Wondering why some home gardens seem to be abundant all seasons? The secret lies in succession planting. Succession planting is an essential gardening technique that not only increases your harvest yield but also improves plant health and helps with pest control. Interested? Keep reading and get to know the basics of succession planting.
Succession planting is a gardening technique where the same crop is stagger planted to allow continued harvesting throughout the season, often until two to three months before the first frost. It is sometimes referred to as successive planting.
Benefits of Succession Planting
Succession planting can maximize your yield. Even if some crops get damaged by pests or diseases, you can count on other crops to thrive. It also allows you to start anew if you notice signs of plant illness, preventing the problem from spreading to the rest of your garden.
Succession planting also ensures regular harvesting throughout most of the year. If your goal is to grow your own vegetables and reduce grocery spending, this method will help you save the most.
Finally, succession planting keeps your soil healthy and prevents erosion by keeping soil covered with vegetation.
Three Types of Succession Planting
There are three common types of succession planting, each suitable for different vegetables:
Stagger plant the same crop every few weeks: Use this method for your favorite vegetables to ensure a steady supply.
Switch to a different crop after each harvest: This method works best with crops with shorter maturity times, ensuring diversity and frequent harvesting.
Mix up faster-growing crops and slower ones: Similar to the second method, this method maximizes your harvest and ensures you can enjoy different types of vegetables throughout planting season.
Best Vegetables For Succession Planting
Technically, you can succession plant pretty much everything. But some crops work better using this method than others. For example, early spring vegetables are great options for succession planting because they help you start your harvesting cycle sooner than other crops. Here, we’ve picked the best crops for succession planting.
Maturity Cycle
Sowing Intervals
Head Lettuce
4-8 weeks
3 weeks
Cucumber
Approximately 2 months
3-4 weeks
Sugar Snap Pea
55-75 days
3-4 weeks in spring, slightly longer in the summer
Basil
60-75 days but can be harvested sooner as younger leaves
Head lettuce is a great option for those new to succession planting. Head lettuces are easy to grow and come in many variations, allowing you to test around until you find a variant that grows the best in your garden.
There are two ways to harvest head lettuce. If you cut the head above the growing point, the crop will grow a new head. If you cut the entire head out at the base, you can plant something else in its place.
Maturity cycle: 4 to 8 weeks. Sowing interval: about 3 weeks.
Salads, pickles, stir-fry, cold snacks… cucumbers are certainly one of the most robust cooking ingredients in the kitchen, especially during warmer weather. Since cucumbers are prone to pest damage, succession planting often allows you to break the pests’ breeding cycles. Since cucumbers are more fragile, it’s best to plant several successions per season so you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Maturity cycle: approximately 2 months, but may fluctuate depending on the variants. Sowing interval: 3-4 weeks or longer (during warmer weather)
Sugar snap peas do great in cold zones, making them perfect for Kansas City’s lingering chill every spring. They can also handle wetter conditions than many other crops. Again, perfect for our rainy seasons.
To grow sugar snap peas, dig a trench down the center of a garden bed (or two trenches on each side). Plant peas with an inch or so in between and cover them with soil. After the peas begin to sprout, add grids, wood sticks, or a fence for the peas to climb up.
Maturity cycle: 55 to 75 days. Sowing interval: 3-4 weeks.
Love home-made pestos? Use succession planting to grow basil! Many basil varieties today have higher disease tolerance, making them much easier to plant at home. If you only harvest leaves off the stem, the basil plant can keep growing without being replanted.
Note that basil is extremely vulnerable to cold weather, so make sure you start planting after the last frost.
Maturity cycle: 65 to 70 days to reach full maturity. Sowing cycle: 3-4 weeks.
Spinach is a winter-hardy leafy vegetable. It’s perfect as “fillers” for conditions that may not be suitable for other corps. You can grow spinach during earlier seasons and later into fall after the temperature drops. However, you still need to stop planting before the first frost.
Maturity cycle: 21 to 40 days (vary by crops) Sowing cycle: 2 to 3 weeks
Tomatoes take a long time to sprout. However, if you know how to propagate tomatoes using large cuttings, you can plant several successions during the season. Simply take a cutting with multiple nodes mid-late season, plant it in a pot for rooting, then move it outdoors in 2 to 3 weeks.
