Succession planting

One of the most important lessons I have learned about farming is to follow the seasons. Plant at the right time and maximize the short summer months and small spaces we have in Rhode Island. For example, we plant lots of lettuce, beets and radishes early in the spring (sometimes as early as March) because these crops love cool weather. We plant these same crops again late in the summer so they are ready for harvest in the fall when the weather is cool again. This not only allows us to extend the season from March until November, but it also allows us to maximize our space by planting fall crops in places where summer crops are finished producing veggies.

In the picture above, radishes are planted in the space where beans and squash were giving their bounty only a few weeks ago. The key to this method is fertilization and succession planting. By getting multiple harvests out of the same soil (sometimes three, four or more harvests) you use up all the nutrients in that soil. So, we add tons (literally) of compost at the beginning of the season and be sure to add our own organic fertilizer to the soil before planting each crop.

Also important is the concept of succession planting. Backyard gardeners often complain of getting all their tomatoes in a short three week period. Or all their eggplant at once. While you can't stop your crops from producing too much (is this really a bad problem) one thing you can do to make sure you'll get the crop for a longer period of time is succession planting. This strategy can be especially useful when growing lettuce but can also be used with almost any other crop.

The idea is to plant a little of the crop once a week or every other week over the course of a month or two. That way, when one plant is finished producing, the next one is giving you more veggies. You can see in the picture of the radishes how we planted three rows on each hill. Each hill was planted a week apart. We are harvesting the first hill this week and next. The next hill will start next week and so on. Try this method with your beets and carrots and greens. You can also try it with tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Perennial producers like fruit trees, blueberries, strawberries or elderberries cannot use this method.