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Vegetable Crop Calendars (A–C)Succession Planting Chart for 20 Common Vegetables
Succession planting means resowing or replanting so harvests arrive in steady waves instead of one big pile. The right interval depends on the crop, the season and your frost dates.
Key points
- Succession means small, staggered sowings or follow-up crops, not extra days in the season.
- Radishes are the best-documented example, at roughly every 7 to 10 days or every one to two weeks.
- Set intervals from days to maturity, how quickly the crop declines and your frost dates.
- Plan follow-up crops and rotate plant families.
What is succession planting?
Succession planting spreads harvests over time by sowing small batches at intervals, or by following one crop with another in the same bed. It helps with crops that mature fast and decline quickly, such as radishes and bush beans, and with crops you want to keep fresh over months.
It does not add days to the season. It uses the days you have more evenly, and it needs your own frost dates to set the start and end.
Think of it as two tools: stagger the same crop over time, or follow one crop with a different one in the same bed. Most gardens use both.
Which crops have published intervals?
Iowa State Extension suggests a new radish batch every 7 to 10 days, and Alabama Extension suggests every one to two weeks. These are the best-documented intervals for fast crops. Iowa State also says daikon takes 7 to 10 weeks, so those need a different plan.
For other crops, I did not retrieve a published interval, so I give a method below. Check your state extension planting guide for the range for your area.
These two sources agree on the idea even though their numbers differ, which shows that local weather, variety and market all affect the right interval. Start with their range and adjust from your own results.
How do you set an interval for any crop?
Use the days to maturity on the packet. For a crop that holds well in the garden, resow every few weeks. For a crop that declines fast, resow more often, and for a crop with a long season, plant once and succeed with a different crop afterward.
For example, if a crop is at peak for about a week, sowing every week keeps one batch always at peak. Adjust from your own experience.
What does a chart look like for 20 crops?
Group them by behavior. Fast, quick-decline crops include radishes, lettuce, spinach, bush beans, cilantro and baby greens, which suit small, frequent sowings. Medium crops include carrots, beets, turnips, peas, summer squash, cucumbers and kale, which suit sowings every few weeks within a window. Long-season crops include tomatoes, peppers, okra, sweet potatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, watermelon and onions, which suit one planting and then a follow-up crop.
Then write each crop's start and stop dates from your own last and first frost, rather than copying someone else's table.
A simple way to build your own chart is a table with a row per crop and columns for packet days, interval between sowings, first sowing date and last sowing date. Fill it from your frost dates, then update it each year with what actually happened.
When should you stop sowing each crop?
Count back from your first fall frost using days to maturity plus a margin. Cool-season crops may have a second window in late summer, and heat-sensitive crops need a summer gap. Iowa State Extension warns that summer heat makes radishes spongy and woody, so skip them then.
Peas show the regional difference: Missouri Extension suggests August for fall peas, while Maryland Extension says fall peas often perform poorly there.
For example, if your first fall frost usually falls in mid October and a bush bean planting needs about 55 days, the last sowing might fall in mid to late August, once margin is subtracted. This is an example only, so use your own packet days and frost date.
How do you plan follow-up crops?
Plan what follows each crop. After peas, plant beans or squash. After onions, plant fall greens or root crops. After early squash, plant a fall cool-season crop.
Rotate families so the same crop does not follow itself. Keep a journal of dates and results to refine your chart each year.
Leave gaps on purpose. A bed that rests, grows a cover crop or gets compost is not wasted, and it helps the next crop.
What should you watch for?
Succession planting concentrates pests on young plants, so scout often. Water new sowings steadily, since seed in dry soil germinates unevenly.
For pest identification and current options, contact your county extension office. Follow every label, observe pre-harvest intervals and protect pollinators.
Do not skip records. A chart without notes on what worked is just a guess, and your own garden notes are the most reliable source you will have.
Timing at a glance
| Item | Window | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Radish succession, Iowa | A new batch every 7 to 10 days | Iowa State guidance; stop before summer heat and use your own frost dates. |
| Radish succession, Alabama | A new batch every 1 to 2 weeks | Alabama Extension; adjust to local season. |
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 2026. Educational information, ranges only. Confirm timing with your county extension office.