Determinate tomatoes, like Roma tomatoes, also mature faster so you can get more harvests going.
Maturity cycle: 50 to 85 days Sowing cycle: 4 weeks
Believe it or not, homegrown carrots are juicier and crunchier. You can also grow whatever variant you want, instead of being restricted to the standard orange carrots in most grocery stores.
Since carrots are winter-hardy, you can start planting as early as February. Cold temperature also makes carrots sweeter. After sowing, cover the carrots with a row cover and water daily to provide enough moisture for them to sprout again.
Maturity cycle: 2 to 3 months. Sowing interval: 21 to 30 days.
Start Succession Planting in Your Home Garden
It’s never too late to start succession planting as long as you’re sowing the proper types of crops, since cool-weather veggies don’t grow as effectively once the temperature warms up.
Another thing you must do to start succession planting is create a sowing schedule. Choose the vegetables you want to grow, write down the date you planted them, then build a sowing schedule using the sowing intervals provided in the table at the beginning of this article.
Happy growing!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best window for succession planting?
You can begin planting winter-hardy plants as early as February. However, you should wait until after the final frost for plants more vulnerable to the cold. Most plants can be harvested through summer and early fall. Finally, you’d usually stop succession planting 4 to 6 weeks before the first frost of the year.
Do I need a greenhouse for succession planting?
A greenhouse will extend your planting season throughout the year, but it is not mandatory for succession planting. This technique works just fine in your regular garden and doesn’t require any specific equipment or facilities.
The climate in the Midwest is perfect for growing different vegetables throughout the year. While many believe fall to be the harvest season, did you know there are plenty of early spring vegetables you can grow in Kansas City so you can enjoy the fruit of your labor as soon as possible?
When to Plant Early Spring Vegetables in Kansas City
You can only plant after the last spring frost. Otherwise, your seeds will freeze to death. The average last frost days in Kansas City this year is April 11 to 20. However, keep in mind these dates are estimated based on historic data. Therefore, there is still a 10% chance for frost damage right after this window. However, frost kills are nearly impossible.
Tools and Supplies You Need
Depending on your garden setup, you don’t always need extensive farm tools to get things going. Here are the basic tools and supplies you need to grow early spring vegetables in Kansas City:
Shovels
Rakes (small, hand-held rakes work for small gardens)
Hoes (hand-held hoes, again, work for small gardens)
Protective gloves
Garden hose
Bamboo or metal sticks for plants to grow upright
Wire cages for certain plants, such as tomatoes
Pruning shears
If you have a big garden, investing in a battery or gas-powered tiller could save you lots of time and effort. Garden carts and wheelbarrows also come in handy. Depending on your situation, a weeder might also be necessary to prepare your garden for spring.
Early Spring Vegetables to Plant in Kansas City
Kansas City’s spring is generally mild and abundant in rainfall. The temperature differences between day and night can be challenging for some crops and the heavy storms mean you’d want to have well-draining soils to prevent water damage to the seeds. Therefore, cool, shady vegetables are your best bet when it comes to planting early.
Here is a list of the best early spring vegetables to plant in Kansas City:
Asparagus
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Collards
Kale
Lettuce
Mustard
Onions
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Radish
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Many of these crops, such as radishes, have a very short maturity time. Therefore, they can be succession planted all the way through summertime. Others, such as kale and lettuce, don’t do well in hot weather at all. Knowing the characteristics of each early spring vegetable to plant in Kansas City can help you plan ahead of time and maximize your harvest throughout the year.
Garden Boxes vs. Direct Planting
There are many options for backyard vegetable gardens, one of them being garden boxes. These boxes are easy to build and not too expensive to buy, and sit slightly above the ground like a raised garden bed. They help create a neat grid system that keeps your gardening soil contained.
Or, you can simply choose an area in the backyard as the vegetable garden and directly plant into the soil. This method works best if you have a small backyard that makes garden boxes unfeasible.
Adding a Garden to Your Existing Landscape
The easiest way for you to add a garden to your existing landscape is by working with a professional landscaping company because the task is not as simple as it sounds.
Adding a new garden to your existing landscape can take some planning. If you are digging into the soil instead of using boxes, you must call the city to mark the utilities before digging. You must also consider accessibility (paths), tool storage, fencing and separation, and decorative elements.
