The cutoff date is the whole trick
Spring succession is easy — the hard question is when to stop. Each sowing needs its full days-to-maturity before your first fall frost, plus a buffer because September growth is slower than June growth. The planner counts that back per crop, then adds grace for hardy vegetables that keep sizing up through light frosts.
last sowing = first frost − days to maturity − buffer (+ hardy grace)
Intervals that match how you eat
Sow what you clear in one interval: a household that eats two heads of lettuce a week and sows every 14 days should sow four heads at a time. Fast croppers (radishes, arugula) suit 7–10 day rhythms; slower ones (carrots, beets, beans) fit 14–21. When a sowing fails or bolts, skip it — the next one is already scheduled.
Keep the bed, change the crop
Succession planting pairs naturally with relay cropping: when spring lettuce bolts in the heat, its slot goes to bush beans; when beans tire in August, the slot comes back to fall spinach. The planting calendar shows which crops are in window at hand-off time, and the spacing calculator sizes each sowing to the space you actually have.
Frequently asked questions
What is succession planting?
Sowing the same crop repeatedly at short intervals — every 1–3 weeks — instead of all at once, so harvests arrive in a steady stream rather than a glut. It’s the difference between salad every week all season and forty heads of lettuce in June.
Which crops are worth succession planting?
Fast, direct-sown crops that mature all at once: lettuce, radishes, arugula, spinach, bush beans, beets, carrots, turnips, cilantro, dill, sweet corn, and scallions. Slow single-harvest crops (tomatoes, peppers, winter squash) produce continuously or store — they don’t need it.
How late can I keep sowing?
Count back from your first fall frost: the last sowing needs enough days to mature before frost, plus a small buffer for slowing autumn growth. Hardy crops (kale, spinach, carrots) get extra grace — light frosts improve them. The planner computes this cutoff per crop automatically.
Why do my midsummer lettuce sowings fail?
Heat. Cool-season crops bolt to seed and turn bitter in high summer — the planner flags sowings that land in the hottest stretch. Work around it with shade cloth, bolt-resistant varieties, or by pausing those crops until late summer and switching the bed to beans meanwhile.