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Garden Planning, Succession & Crop RotationIntercropping Calendar
Intercropping packs more into a bed by growing crops together, but it only works when timing, spacing and plant needs line up.
Key points
- Intercropping grows crops together; rotation and succession change crops over time.
- Draw each crop on a shared timeline using your frost dates.
- Pair crops with different heights, root depths and seasons, but not the same family.
- Test one pair at a time and compare with a single-crop bed.
What is intercropping?
Intercropping is growing two or more crops in the same area at the same time. The crops may be mixed, grown in alternating rows, grown in strips, or planted so that one is harvested before the other fills the space. It is used on farms and in home gardens to make better use of light, water and soil.
It differs from rotation, which changes crops over time, and from succession, which places crops one after another.
Home gardeners often do it without a name, for example when they tuck lettuce between tomato plants or plant beans at the base of corn.
What are the main styles?
Knowing the styles helps you choose one that fits your beds and your equipment.
Row intercropping and strip intercropping suit farm equipment, and mixed or relay styles suit hand-tended beds.
On farms, intercropping raises extra questions about machinery, harvest equipment and herbicide labels, since a product approved for one crop may not be allowed on the other. Read labels carefully, and ask your extension office or a certified crop adviser before spraying a mixed planting.
- Mixed: crops scattered together in a bed
- Row: alternating rows of different crops
- Strip: wider bands of each crop
- Relay: second crop started before the first is harvested
- Trellis and understory: a vining crop above a shade-tolerant crop
How do you time each crop?
Draw each crop's life on a shared timeline. Mark when it is sown, when it needs full light, and when it is harvested. Fast crops such as radish and lettuce are good fillers because they are out of the way before slow crops need the room.
Use frost dates to place the start. A cool-season crop can go in before the last spring frost, with a warm-season crop set out among them later. For example, if lettuce is sown in early spring, tomato transplants might be placed beside it after frost danger has passed, and the lettuce is cut before the tomatoes crowd it. Check your state extension planting guide for dates for your area.
In a garden, a simple mixed bed can start with a tall crop on the north side, a medium crop in the middle and a low, shade-tolerant crop on the south side. That layout gives each crop a share of the light and makes harvest easier.
How should you choose crop pairs?
Look for differences in height, root depth, and season. A deep-rooted crop beside a shallow-rooted one draws on different layers of soil, and a tall crop beside a shade-tolerant one makes use of light that would otherwise be wasted.
Avoid pairing crops with the same family or the same pests, and avoid pairing heavy feeders that compete for the same nutrients. Where water needs differ widely, irrigation becomes awkward.
Check that the crops are compatible in watering needs, soil fertility and temperature, and match varieties to the pairing so one does not overwhelm the other.
What about spacing and yield?
Crowding reduces airflow, raises disease pressure and can reduce yield in both crops. Follow extension spacing advice as a guide, and treat any intercrop as needing at least the space a single crop would need, adjusted for the pair's growth habits.
Yield claims for intercropping vary by crop pair and by site, so avoid assuming a bonus. Test small areas and compare with single-crop plots in your own garden.
How does intercropping affect rotation and pests?
Record both families for each bed. The rotation rule still applies: avoid placing either family where it, or a relative, grew last season. Mixed crops can make it harder for some pests to find a host, but they can also hide problems, so scout more carefully.
For identification and treatment questions, ask extension. Follow pesticide labels, observe pre-harvest intervals, and protect pollinators. Rules about who may apply products vary by state.
How do you start?
Pick one pair and one bed. Sow a fast crop between rows of a slow crop, record dates and results, and compare with a plain bed. Next year, add another pair.
Gradual trials teach you more than a complex plan. Over time you will build a list of pairings that work in your soil and climate.
Photograph the beds every two weeks so you can see how the pairing develops and compare with notes at harvest.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 2026. Educational information, ranges only. Confirm timing with your county extension office.