Leave all the tasks to us and schedule a consultation today. We will take care of everything so you can enjoy the fun of growing your own vegetables in the backyard!
Don’t let all the investments you’ve already made into your landscape go to waste. Now is the perfect time to do a quick sweep and conduct basic maintenance before warmer weather and spring storms fully unfold. Here are 8 things you should do to prepare your landscape for the spring season.
Spring garden care with cleaning and pruning. Photo: Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping
1. Prune plants
Spring pruning removes dead branches and maintains the proper form of your plants. Think of the adorable round bushes and even edges you see in a well-maintained front yard: that’s the fruit of regular pruning.
Pruning can also stimulate growth in some perennial plants. By cutting back severely, you allow them to generate all new growth. This technique, known as rejuvenating pruning, should be done annually or every 3 to 5 years before spring arrives because you need to wait until you see new leaves sprouting off the branches to know how far you can cut back.
2. Clean debris and dead branches
Kansas City’s winter tends to have many storms and strong winds, especially this year. Now that the weather is milder, take the opportunity to clean up any debris in your lawn, backyard, and flower beds. Not only are debris an eyesore, they can also kill off the grass and plants underneath them.
Now is also a good time to remove dead plants and broken branches.
3. Divide your perennials
Dividing your perennials is a cost-effective way to gain new plants without restarting from bulbs or spending a fortune to buy new pots. It also keeps your older perennials healthy by controlling growth.
To divide a perennial, dig up the entire plant, shake soil off the roots, then carefully separate the root bulb into smaller sections. Each section should contain roots and three to five healthy shoots. Replant them promptly and water to hold the soil in position.
The Blue Crew is repairing pavers. Photo: Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping
4. Hardscape maintenance
Check stones and pavers for frost heaves, and look for damage on your decks and patios. You’d want everything patched, fixed, and cleaned before family activities begin. You should also clean up any outdoor furniture you didn’t put away over the winter and repair or replace things as needed.
5. Mulching and Fertilization
You can’t plant any early spring vegetables until after the last day of frost, usually in mid- to late-April. This gives you plenty of time to lay down fresh mulch and fertilizer to replenish the nutrients in your soil.
You can also lay down pre-emergent herbicide to kill any new weed seeds once the soil temperature is above 55°F. However, remember that you can’t seed over the same area right away because the herbicide will also suppress normal grass growth. In this case, it’s best to wait till later in the season to seed altogether.
6. Check Your Drainage Systems
Clean your gutters and downspouts before Kansas City’s spring storm season arrives. If you use trenches, dry creek beds, or rain gardens, you should also check to ensure nothing is blocking the drainage and the structures are in good shape.
What’s spring without planting new things? Now is a good time to add new trees, shrubs, and flowers, especially early-blooming perennials, so you can still catch some flowers before their seasons are over.
If you’re struggling with choosing what plants to add, consider subscribing to a seasonal plant delivery service to take the hassle out of your agenda.
8. Tune up your equipment
Nobody wants to find out their lawnmower has died before they start mowing. It’s important to inspect all your power equipment before you actually need to use it so you can promptly repair or replace anything that’s no longer working.
Landscape Maintenance in the Spring
Landscape maintenance in the spring is crucial because it ensures you start the new season on the right foot. These 8 tasks will help you prepare your landscape for spring, although there are always more to do if you want to go the extra mile. Therefore, we recommend that you invest in landscape maintenance, especially garden and turf care. Having a professional to take care of your landscape ensures your yards always look healthy and pleasant and frees you up from having to handle every maintenance task yourself.
The seed catalogs have been out for a while, and it is time to plan your spring vegetable garden. Here are some tips on what to do to get ready to plant.
Clean Up and Remove Debris
Remove any old plants and debris that are in your garden area. Rake up leaves and other organic matter and save for the compost pile. Rake your soil to break up clods a few weeks before planting.
Amend the Soil
Work three inches of compost into the top six inches of soil. Mix the compost in with the soil so it is evenly distributed throughout, and you can also use a little extra in the holes of your plants mixed with.
Soil Testing
Every year after adding the compost to your soil, it is helpful to do a soil test. You can get instructions from your Extension agent. The soil test will tell you the nutrients present in your soil. If you specify that you are growing vegetables, the soil test recommendations will tell you what to add before planting.
