Succession planting is the art of never having an empty bed and never having too much of one thing at once. Instead of sowing all your lettuce in one day and having twenty heads ready in the same week, you sow a little every two or three weeks, so a few heads are ready every week for months. Instead of leaving a bed empty after the peas are finished, you plant it with something else the same day. It is a simple idea, and it is the difference between a garden that feeds you steadily all season and a garden that gives you a glut in July and nothing in September. This guide explains how to sow in succession, how to relay plant, and how to keep every bed working.
The problem succession planting solves is the feast-and-famine cycle. A gardener who sows everything in spring will have too much of everything at once, and then nothing. A gardener who sows little and often, and replants as beds clear, will have a steady supply. It takes a little planning — a notebook, a calendar, and a habit of sowing on a regular day — but it is not complicated, and it is one of the most useful skills a vegetable gardener can learn.
Sow little and often
The first method is the simplest: sow the same crop in small batches, at intervals, rather than all at once. Lettuce, radishes, spinach, spring onions, carrots and other fast crops suit this best. Sow a short row, or a square in a square-foot bed, every two or three weeks, and each batch will be ready in turn. Our square foot gardening guide pairs naturally with succession sowing, because the grid makes it easy to see which square is free, and the growing lettuce, growing carrots and growing spinach guides cover the crops. The interval depends on the crop and the season: in spring, when growth is slow, sow every three weeks; in summer, when growth is fast, sow every two weeks; in late summer, sow the last batches early enough that they mature before the cold arrives.
Keep notes of what you sowed and when, because you will forget, and because the notes tell you next year what worked. A simple notebook, or a line on a calendar, is enough: date, crop, variety, where you sowed it, and when it was ready. Over a season or two, you will learn the interval that suits your garden and your appetite. Do not sow more than you can use: a small sowing every two weeks is better than a large sowing that bolts before you can eat it. If you are unsure about sowing intervals for your area and climate, check your local extension service for advice.
Relay planting and replanting beds
The second method is relay planting: planting a new crop before the old one is finished, so there is no gap. Sow a fast crop between slow-growing plants — radishes between carrots, lettuce under tomatoes — and the fast crop is ready before the slow crop needs the space. Or start the next crop in pots while the current crop is still in the bed, and transplant it in the day the old crop is harvested. This is how a small garden stays productive: the next crop is always ready to go in, and no bed is ever empty for long.
The third method is replanting each bed as it is harvested: when the early peas are finished, plant the bed with beans or squash; when the lettuce is done, sow spinach or a late salad; when the potatoes are lifted, sow a green manure or a winter green. Plan the sequence in advance, so you know what follows what, and have the seed or the plants ready. Our cover crops for soil guide covers the green manures that can follow a summer crop, and the winter soil preparation guide covers the winter side of bed care. Rotate crops as you replant, so the same family does not follow itself in the same bed — peas followed by beans is a poor rotation, because both are legumes, while peas followed by a brassica is a good one, because the peas have added nitrogen that the brassica will use.
Planning the season
Succession planting needs a plan, but the plan does not need to be complicated. Start with the crops you eat most, and work out how much you need each week. A family that eats two lettuces a week needs a sowing that produces two lettuces a week, not twenty at once. Work backwards from when you want to harvest, using the days to maturity on the packet as a guide — remembering that the packet figure is an average, and that growth is slower in spring and autumn than in summer. The seed starting calculator and the harvest date calculator — listed on the tools hub — will help you work out sowing and harvest dates. The planting calendar hub will help you line the plan up with your zone.
Plan for the whole season, not just spring. The last sowings of the year are often the most valuable: salads, spinach, chard and winter greens sown in late summer can be picked through autumn and, in mild zones, through winter. Our winter harvesting guide covers what can be picked in winter, and the zone 5 winter gardening guide shows how the season ends in a cold zone. Frost dates vary even within a zone, so treat the ranges in this guide as averages and check your local extension service for your area.
What to succession sow — and what not to
Fast crops are the best for succession: lettuce, radishes, spinach, spring onions, salad leaves, dwarf beans and peas. They mature in weeks, so a new batch is ready quickly, and they can be sown again and again through the season. Medium crops such as carrots, beets and turnips can be succession sown a few times, but they take longer, so the intervals are wider. Slow crops such as pumpkins, squash, brassicas and tomatoes are not succession sown in the same way: they take a whole season, and you plant them once. Instead, you succession plant after them — when they are finished, something else goes in. Our growing tomatoes, growing broccoli and growing peas guides cover the crops on both sides of that divide.
Do not succession sow a crop that will not have time to mature before the season ends. A lettuce sown in late summer will mature before the frosts; a bean sown at the same time may not. Check the days to maturity, count back from your average first frost, and leave a margin for slow growth in short days. And do not succession sow into a bed that is exhausted: add compost when you replant, so each crop starts in rich soil, and feed hungry crops through the season. Our fertilizing vegetables guide covers feeding.
Watering, feeding and pests in succession
Succession planting means the garden is always growing, which means it always needs water and food. Water new sowings gently and keep them moist until they germinate, because a dry seedbed is the most common cause of failed germination in summer. Water the soil, not the leaves, and water in the morning so the plants have the day to use it. The watering calculator gives a starting point. Feed each new crop with compost when you replant, and with a liquid feed through the season for hungry crops. Watch for pests: a garden that is always growing always has something for slugs, aphids and other pests to eat, so check regularly, remove pests by hand, and keep the garden tidy. Our slugs and snails control and aphids control guides cover the two most common problems.
Pros and cons of succession planting
The advantages are a steady supply instead of gluts, no empty beds, better use of space and time, and a garden that produces for more months of the year. The disadvantages are that it needs planning, regular sowing, and more attention than a plant-once garden — you cannot sow in spring and forget about it until autumn. It also needs more seed, more compost and more water, because the garden is working harder for longer. But for a gardener who wants to eat from the garden all season, rather than in a single glut, it is the only way that works.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is sowing everything at once, so it all matures at once and then there is nothing. The second is sowing too much at each sowing, so the crop bolts before you can eat it. The third is leaving beds empty after harvest, instead of replanting the same day. The fourth is succession sowing a crop that will not have time to mature before the frosts. The fifth is not adding compost when replanting, so the soil runs out of food. The sixth is not rotating crops, so the same family follows itself and disease builds up. And the seventh is forgetting to keep notes, so the same mistakes are repeated next year. If you are unsure about sowing dates or intervals in your area, check your local extension service for advice.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I sow lettuce?
Every two to three weeks through the season. In spring, when growth is slow, every three weeks is enough; in summer, when growth is fast, every two weeks keeps a steady supply. Sow a small amount each time — only as much as you will eat in a week.
What is relay planting?
Planting a new crop before the old one is finished, so there is no gap. Sow a fast crop between slow-growing plants, or start the next crop in pots while the current crop is still in the bed, and transplant it in the day the old crop is harvested.
What should I plant after peas?
A hungry crop that will use the nitrogen the peas added to the soil, such as a brassica — cabbage, kale or broccoli — or a leafy crop such as chard or spinach. Do not follow peas with beans, because both are legumes and the rotation would be poor.
Can I succession sow in autumn?
Yes, and the late sowings are often the most valuable. Salads, spinach, chard and winter greens sown in late summer can be picked through autumn and, in mild zones, through winter. Check the days to maturity and count back from your average first frost, leaving a margin for slow growth in short days.
How do I avoid gluts with succession planting?
Sow little and often, keep notes of what you sowed and when, and sow only as much as you will use in a week. A small sowing every two weeks is better than a large sowing that all matures at once and bolts before you can eat it.