Planting in Succession: A Gardener’s Guide

Planting in succession is a powerful technique for keeping garden beds full and harvesting fresh produce all season long. At its core, it’s about planting repeatedly—either different crops or the same one at intervals—to maintain a steady flow of yields. San Diego Seed Company offers an excellent guide tailored for warm climates like Southern California.

1. Start with Your Frost-Free Window

• First, identify your planting zone and frost dates. For much of Zones 9/10 we have no to little frost. 
• For those outside Zones 9 and 10 determine your frost-free days for planting. 
• This will help you time your plantings so crops mature before any cold snaps.

2. Choose Smart Crops for Planting in Succession

There is a wide range of plants that you can plant in succession, but some make more sense than others. Crops that are quick to be consumed, do not store very long, and overripen quickly in the garden are the best candidates for succession planting. Here are some examples grouped by season.

• Cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, and beets mature quickly and grow well in early spring and fall. 
• Warm-season crops like beans, cucumbers, and summer squash are ideal for summer. 
• Root crops like beets and carrots can be succession planted in small windows throughout the year in Zones 9 and 10.

Our complete succession planting guide gives your crop specific recommendations, but here are some quick examples of crops you should be succession planting.

• Radishes every 7 days 
• Bush beans every 10–14 days 
• Summer squash every 21–30 days

3. Plan Your Planting Schedule

Use a succession planting calendar to map out your seed-starting and transplanting schedule. By using our free excel sheet, you can map out exactly when you should be planting seeds so that you have a weekly schedule.  Example strategies:

• Sow leaf lettuce every 7–10 days in cooler months. 
• Plant squash or bush beans every 2–4 weeks once temperatures warm.

A pro tip for those outside Zones 9 and 10: Pay close attention to days to maturity on your seed packets, and compare them with your expected first frost date.

4. Keep Soil Nourished & Beds Refreshed

Every new planting draws nutrients from your soil. Between planting in succession, refresh your beds with:

• Compost 
• Organic amendments, granular fertilizer like our Darn Good Fertilizer 
• Worm Castings 
• A layer of mulch to retain moisture

Compost, fertilizer, and worm castings should be worked into the top 6 inches of the soil.

5. Adapt to Microclimates & Season Transitions

In Zones 9 and 10, many crops can be grown year-round with the right tools. Extend your planting season using:

• Shade cloth during heat waves 
• Row covers in cooler months

Explore their full guide to gardening in San Diego to better understand local microclimates. These key tools are what can take your garden from a struggling patch of veggies to a mighty garden full of tasty produce!

6. Maximize Succession with Diverse Strategies

There are several strategies to achieve success when planting in succession:

• Relay planting: Sow the same crop (like lettuce or radishes) at regular intervals. 
• Crop rotation: Swap crops between plantings to avoid soil fatigue and pests. 
• Interplanting: Combine crops that mature at different speeds in the same bed. 
• Staggered maturity: Plant varieties of the same crop that mature at different times.

If you are unsure what to plant during your current growing season, consulting the San Diego Seed Co. planting chart makes it easy to see what you can sow next and to see what season each crop prefers.

Why It Means Succession Planting Success

Here’s what you gain from using these techniques:

• Continuous harvests instead of gaps in production 
• Better use of space, as beds are always in action 
• Improved soil health when rotating crops and adding compost 
• Fewer pest problems from rotating plant families 
• Higher crop quality, especially with cool-weather crops harvested at their peak

Quick Tips for Getting Started

1. Harvest or remove finished crops promptly. 
2. Add compost or organic fertilizer between plantings. 
3. Choose crops with short maturity dates. 
4. Plant your next crop within 7 days. 
5. Repeat the cycle for true succession planting success!

Final Thoughts

Planting in succession is more than a strategy—it’s a rhythm. With the right education and zone-specific information from San Diego seed company, your garden can deliver delicious rewards from early spring to late fall.