The short version: Succession planting means sowing small amounts of a crop at intervals rather than a whole packet at once, so the harvest comes in steadily instead of all together. The main approaches are sowing the same crop every two to three weeks, growing varieties with different maturity times side by side, or replanting a finished bed with the next crop. It suits quick crops such as lettuce, radish, rocket, beans, carrots and beetroot, and the timing shifts by season and zone.
A single packet of lettuce sown all at once tends to mature all at once: a glut, then a bare bed. Succession planting smooths that out, giving a steadier supply and fewer lettuces staring at you from the kitchen bench.
Sow the same crop every few weeks
Sow a small amount of the same crop every two to three weeks through its season. Each sowing matures a little after the last, so you are less likely to pick everything at once. A simple approach is to sow a few seeds every week or fortnight, starting early in the season.
The interval is a guide, not a rule. Crops grow fast in warm weather and the gaps shorten, while cooler weather slows growth and the sowings stretch apart. How quickly the last batch came on tells you more than any fixed schedule, and a note on the packet keeps the rhythm going.
This habit suits fast, repeat-harvest crops especially well. Lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onions and coriander all respond to little-and-often sowing, giving a handful to pick each week rather than a sudden flood.
Grow varieties that mature at different times
Sow several varieties of the same crop together, choosing ones that mature at different rates. An early, a mid-season and a later variety sown on the same day can spread the harvest over several weeks from a single planting.
This works neatly for crops you would rather not sow over and over, such as beans, sweet corn and brassicas. Seed packets often list days to maturity, so reading the label helps you pick a spread. It also suits crops with a narrow sowing window.
Follow one crop with the next
Follow-on cropping is succession across the whole season rather than within one crop. As soon as a bed finishes, you clear and replant it, so the ground rarely sits bare for long.
A spring sowing of peas or broad beans might be followed by a summer crop of beans, then leafy greens as the weather cools. The bed keeps quietly working for much of the year.
This is where succession and crop rotation meet. Following a hungry crop with a lighter feeder, or a leafy crop with a legume, can help keep the soil in good heart and break some pest and disease cycles. A barrow of compost between crops helps too.
Slip fast crops in between slow ones
Intercropping uses the space around slower crops by tucking quick ones in beside them. Fast growers such as radish, rocket and lettuce can be sown between young brassicas, tomatoes or sweet corn, then picked before the slow crop needs the room.
The fast crop is up and gone while the main crop is still finding its feet, so you get two harvests from one patch of soil. It can also shade the ground and reduce weeds in the gaps. Keep an eye on spacing, and pull the quick crop as soon as it is ready.
Best crops for succession planting
The best candidates grow fast, are picked young, or come and go quickly enough to leave gaps worth filling. A few groups reward little-and-often sowing most:
- Leafy and salad crops: lettuce, rocket, mustard greens, spinach and silverbeet.
- Quick root and pod crops: radish, baby carrots, beetroot, spring onions and bush beans.
- Tender herbs: coriander and dill, which bolt fast and suit repeat sowing.
Leafy greens are the classic choice and can also be picked cut-and-come-again. Slower, single-harvest crops such as chillies, tomatoes and storage vegetables matter less here, since one good planting usually does the job. You will find most of the quick crops in the vegetable seeds range.
How season and zone change the timing
Succession timing is not fixed, because how fast a crop grows depends on warmth, day length and your climate zone. The same crop sown in summer heat can race to maturity, while a cool-season sowing takes much longer. For a month-by-month sense of what suits your conditions, a state guide such as Green Adelaide's food gardening what to plant when is a handy start.
In tropical and subtropical gardens such as Darwin, Cairns and Brisbane, warmth allows succession sowing across much of the year, though the wet season and summer heat can pause leafy crops. In temperate gardens like Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, the main window runs through the warmer months.
In mediterranean zones, including Perth and southern Western Australia along with Adelaide, mild wet winters and dry summers favour autumn and spring sowing, and mulch helps stop the bed turning into a biscuit through the dry. In arid and semi-arid areas such as Alice Springs and Mildura, succession works best outside the harshest heat. In cool and alpine areas such as the southern tablelands and Tasmanian highlands, the short season tightens the window, so mixed-maturity varieties can suit better than long runs of repeat sowing. The Australian winter runs June to August, and many crops slow right down through it.
Frequently asked questions
What is succession planting?
Sowing small amounts of a crop at intervals instead of all at once, so harvests come in steadily rather than in a single glut. It can also mean growing varieties with different maturity times together, or replanting a bed as soon as one crop finishes.
How often should I sow for a continuous harvest?
A common guide is a small batch every two to three weeks through the crop's season. Treat that as a starting point, since crops grow faster in warm weather and slower in cool. Your last sowing is the best guide to the next.
Which vegetables are best for succession planting?
Fast or repeat-harvest crops suit it best, including lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onions, coriander, baby carrots, beetroot and bush beans. Leafy greens picked cut-and-come-again work neatly alongside it. Slower crops are better staggered through variety choice than weekly sowing.
Does succession planting work alongside crop rotation?
Yes. Follow-on cropping replants a finished bed with a different crop, which is a natural moment to rotate plant families. Following a hungry crop with a legume, or a leafy crop with a lighter feeder, can help keep the soil in good heart and break some pest cycles.
Can I succession plant in a small garden?
Yes, and small gardens can benefit a great deal. Sowing a short row at a time helps avoid gluts you cannot use and keeps a tight space productive. Intercropping and replanting beds promptly stretch limited ground further.
When should I start succession sowing in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone and the crop, since timing shifts with warmth and day length. In warmer zones many crops can be sown across much of the year, while temperate and cool gardens have a tighter warm-season window.
A patch that feeds you a little at a time, week after week, is far more useful than one that gives everything at once and then sits empty. Sow little and often, follow one crop with the next, and let fast crops fill the gaps. For a head start on each new sowing, see our guide to starting seeds indoors.
Related growing guides
- What to grow in winter
- Vegetables to sow in September
- Beating the glut: keeping the summer harvest coming
Ready to plant? Browse our Vegetable Seeds.