Succession Planting!

By: Ron Cusano           May 15, 2011                            Vol. 3 Article 1022

     Most home gardeners are faced with a problem! They want to grow more types and varieties than they have room for in their limited gardens.  For many, increasing their garden space is not an option and/or they just can’t maintain a larger garden.  The good news is, you can grow more types and varieties of vegetables in you current garden space with succession planting.  In it’s simplest form, that means growing two crops  in the same place.  To do this effectively, you need good timing and seed selection!
   I grow peas on a 4’ high trellis along a narrow bed 18” wide by about 14’ long that runs along the foundation of my home. I plant the peas eary, usually around the first week in March. They grow, produce their crop and are usually done by about June 10th.  Meanwhile, I start melon seed indoors around the last week in April and move them to a cold frame around May 10th or so. As soon as the peas are done, I pull the vines, which go into the compost bin or directly on one of the beds as mulch, and plant my melons.  To insure that the soil will support a double crop, I amend it with some good organic granulated fertilizer.  The melon variety I planted this year is Edonis from Johnny’s Selected seeds, which matures in 70 days from germination.  This brings me to the last week in August for the expected crop.  Since the whether stays warm until at least the end on Sept. here on Long Island, that gives me plenty of time to bring in a melon crop!
   Spinach and leaf lettuce are other early crops that like cool weather and are done producing well by early June. This year I am following those with bush beans.  My brocollii will be followed by Fall cabbage which I will start from seed around mid-May.
     One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make with succession planting, is they wait too long before pulling up a spent crop.  I guess somewhere in the back of their minds they are hoping they will get as little more of a harvest if they wait a while. They never do, and it usually means wasted growing season for the replacement crop.
     Choose you crops wisely, plant as early as possible and follow you planting schedule, and you can grow two crops each season, in the same garden space!

Blessings,

Ron
“The Garden Guy”