Succession planting ideas?

[Blanesgarden]

Originally Posted by PickensBlue

Is it not too late to plant Tomatos? I live in the upstate of South Carolina, I have 12 tomato plants right now that got a late start but I still have some seed left over, can I plant those seeds and still get some production?

Go for it!
One of my great friends lives in VA...and he is doing his right now also!

[PickensBlue]

Thanks Blane I also have some Dragons Egg cukes left over that I am gonna plant, the Dragons Egg have turned out to be fantastic. Also Blane what kind of Tomato is in your avatar?

[Amei]

Originally Posted by ness

I'm looking for ideas on succession planting. I suppose it's due to the fact that I'm staring at a lot of unused space in the garden much earlier than normal with the garlic, lettuce and peas out already. I'm thinking about t few things I haven't succession planted before, and would like some input.

I've read beets, carrots and cabbage can be grown over the summer. I usually think of them as cold-weather crops, but I have seen them listed as I have researched. I'm also thinking bush beans. Any thoughts?

Last year I followed my garlic with sweet potatoes. I am not sure, but I believe the garlic drives away the wireworms which ruin sweet potatoes here. I had great success last year, so I am doing it again this year.

[barefootmomma]

Can some one explain succession planting to me?

[BalconyFarmer]

Originally Posted by barefootmomma

Can some one explain succession planting to me?

Succession planting is sowing short-season crops every few weeks, so you have a continuous supply throughout the growing season. Thomas Jefferson sowed a teaspoon of lettuce seeds every week during the growing season, to keep Monticello in salads.

Many plants grow quickly, and are done in 2-3 months. Lettuce, spinach, arugula, cilantro, dill, carrots, scallions, radishes, and Asian greens like pac choi, tatsoi, and mizuna--all these plants bolt (send up a flower stalk) after a couple months, and once they bolt, they're done.

Succession planting is a way of keeping a steady flow of these vegetables into your kitchen. Simply sow small patches of them every 2-3 weeks in your garden. Green beans and basil are also good candidates for succession planting where growing seasons are long. Sow patches a month after your first one for an end-of-summer supply.

[mayfair69]

BalconyFarmer sorry but that is interval planting.

succession planting is planting a different in the space that was taken up by a previous crop. It also follows a similar order to crop rotation systems.
two examples
pea-->bean-->pea.
potatoes->carrots

[Little Minnie]

He mentioned both succession and interval planting. First talked about putting in something else in a spot that is done. Then talked about sowing the same thing more than once.

Grid?

[BalconyFarmer]

Originally Posted by mayfair69

BalconyFarmer sorry but that is interval planting.

succession planting is planting a different in the space that was taken up by a previous crop. It also follows a similar order to crop rotation systems.
two examples
pea-->bean-->pea.
potatoes->carrots

Thanks Mayfair for pointing out a gap in my understanding. I've never heard of interval planting, the concept of filling in gaps in the garden has always been succession planting in my mind. My edition of Rodale doesn't have interval planting, but it does define succession planting as planting a second crop either before or soon after the first crop is harvested. Since crop rotation dictates you don't want to plant the same crop family right away in the same space, succession planting is not the same thing as interval planting.

The central problem of succession planting is what to do with gaps in the garden. Spinach, beets, and lettuce are planted in early spring, and done in a couple of months. What do you plant after harvesting? That depends on where you live, how hot it is in mid-summer, what kinds of micro-climates you have in your garden. You'll want to rotate to another crop family, but which family depends on summer heat and how much growing season you have left.

The questions are, which vegetables do I still have time to grow, and what are my options in a different crop family from what was there before?

For example, in northern California, I plant shallots in late February, and pull them out at the end of June. I follow with green beans, which will give me a crop in August and September.

[mayfair69]

BalconyFarmer for more clarity

interval planting is planting of same crop over a set period of time like plant a block corn ever two weeks.

but there is also the obverse concept of planting several blocks of crop at same time but with different maturities which is called "interval harvesting."

you can also use interval planting starting with same crop planting the longer maturity varieties first and plan it so several varieties are ripe at same time but this is not very use full unless you have large scale setting.

succession is where you replace one crop with another in same space is what thought OP was taking about in this thread. as for advice on that I post some this week end

[ness]

Yes, I was talking about filling gaps where early-season crops are done with something that can start now, stand the summer heat and be done before the end of the season.

...So, say a guy plants lettuce and bush beans in the spring. His lettuce is done now, he pulls it up and plants more bush beans. Succession or interval????