Empty beds mean missed harvests. But with the right plan, they're completely avoidable. Today on Just Grow Something I'm walking you through succession planting and relay planting, the strategies that keep your garden productive not just across space, but across time.
Whether you're dealing with a four-month growing season or gardening in year-round heat, there's a succession approach that works for your climate. I break down the three types of succession crops, explain how to build a planting calendar that eliminates gaps, and get into relay planting, where you plant your next crop into your current one before it's even finished so there's never a moment of wasted ground.
I've also included a full dos and don'ts list, because a few key mistakes can turn a great succession plan into a depleted bed and a missed season.
In this episode:
- The four types of succession planting and when to use each one
- Rapid, mid-range, and long-season crops and how to succession plant each category
- Why cucumbers, zucchini, and squash practically require succession planting (and exactly how I do it)
- Relay planting: how it works, why it's different from interplanting, and some of my favorite pairs
- Succession strategies by climate: short season, mid-range, and long hot season
- A full dos and don'ts list, including the disease rotation mistake most gardeners don't see coming
Episode References
- Episode 43: Succession Planting, Relay Planting, and Interplanting
- Episode 204: Top Crops to Plant in Succession Throughout the Summer
- Episode 295 (previous): Interplanting Done Right — High, Low, Fast, Slow
Resources
- Days to Maturity reference chart — justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/maturity
- Just Grow Something Garden Planning Workbook — justgrowsomething.com/shop
- Plan Like a Pro Course — justgrowsomething.thinkific.com
Succession Crop Quick Reference
Rapid Succession (plant every 2–3 weeks):- Lettuce, spinach, arugula, radishes, cilantro, green onions, baby bok choy
- Bush beans, cucumbers, summer squash/zucchini, determinate tomatoes, sweet corn
- Carrots, beets, broccoli, snap beans (in hot climates), cucumbers & squash (in hot climates)
- Spring lettuce → tomatoes → fall lettuce
- Garlic/onions → peppers
- Bok choy → summer squash
- Carrots → sweet corn → carrots
- Peas → beans or cucumbers
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