Succession planting is officially a part of our spring gardening plans. Why? I am notorious for getting so excited about receiving new seeds, planting a bunch, and having a big harvest and nothing for the rest of the season. Succession planting could mean we’ll have things ready to harvest for the entire season. I’m excited to give it a try.
What is succession planting?
Succession planting means planting whatever garden crops you hope to grow at different points during the season. This way, you can continuously snip and eat your veggies through the season rather than trying to figure out what to do with all that extra Swiss chard (which may have happened to us two years ago).
Can you practice succession planting with hydroponic gardens?
Yes! Today, I put in seeds for Swiss chard, a couple of varieties of bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a couple of different herbs. BUT I’ve also left slots open to plant more Swiss chard, additional basil and chives, and more cherry tomatoes. The plan is to put in those crops in two or three weeks.
I haven’t decided yet if I’ll take the tomatoes and peppers for transplant, but it’s likely once they have reached a stable seedling phase. Fingers crossed!! The large heirloom tomatoes will be directly sown in the self-watering boxes outside, but I’ll be doing one box at a time over a couple of weeks for my version of succession planting.
This is where I am with my current plans. I’m not great with patience. In fact, I just planted the hydroponic garden, and I’ve already started checking to see if anything has germinated. It’s not rational. I know. So, there’s a possibility that I won’t have enough patience to do succession planting for real. But I’m going to give it a try.
Have you ever tried it? Have you already decided what your spring/summer gardens will look like?
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