Fertilize
Follow the soil test recommendations and work the fertilizer into the top three inches of the soil. After this, the soil will have everything a plant needs to get started. You will have to fertilize your vegetables during the season because it takes a lot of nutrients to produce vegetables especially if you want high yields.
Inspect and Repair Garden Tools
While you should have cleaned and sharpened your tools last winter when you put them up, check to make sure everything is ready for use now. Clean tools and sharpen the dull ones. Sharp tools are less likely to spread disease because the clean cuts make the plants heal faster.
Plan Your Garden Layout
Decide what you want to grow this spring and make a list. Using graph paper, lay out where you will plant each crop. Remember to plan to replant areas when you harvest the first crops. Don’t buy more seeds and plants than you have room to plant.
Start Seeds Indoors
You will need to start some seeds indoors. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are generally started six to eight weeks before it is time to plant them outside. You can also start crops like squash, cucumbers, melons, cabbage, and broccoli indoors. Root crops need to be sown directly in the ground because they do not like to be moved.
Check Irrigation Systems
Hauling water to your garden is no fun. Make sure your irrigation system is ready to go and in good repair before you plant your garden. Keep seeds and new plants well watered so they can develop good root systems.
Create Support Structures
If you are growing plants that vine, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans, set up your support structures as you plant them. Setting them up at planting avoids damaging roots and lets the plants use the trellis or cage from the start.
Check Local Frost Dates
Plants are put in the ground at different times depending on the crop. The average date of last frost is April 15th. However, it has frosted as late as May 14th, but only once. Kansas Extension has a list of when to plant each crop here.
Purchase Seeds and Plants
Buy your seeds from some place that gets fresh seed each year. Most area nurseries will have fresh seed, as will the big box stores. You can also order it online. Order seeds early so you get what you want in time to plant. Some years, the seed companies run out of particular varieties. Buy plants when it is time to put them in the ground.
Spring Is Hopeful
Spring gardens are full of hope. While Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping doesn’t do vegetable gardens, we will take care of your landscape beds. Simply enroll in our garden care program and we will weed, add mulch, treat the beds with a pre-emergent, sharpen the edges of the beds, and fertilize the plants. We leave everything looking crisp and professional. Call (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult to enroll.
Many people engage in a vigorous spring cleaning of the whole house. Don’t forget to clean your outdoor living space, too. Here are some tips on things to be sure and do to prepare for spending a lot of time outside.
Clear Debris
Over the winter, leaves and other debris end up on your patio, porch, lawn, and landscape beds. Rake this litter up and remove it. Many pests overwinter in leaves and organic debris, so removing it will help reduce your pest load as well as making the area look nicer.
Inspect and Clean Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture takes a lot of abuse. Clean it with soap and water to remove dirt that accumulated during the winter. Inspect furniture, especially deck chairs and other things that stay outside in the weather, to make sure they do not have rust or damage that would make them break under use. If needed, give the furniture a new coat of weather-resistant paint to spruce it up further.
Clean and Repair Your Patio or Deck
Patios and decks need regular maintenance. Sweep them off then inspect them for damage. Stone and paver patios and decks need to be hosed off carefully to avoid washing the sand out of the joints. Keep the water moving and don’t focus on the joints. Wooden decks need to be hosed off, too. Every two or three years, pavers and concrete should be chemically cleaned and resealed to keep them fresh and hold their color. Wooden decks can be cleaned and stained, and sealed.
Garden Bed Preparation
Remove dead plants and debris. Prune overgrown shrubs and cut back ornamental grasses and perennials to make room for new growth to sprout. Adding a layer of fresh compost to add organic matter on top of the soil will help your plants thrive. Apply slow release fertilizer to the plants to give them a boost and help them to grow well during the coming season.
Inspect and Maintain the Grill
If you have a grill, be sure and inspect it carefully and make sure all the connections are tight, there are no leaks, and you have a full tank of gas. If your grill uses charcoal, clean out all the ashes and lay in a supply of charcoal for the coming grilling season. Remove any rust from your grill and seal it so no further damage occurs.
Revive the Lawn
Rake the lawn to remove debris and thatch. Spread a layer of compost on the soil and rake it in well. Apply fertilizer and water well. If you have bare spots, spread seed into the compost so it will fill in.
