Planting timing can make a small garden space much more productive and insulate you a bit from the vulgarities of nature. There are 4 basic types of garden plants, Spring thriving, summer, fall thriving, and full season. I will describe the season and it's plants. You will need to fit it into your actual climate. A simple guide like this will obviously not cover both Idaho at elevation and Miami equally well. This guide is about the averages.
Harvest Planting timing and succession planting.
- Thread starter Stanb999
- Start date
Spring crops, This period is from when snow stops covering the ground to the last frost. It can indeed snow on these crops but low temps above 25 and high temps in the 40's to the mid 60's is what is "average".
In spring you minimally till with just hand tools. The soil is wet and you don't want to compact it. You will have little weed pressure and nearly zero bugs.
Things to plant and harvest for the early season.
Radishes, Beets, lettuce, Spinach, Turnips, Carrots, Arugula, Kale, and green onions.
You will harvest these before the heat of the summer sets in. In most areas this time is 6-8 weeks in length which is more than enough time for these quick crops.
In spring you minimally till with just hand tools. The soil is wet and you don't want to compact it. You will have little weed pressure and nearly zero bugs.
Things to plant and harvest for the early season.
Radishes, Beets, lettuce, Spinach, Turnips, Carrots, Arugula, Kale, and green onions.
You will harvest these before the heat of the summer sets in. In most areas this time is 6-8 weeks in length which is more than enough time for these quick crops.
Summer
Early summer, temps have stabilized and remain well above freezing even at night time. Wait to plant until soils have fully warmed.. Fully warmed is in the 60's.
This is the time you do your tillage and add soil amendments. Till up the now bolting spring crops. Add compost. Get ready for the tomatoes, Cucumbers, squash, melons, and beans. You can leave crops like carrots or the beets to get huge. This period in most of the country lasts 100-120 days plenty of time. Sit back and enjoy a glass of lemon aid.
Early summer, temps have stabilized and remain well above freezing even at night time. Wait to plant until soils have fully warmed.. Fully warmed is in the 60's.
This is the time you do your tillage and add soil amendments. Till up the now bolting spring crops. Add compost. Get ready for the tomatoes, Cucumbers, squash, melons, and beans. You can leave crops like carrots or the beets to get huge. This period in most of the country lasts 100-120 days plenty of time. Sit back and enjoy a glass of lemon aid.
Fall crop.
This planting happens 6 to 8 weeks from your First frost. It will still be hot but no worries. You should try to start them in trays. The hot soil will stall germination but you can transplant nearly right away.
Plant
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Collards, cauliflower, lettuce, beets, turnips, rutabaga, Chinese greens, Carrots, and edible pod peas. For Radishes and spinach (1 week before first frost).
This planting happens 6 to 8 weeks from your First frost. It will still be hot but no worries. You should try to start them in trays. The hot soil will stall germination but you can transplant nearly right away.
Plant
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Collards, cauliflower, lettuce, beets, turnips, rutabaga, Chinese greens, Carrots, and edible pod peas. For Radishes and spinach (1 week before first frost).
Few crops that take the whole season are worth the effort at small scale. Those that are IMHO... Onions and leeks, potatoes, and Sweet corn. For these I would make a separate area away from the rotational garden so they don't take up the room for the rotation crops that can be very abundant.
This is not an exhaustive list of crops but it should give you the idea that succession planting can produce great abundance in a small area with proper execution. On a practical note we overlap quite a bit and generally are planting the tomatoes into just cleared spinach beds, then planting cabbage in the shade of the green beans.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
No real hard fast temp for the crops listed. Most will germinate as long as the ground isn't frozen.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Thanks, it took a long time for the ground to get above 56F here this year.