Glossary
TimingSuccession Planting
Simple meaning
Succession planting means replacing or repeating crops through the season so beds keep producing after one harvest ends.
Remember this
An empty square is tempting. It still has to beat heat, frost, or both.
Quick sketch
One bed, more than one window
A finished crop creates a timing question. The next crop still has to beat heat, frost, or both.
Use this term in a guide
Estimate when the first crop will leave the bed.
Read Planting date planning guideAlso check:
When this term matters
Succession planting usually becomes interesting the day lettuce, radishes, or peas come out and the empty patch looks too open to ignore.
An empty space is tempting. It is not automatically a good planting window.
How to use this idea
A spring crop comes out, the bed looks open, and the season may still have another crop in it. Succession planting can mean repeating a crop every few weeks or putting something different into the space that just cleared.
Harvest timing
The first crop decides when the bed is actually free.
Season length
A crop that looks possible in June may be unrealistic in September.
Bed availability
The calendar and the empty square have to agree.
Common mistake
Succession planting does not mean planting everything constantly. In small beds, it works best when the next crop can still mature in the season you have left.
Real-bed example
A spring lettuce square can become bush beans later, or a finished radish patch can make room for a small follow-up sowing of greens.
Raised bed note: Raised beds run out of room fast. After one harvest, the question is whether that open patch still has enough season left to be worth planting.
Related terms
Common question
What crops work well for succession planting?
Fast crops such as lettuce, radishes, bush beans, cilantro, and some greens are common succession candidates.