As a home gardener, your goal is to grow fresh vegetables that you and your family can enjoy from spring until fall. Regardless of whether you’re growing a traditional garden in your backyard or are among those using the space-saving raised bed style of gardening, succession planting will enable you to enjoy a more bountiful, long-term harvest. Succession planting is a simple concept that can be done in two different ways. One method is to stagger the time frame in which you plant the same type of vegetable. The second method is to harvest one crop, then plant a different crop in that same location.
The key to successful succession planting is careful planning. If organization isn’t a strong skill for you, don’t despair, there’s an online spread sheet template you can use to create a personalized plan. If that seems too detailed for you, many online garden sites offer excellent garden design charts that can be adapted to the area you live in and assist you in selecting the most appropriate vegetables for your garden.
To assure that you get the best yield possible from each crop you plant, you’ll need to consider the differences in temperature and weather conditions as the month’s progress. For example, if you’re planting seeds, you need to keep in mind that the amount of days to maturity printed on the back of the pack is typically based on spring plantings. You can anticipate it taking more time for a plant to reach maturity when planted later in the season. This is due in part to the change in temperature. It is also generally recommended that seeds be planted about twice as deep in the summer as in the spring. If you replace one plant with another plant, you will need to be attentive to the amount of water the new plant requires in the warmer temperatures.
You will be more successful with your succession garden if you take some time to observe your garden area carefully. As the seasons progress from spring to fall, the amount of sunlight and shade in your garden area will change. The warm sunshine that was beneficial to your plants in the spring may become a hazard for your plants in the summer. In order for your plants to survive and thrive in a succession garden, you may need to create some shade. You can do this by adding a trellis and some climbing plants throughout your garden. If you are growing your garden on a deck or patio, you might need to use shade cloths to keep the hot summer sun from destroying your plants.
Succession planting is a gardening method that complements today’s busy lifestyle. Hectic schedules typically don’t allow for hours to be spent in the kitchen preserving vegetables that have arrived in abundance. Staggered planting means your vegetables will be ready for harvest at manageable intervals. You can enjoy garden fresh vegetables for an extended period of time.
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