What is succession planting?

Planting small batches of the same crop at intervals, or following one crop with another, so harvests and flowers arrive steadily instead of all at once.

How often should I sow for a continuous harvest?

Every 2–3 weeks for quick crops such as lettuce, radish, beans and carrots. Slower crops need less frequent sowing, and some, like tomatoes, are better handled with different varieties.

Which crops suit succession sowing best?

Lettuce, radish, spinach, beans, carrots, beetroot, peas, spring onions, coriander, cucumbers and many cut flowers such as zinnias and sunflowers.

Can I use succession planting in containers?

Yes. Sow in small pots or trays every few weeks and plant out as space opens, or replace spent plants with fresh seedlings of the same or a different crop.

Succession Planting

Succession Planting: Staggering for Continuous Harvest and Bloom

Avoid gluts and gaps. Learn the four succession methods (repeat sowing, intercropping, relay planting, mixed varieties), with sowing intervals for popular crops and flowers.

By Verdant Editorial

Published 7 Oct 2026

Updated 7 Oct 2026

4 min read

Many gardeners know the pattern: a row of lettuce all ready in one week, then nothing for a month; thirty courgettes in August and none in September. Succession planting solves this. By spreading sowings and plantings through the season, you get steady harvests, steady flowers and a garden that is productive from early spring to late autumn instead of only for a few weeks.

This guide explains the four main succession methods, gives intervals for common crops and shows how to plan. It belongs to the Seasonal Gardening pillar and builds on The Seasonal Planting Calendar, How to Start a Vegetable Garden and Harvesting and Storing Vegetables.

1. Repeat sowing (the same crop at intervals)

Sow a short row or small block every 2–3 weeks. As the first batch is harvested, the next is ready. This is the simplest and most useful method for lettuce, radish, spinach, carrots, beetroot, bush beans and spring onions.

2. Relay planting (one crop follows another)

As soon as one crop is harvested, plant the next in the same space. Examples: early peas followed by winter brassicas; early potatoes followed by leeks or lettuce; spring lettuce followed by beans.

3. Intercropping

Grow a quick crop between slow ones. Radishes and lettuce between brassicas or tomatoes are harvested before the larger plants need the space.

4. Mixed maturity varieties

Sow early, mid-season and late varieties of the same crop at the same time. They mature in sequence. Useful for peas, potatoes, sweetcorn, tomatoes and brassicas.

Sowing intervals for common crops

Crop	Sow every	Season	Notes
Lettuce and salad leaves	2 weeks	Spring and autumn; shade in summer	Pick leaves and sow new batches before the old ones bolt
Radish	1–2 weeks	Cool weather	Ready in 4 weeks; sow small amounts
Carrots and beetroot	3 weeks	Spring to midsummer	Sow thinly; cover carrots against carrot fly
Bush beans	2–3 weeks	After frost until midsummer	Pick often to extend cropping
Peas	3 weeks	Spring and autumn	Stop in hot weather
Spinach	2–3 weeks	Cool weather	Bolts in heat; try Malabar spinach in summer
Spring onions	3 weeks	Spring to late summer	Small, frequent rows
Coriander and dill	3 weeks	Cool weather	Bolt quickly in heat
Cucumbers and courgettes	4–6 weeks (a second sowing midsummer)	Warm season	Replace tired plants with a second sowing
Zinnia, cosmos, sunflower	2–3 weeks	After frost until midsummer	Steady cut flowers (see Cutting Garden)

Step by step: plan a succession

List what you love to eat and how much you use each week.
Find your dates. Mark your last and first frost dates (or your cool and hot seasons) on a calendar.
Work backwards from the end. Decide when you want to stop harvesting each crop, then count back by days to maturity and sowing intervals.
Write sowing dates on the calendar with reminders: every 2–3 weeks for quick crops.
Raise seedlings in trays so you can transplant as space appears (see How to Transplant Seedlings).
Prepare beds in advance. Add compost between crops and keep the soil covered (see Composting at Home).
Record results. Note what bolted, what thrived and when gaps appeared.

Example: a 12-month plan for one bed

Late winter: sow peas and spinach; plant early potatoes under fleece.
Spring: sow lettuce, radish and carrots every 2–3 weeks; plant out brassicas.
After frost: sow bush beans every 3 weeks; plant tomatoes and courgettes.
Midsummer: clear early crops and sow winter brassicas, beetroot, carrots and lettuce for autumn.
Autumn: plant garlic and broad beans; sow green manure on empty ground.

Soil and feeding

Succession planting keeps soil working all year, so it needs refuelling. Add a layer of compost between crops, avoid compacting beds (see Preventing Soil Compaction) and rotate crop families to avoid pests and diseases.

Succession in flowers

Stagger sowings of cutting flowers, and plan borders so one plant takes over as another fades: bulbs in spring, annuals in summer, asters, rudbeckia and grasses in autumn (see Annuals vs Perennials and Flower Bulbs 101).

Common errors and how to avoid them

Sowing everything at once and facing a glut
Sowing cool-season crops too late so they bolt in summer heat
Letting beds sit empty after a harvest
Forgetting to prepare the soil between crops
Not recording sowing dates

Tips that make it easier

Sow the next batch the day you harvest the first.
Choose bolt-resistant varieties for summer sowings.
Use a notebook or wall chart; it takes five minutes and saves your harvest.

What to read next

Use the Year-Round Checklist to schedule sowings, protect early and late crops with Frost Protection Methods and plan the next season in Planning for Next Year. Back to Seasonal Gardening.