Many gardeners will plan one thing to grow in a row or an entire garden bed. However, with some careful planning, you can make use of the time before those plants go in and after you take them out.

This is the heart of succession planting: using the same space for multiple crops (the same plant, or different plants) over the course of the growing season. It’s not just for serious growers. Even a small garden can produce a surprising amount when the timing lines up.

Planting in Succession

Imagine that you want to grow peppers, a delicious warm-season crop. After checking the dates for your area, you realize you can’t plant them outside until quite late in the year due to frost, even though some plants can be started in February.

But that doesn’t mean the space has to sit empty. While you wait for warmer weather, you can use that garden bed for cool-season crops, which don’t mind a little frost. These early growers will be ready to harvest just in time to make room for your pepper transplants later on.

Here I decided to grow radish and spinach before transplanting the peppers later in the year. Using the same principles, the peppers are then replaced by leeks, which don’t mind the cooler fall weather.

Creating a table helped me visualize the dates for this succession planting, so that I knew all the plants would work together.

Planting in Waves

Some crops mature quickly and leave behind empty soil. Lettuce is a great example of this. Lettuce matures quickly and produces a lot from each plant. By staggering your plantings, you can have a steady harvest of lettuce throughout the growing season, instead of all at once.

Lettuce also keeps in the ground quite well, so you don’t have to harvest it all right away. Let’s look at a detailed example.

For my garden, I’ve planned one 3ft row of lettuce and have chosen three varieties, each with a slightly different taste and flavor profile. To plan exactly when to plant and when they’ll be ready to harvest, I created this table.

This will vary based on your location. If you live somewhere particularly wet, your lettuce might not keep for as long in the ground, or it might take longer to mature.

Planting Different Varieties

Some plants don’t offer the flexibility that lettuce does. Tomatoes, for example, have a long growing period before they mature, and need the cooler weather to get big enough before they fruit. If you want tomatoes all throughout the year, you can plant different varieties.

Cherry tomatoes typically ripen soonest, then medium-sized ‘slicer’ style tomatoes, with the larger tomatoes maturing the latest. Growing some of each will give you a plentiful supply and a good variety.

It’s important to remember how plants produce their harvest, too. Some plants are determinate and produce most of their harvest all at once. Indeterminate varieties will produce relatively consistently across the season after they mature. We’ll dive into this more a little later.

In this garden bed, we have three varieties being transplanted in April and one in June. This combination gives a staggered harvest across the summer and into the fall, with some excellent Long-Keepers that will store well into January in the right conditions.

Keeping the Soil Healthy

With staggered and successive planting, soil health can decline more quickly, but with some careful management, you can prevent this.

Focusing on companion plants helps balance nutrient depletion. For example, nitrogen-fixing plants like peas or beans can replenish the soil, while herbs like basil or marigolds can improve plant health and deter pests.

Adding small amounts of compost and fertilizer between plantings also keeps the soil healthy. Compost enriches the soil, improving moisture retention and nutrient supply, while a balanced, slow-release fertilizer can support heavy feeders.

Mulching is another simple yet effective strategy. It helps regulate soil temperature, retain moisture, and reduce weeds. As mulch decomposes, it adds organic matter to the soil, further boosting its health.

With these strategies, your soil can remain vibrant and productive throughout the growing season, supporting your plants’ needs.

Almost There!

Hopefully, this has given you some great ideas on how to plan your garden. The final article in the series will discuss yields, considerations for your harvest, and other important considerations.

Pruning for Vigor

Pruning isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic move. Try pinching off suckers- those side shoots that appear at the junction of the main stem and branches. These shoots typically grow very vigorously and compete with the main stem for nutrients. This redirects the plant’s energy towards fruiting, resulting in larger, healthier tomatoes!

Thinning for Success

Similarly to pruning, thinning will help to promote larger tomatoes! Counterintuitive as it may seem, thinning out early fruits can boost your overall harvest. By removing some young tomatoes, you allow the plant to channel its energy into fewer, but larger and more flavorful, mature fruits. It’s all about quality over quantity!

When thinning, choose the smaller, underdeveloped fruits to remove. These are typically the ones that formed early in the season, or are on the bottom of the truss. Aim to leave about 4-6 tomatoes per truss, depending on the size of the tomato variety.

Topping Techniques

Topping, the art of removing the main stem’s growing tip, is a technique that divides tomato growers. By topping your plants, you promote lateral branching and more abundant fruiting. It’s typically performed when the plant reaches a particular height- typically around 4-5 feet, but it varies based on growing conditions and variety. It’s simply matter of preference, and can be fairly rewarding!

The Art of Tomato Trellising

Taming the tomato jungle definitely involves trellising. Stakes, cages, string, or other supports keep plants upright, enhancing air circulation and reducing disease risk. A well-supported tomato plant is a healthy one. If you’re looking for an extensive guide to trellising your plants, we have a great tomato trellising guide here!

Covering Disease Management

Tomatoes are prone to various diseases, particularly diseases of the leaves such as bacterial leaf spot or blight. But don’t worry- good gardening habits will lessen your risk of contracting these in your plants!

Rotate crops annually, provide proper spacing, and eliminate overhead watering. Opt for disease-resistant varieties to bolster your garden’s health. Avoid growing monocultures of single varieties (or even plant families) so that you won’t get your whole crop wiped out by a single outbreak. With careful monitoring (and pruning of infected leaves and plants), you shouldn’t have to worry about disease wiping out your tomatoes!

Waging War on Pests

Pesky intruders like aphids and hornworms can wreak havoc on tomato plants. Employ natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings, and turn to organic insecticides when needed. Regular monitoring is key to keeping pest numbers down. If you’re interested in biological control in the garden, here’s our blog post on pest hunters you can introduce!

Wrapping up the Season

As the growing season winds down, clean up your garden bed. Remove all plant debris to discourage disease and pest overwintering. Consider sowing cover crops to replenish the soil during the dormant months. If you’re not yet feeling like saying goodbye to your garden for the year, here’s a post that may help to carry you through the fall season!

Embrace Crop Rotation

The last tip, but certainly not the least, is to rotate your tomato crops annually! This simple practice prevents the buildup of soil-borne pests and diseases, ensuring the longevity of your tomato-growing success. If you plan to garden long-term, and don’t want to sign yourself up for future difficulties in severe soil amendments, crop rotation is only going to help you!

Mastering these advanced techniques enhances your ability to cultivate robust and productive tomato plants. As you experiment with new tricks such as pruning, thinning, trellising, and pest management, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your plants’ needs and strengths. Remember, gardening is an ongoing journey, and each season offers new lessons and opportunities for growth. Happy gardening!