Clean Outdoor Lighting
Clean the surface of all your lights with a damp cloth. Test each light to make sure the bulbs work. Replace any burned-out bulbs. Inspect the wiring for damage and repair any bad spots. Make sure lights are aimed properly and re-aim any that have gotten knocked around during the winter storms.
Inspect and Clean Gutters
Before the spring rains, clean out your rain gutters. Make sure the gutters are in good repair without any leaks. Replace any damaged sections. Make sure the downspout goes well away from the foundation. If there is erosion from the downflow of water, place a weed barrier and rocks around it to protect your soil from washing away.
Check and Repair Fencing
If you have a fence, check for loose or damaged boards. Replace any problem boards with new ones. If needed, re-stain the fence or paint it to spiff it up. Check gates to make sure they lock securely and will open easily.
Organize Outdoor Storage Areas
Clean your outdoor storage areas. Arrange and organize the items in it so you can find what you are looking for. Remember to keep fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals under lock and key so children and pets do not get into them.
Pest Control
Bugs and rodents come out in the spring. If pests are eating your plants, you can use an insecticide to help control them. Keeping your landscape clean from debris is a great way to safely limit pests before using chemicals.
Add Some Greenery
Add shrubs to replace any that died during the winter, like evergreens that got winter burn. We usually use Mother’s Day as a mark of when frost chances are gone to add seasonal color annual flowers. New plants are a fun way to start the year and add interest to the garden.
Get Help with Spring Inspections
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help get ready for the outdoor season. We can inspect your lights and make sure they are working properly and are aimed in the right direction. We offer patio maintenance and have the equipment and trained staff needed to do it properly. Finally, we offer a garden care program that includes weeding, pruning, new mulch, and pre-emergent to leave your landscape beds crisp and renewed. Call the office at (816) 825-2524 to get more information or schedule a consult.
With groceries increasing in price, this is a great year to start growing your own vegetables. You do not even have to have a dedicated vegetable garden. Vegetables grow great in containers or as part of a landscape bed.
Pick Familiar Vegetables
When planning a new garden, the choices of vegetables you can grow may be overwhelming. Start by picking vegetables you already eat. Once you become proficient at growing those plants, you can expand into new vegetables that you might like to try.
Cool Season Versus Warm Season Crops
Some plants grow best in the cool weather of the spring or fall, while others like warm weather. Lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, turnips, rutabagas, and radishes need cool weather to grow. When the weather turns hot, they tend to bolt, or flower, and stop tasting good.
Warm-season plants are things like corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and squash. These plants do not germinate until after the soil has warmed up for the year.
Where To Grow Your Vegetables
Vegetables need full sun. Find a place in full sun that is well-drained and fertile. If you can grow them in a raised planter with a frame around or even a mound, it can be easier to have great soil with organic amendments and provide better drainage.
Watering
They are also water hogs, so need to be close to a spigot or integrated into your irrigation system. Vegetables need to stay moist but not soggy.
Fertilizing
Vegetable plants need lots of nutrients to build the vegetables we enjoy. Most vegetables need a balanced fertilizer at planting and every four weeks or so after that until the vegetables are harvested.
Weeding
Weeds steal sunlight, nutrients, and water from your vegetables. Remove weeds when they are small when they are easier to get out.
Grow Hydroponically
An easier method of growing vegetables is to use a Tower Garden, a special type of hydroponic system where the roots are in rock wool instead of soil. This aeroponic growing system is easy to use and maintain. A special nutrient solution is mixed with water and put into the Tower Garden. This solution flows over the roots and keeps them moist and fed. Vegetables grow 30% more, 3 times faster, and with 98% less water.
You can use the Tower Garden outside in any sunny spot or inside anywhere you have a grow light. If you place your Tower Garden inside, you can grow the vegetables you enjoy any time of the year. All you need to do is keep the water and nutrient solution topped off.
Preparing Your Vegetables
You can pick your vegetables at peak ripeness and eat them the same day. From leafy greens to tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash, you can have the healthy produce you and your family deserve. Everyone should get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Most produce loses approximately 30% of its nutrients within 3 days. When you grow your own food, it will have the highest nutrient density possible.
Let Us Help
We can help you decide which Tower Garden is right for you and get you started growing your own fresh veggies at home this Spring. Contact Royal Crown Architectural Landscaping to get started today.
