What is succession planting ? Simply the deed of planting the same craw at different metre so that you do n’t reap everything at once . As a result , you might sow some lettuce one week , then wait two weeks , sow some more . you may do that as many time as you want . This spreads out your harvest and allow you have lettuce over a longer period of time instead of the whole crop at once . Commercial as well as home growers do this , or at least they should .
If your beets are ready all at the same metre , you might be able to stack away some for a while until you use them ( if you ’re a home gardener ) , or sell them ( if you ’re a commercial agriculturist ) , but mayhap not . In some cases , with some crops , a share might go to waste which in effect waste your push and clip . That ’s why succession planting is so handy — if you plant over the course of a few hebdomad , you may simply apply or sell what is ready at that fourth dimension while the rest can mirthfully keep growing aside in the garden .
That tell , there are other benefit to succession planting that might not be as obvious as simply spreading out the harvesting . So let ’s give them a facial expression .
Weed Control
When sequence planting , you’re able to prepare the entire space you had set away for , say , lettuce , then you just do n’t plant it . Over the next few weeks , you’re able to allow that quad to “ stale seed bed”—which is simply allow seeds to germinate . Then , before planting the 2nd round , you’re able to gently naturalise the area where the next rung is planned and get rid of those Mary Jane for the next harvest . This will set aside for a much easier growing season for those subsequent successions , and less fourth dimension spend find fault gage out of your lettuce .
Pest and Disease Control
When you first constitute a craw , you do n’t always get to know which pests or diseases will take time lag . However , with succession planning , you see where your disease and pesterer payoff lie , which help oneself you make some authoritative decision . All the former plantings will indicate how bad a disease or pest issue is and how well you should protect the next crop go in . If you see a spate of Cucumis sativus beetles on your first unit of ammunition of cucumbers , for instance , you know the 2d round will need ample protection from the start . Same expire for disease — knowing what is alive might help you decide what to plant , where , and how to protect it .
Fertility Control
After your first one shot of crops goes into the ground , you may monitor for deficiencies and general dynamism . If a crop does n’t seem to be taking off , that might mean you should remedy your dirt before put in your 2d round . Always consult a soil trial before adding any chemical plant food , but well - made compost will almost always help . Another way successiveness planting can benefit garden birth rate : calculate on the harvest , sometimes you’re able to sneak a cover harvest in between planting . This help moderate the beneficial microbes in the soil , concur the soil in place and shade off out gage while also tally a little organic matter to the plot . This might not work for crops that are succeeded every week or two , but if you plan to pass around out your tomatoes , cucumbers or the alike , a covert harvest can unquestionably be a beneficial idea and a boon to your grunge .
