choose crops that mature quickly. Doing so will not only assure you of an early harvest, but it will also ensure that you get to replace the plants with another batch at the quickest possible time.
  • If you have the resources, it may be best if you start your next batch of seeds in pots while waiting for the earlier batches to fully mature. This has the benefit of giving you a headstart for when it’s time to plant your new batch of crops.
  • Remember to harvest your crops as soon as they are ready and then use the space for something else. This means that you have to pull out vegetables and other crops that are past their prime or those that have already bolted or died back. Don’t waste the old plants though—you can always put them into your compost pile.

Extending your garden’s growing season may seem like something out of a science fiction storyline but it’s actually something that’s very doable – no fancy, high-tech equipment needed. What’s even better is that most of these methods can be adapted and scaled down or up to fit any gardening or farming setup that one might have.

If you have the time and if you are willing to put in the effort to do so, why not try doing succession gardening on your garden or homestead? Not only will you get a year-long supply of fresh fruits and vegetables for you and your family, but you’ll also be able to maximize your land’s productivity, and maybe even earn a little extra if you happen to have surplus produce that you can then sell or trade with the rest of your community.

Sources include:

Almanac.com

Gardeners.com

GrowAGoodLife.com

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