Succession planting is a method in which gardeners complete several plantings to increase crop availability during the growing season and maximize yield. Successful succession planting involves pulling out spent crops and immediately transplanting seedlings, or planting seeds into the empty space. As the growing season progresses, warm season crops replace early cold season crops. Once summer crops are harvested, fall crops are planted in their place.
The key to successful succession planting is to
“leave no idle ground.”
Depending on hardiness zone, this technique can be repeated two to four times each growing season. Connecticut covers four zones:
- Zone 5b – temperature minimums from -15 to -10 degrees (Litchfield)
- Zone 6a – temperature minimums from -10 to -5 degrees (Willimantic)
- Zone 6b – temperature minimums from -5 to 0 degrees (Hartford)
- Zone 7a – temperature minimums between 0 and 5 degrees (Bridgeport)
Connecticut First and Last Frost Dates
| Last Frost Date | First Frost Date | |
| 5b-Litchfield | June 3 | September 12 |
| 6a-Willimantic | June 4 | September 13 |
| 6b-Hartford | May 12 | September 23 |
| 7a-Bridgeport | May 8 | October 2 |
“Frost Dates” are they typical date on which a location has a 50/50 chance of being frost-free. It’s always a good idea to give a two-week buffer around frost dates ( 2 weeks forwards for spring, and two weeks backward for fall) to avoid any cold surprises.
Several techniques can be used for succession planting:
Staggered Planting starts the same crop every few weeks so the vegetables produce a continuous harvest over time. New crops mature as older crops are harvested to avoid all plants maturing at the same time. Lettuce is a perfect crop for staggered planting, in both the spring and Fall.
Catch Cropping places quick-growing crops between larger, slower-growing vegetables. The quick-growing crops can be harvested before the larger vegetables crowd/shade them out. Radishes can be tucked between squash, giving a quick crop before the larger squash leaves mature.
Harvest and Sow grows different crops in the same space over the growing season. When one crop is harvested, it is replaced with another crop. When spring greens are harvested, they can be replaced with bush beans. Harvest beans can then again be replaced with quick-growing late season greens.
Many vegetables also come in multiple varieties with different “days to maturity”- an easy option is to plant all varieties at the same time as they will naturally stagger harvests.
“Days to Maturity” is the time it takes a crop to be ready for harvest (from seed germination to maturity) and is key to figuring out the best planting intervals for a crop. Knowing a crop’s days to maturity allows a gardener to plan their crops for maximum yields during their specific growing season.
Early Spring Crops
| Days to Maturity | Interval Between Planting | |
| Peas | 55-70 | single sow |
| Beets | 40-70 | 2 weeks |
| Carrots | 85-95 | 3 weeks |
| Green Onions | 85 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Onions | 90-120 from transplant | single sow |
| Lettuce (leaf) | 45-50 | 2 weeks |
| Lettuce (head) | 70-85 | 2 weeks |
| Spinach | 50-60 | 2 weeks |
| Swiss Chard | 60-100 | single sow |
| Cabbage | 70-80 from transplant | 3 weeks |
| Radishes | 25-30 | 2 weeks |
| Broccoli | 60-70 from transplant | 2 weeks |
Late Spring Crops
| Days to Maturity | Interval Between Planting | ||
| Beans (Bush) | 60 | 2 weeks | |
| Beans (Pole) | 60-70 | 2 weeks | |
| Spinach | 50-60 | 2 weeks | |
| Early/Midseason Tomatoes | 65-90 from transplant | 2 plantings | |
| Kohlrabi | 50-60 | 2 weeks | |
| Cauliflower | 50-65 from transplant | 2 weeks | |
| Summer Squash | 45-60 | 4 to 8 weeks | |
| Winter Squash | 90-120 | single sowing |
Summer Crops
| Days to Maturity | Interval Between Planting | |
| Peas | 55-70 | single sowing |
| Zucchini | 45-60 | 4-8 weeks |
| Melons | 80-90 | 2 weeks |
| Late Tomatoes | 65-90 from transplant | single sowing |
| Peppers | 60-70 from transplant | single sowing |
| Beans (Lima) | 65 | single sowing |
| Corn (Sweet) | 70-100 | 2 weeks |
| Eggplant | 65 from transplant | 8 weeks |
| Cucumbers | 60 | 4-5 weeks |
Fall Crops
| Days to Maturity | Interval Between Planting | |
| Cauliflower | 50-65 from transfer | 2 weeks |
| Carrots | 85-95 | 3 weeks |
| Kale | 40-50 | 2 weeks |
| Turnips | 35-40 | 2 weeks |
| Late Cabbage | 70-80 from transfer | 2 weeks |
| Collards | 60-100 | single sow |
| Onions | 90 to 120 from transfer | single sow |
Bazaar Gardening 