Just love succession planting

[hendi_alex]

Pulled garlic yesterday, and freed up the bed space for edamame. Planted three blocks, and will try to plant two more later. The edamame and snap beans are competing for space allocation. Guess I'll plant two more blocks of green beans, then will look to find a spot for more edamame, maybe when the lettuce is through.

[digitS']

Alex, my garden probably has half the number of growing season days as yours does. And, I do my very best with succession planting .

Also, I have grown soybeans for edamame (and tofu) the last 2 years. Even tho', I have no idea how far I'd have to go to find a field of soybeans. There are early-maturing varieties and I've tried several of those and found that they can do just fine in my garden.

Green beans can be planted well into July here. Summer squash matures a crop when transplants are set out on the first of that month.

I should have a bed of bok choy (from transplants) freed-up in just about 10 days. Really, most anything can go in that bed then . Lettuce as transplants allows me to get a jump on the salad veggie season but I can continue to sow lettuce seed in containers so it is always available when garden space is. Even late in summer when the seedling might burn up or bolt in the open garden, lettuce will be okay in light shade in the backyard until the weather begins to cool in late August. Then, out they go into the garden.

I used to grow cover crops but they have really been replaced by veggies. At least, I've got a constant supply of trimmings and even the vegetables themselves, which might run past their prime, just waiting to go back into the soil. With buying seed in larger packets and a little seed-saving - I'm good to go!

Steve

[hendi_alex]

There is almost never an idle spot. Sounds like we are on the same page!

[gardenbean]

Since the weather here (Colorado) has been on the wet and damp side this year, my peas have been slow to grow. But once they are done, what should I plant in their space? Any suggestions please. I want some veggie that will carry into fall.

[hendi_alex]

If you plant cucumber plants they may last until frost. You could probably plant two batches of green beans one after the other as they only take 45-50 days to mature. Peppers may last until frost, but might need some shade during the hottest part of the summer. A bed of arugula planted this time of the year should continue to produce salad greens past the first frost as they are very cold hearty and the plants don't tend to bolt when planted late spring or early summer.

[gixxerific]

Awesome I kinda wish my garlic would be done that is where I would like to plant beans myself.

[stella1751]

This year, I will be conducting my first succession planting, once the weather settles down. I bought corn seeds that are supposed to mature in 60 days. I saved my front four beds for these puppies. I think if I space them out, planting a bed every 10 days beginning June 1, I should have corn through mid-September, and I can freeze everything I don't eat. (Snow is forecast for Memorial Day weekend, so I decided to wait until that weather system moves through )

I'm pretty excited to try this. The front garden will look barren for far longer than normal, but the thought of a constant supply of fresh corn will make the ugly appearance well worth waiting! It will also give the beds plenty of time to dry out from our wet, wet May so I can works lots of goodies into them.

If anyone has tips to offer on this succession planting, I'd be glad to hear them!

[hendi_alex]

For the past two years I've planted corn in conventional rows. Last year planted three rows about 25 feet long. This year have planted three rows in one spot, about 22 feet long and planted three rows a couple weeks later, about 20 feet long. The first planting is yellow corn and the second is white corn. Next year I'll take these two spaces and subdivide them into three blocks each. Will then make a planting of both yellow and white, and like you will space the plantings about 10 days apart. I believe this will be a better way to have a prolonged harvest of both yellow and white sweet corn. The big problem with succession planting of corn in this way is with corn ear worm infestation. The earliest corn to ripen almost never has just a slight problem with the worms. But then as each patch ripens, the problem with the worms gets worse and worse. So it may be better to grow only one or two patches, and freeze the excess, if the corn ear worm problem is too great in late ripening corn.

Another problem that I have is with the corn's proximity to tomato plants in my main gardening area. The corn ear worms tend to migrate to the tomato plants, and they do so much damage. Makes me sick the way they bore just enough to cause a tomato to rot, and then go from tomato to tomato, often destroying an entire cluster or two before the damage is noticed.

[digitS']

Since the weather here (Colorado) has been on the wet and damp side this year, my peas have been slow to grow. But once they are done, what should I plant in their space? Any suggestions please. I want some veggie that will carry into fall.

Mostly, I have sown beans after peas. The peas are out of the way in early July and bush beans will make a crop before frost if I can get the seed in the ground by the 15th of the month. It gets a little iffy after that.

Putting a few summer squash seeds in containers in mid/late June will allow me to plop those plants in any larger space that comes available. If they can go in the first week of July, they will have lovely squash in September. And, as Alex suggests, I bet cucumbers would work too - need to try that!

If the peas can't come out until mid or late July, you may want to just plant peas again. Usually, the last week of July is the hottest of the year and here I am out there staggering around in the heat planting snow peas. If they slow down too much in late September, the tendrils make good additions to salads and can be stir-fried. They taste just like peas! But, snow peas usually make pods and I've picked them when they've been covered with October frost.

I don't find that there's much I can plant in early August but I used to sow winter rye at that time. Mid to late August, I'm back to the Spring Greens! They gotta be fairly quick (Asian greens are a good choice) because the cooling temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight slows growth in September. However, they are tender, sweet, and the bugs usually leave them alone at that time of year!

. . . just what works for me here.

Steve

[stella1751]

For the past two years I've planted corn in conventional rows. Last year planted three rows about 25 feet long. This year have planted three rows in one spot, about 22 feet long and planted three rows a couple weeks later, about 20 feet long. The first planting is yellow corn and the second is white corn. Next year I'll take these two spaces and subdivide them into three blocks each. Will then make a planting of both yellow and white, and like you will space the plantings about 10 days apart. I believe this will be a better way to have a prolonged harvest of both yellow and white sweet corn. The big problem with succession planting of corn in this way is with corn ear worm infestation. The earliest corn to ripen almost never has just a slight problem with the worms. But then as each patch ripens, the problem with the worms gets worse and worse. So it may be better to grow only one or two patches, and freeze the excess, if the corn ear worm problem is too great in late ripening corn.

Another problem that I have is with the corn's proximity to tomato plants in my main gardening area. The corn ear worms tend to migrate to the tomato plants, and they do so much damage. Makes me sick the way they bore just enough to cause a tomato to rot, and then go from tomato to tomato, often destroying an entire cluster or two before the damage is noticed.

Thanks for the heads up about the corn ear worm! I haven't grown corn in seven or eight years, back when I was in Cheyenne, but I didn't see any then. It might be one of those bugs that we don't have up here, one that doesn't over-winter well. Nevertheless, it's something to watch out for, just in case. If memory serves, the only bug I've seen in my corn is earwigs. I will need to remember to shuck them outside.

I'm experimenting with a new rotation this year. Rather than grow crops I don't like and won't eat myself, just so I can maintain a sensible rotation, I am growing what I like, which is corn, melons/pumpkins, tomatoes/peppers. This year, tomatoes/peppers will be in the back yard, a long ways away from the corn, which will be in the front. Next year, the way I've got things planned, those positions will be reversed. By the third year, which is when they will wind up in the same yard, I'll know for certain whether we have corn ear worms up here. It's something to think about. Thanks!

[gardenbean]

Thanks everyone for some suggestions on what to plant in my pea beds once they are done.

[jal_ut]

Lucky you. I have enough time for one crop of most things. I can get a second crop of radishes.

[hendi_alex]

Yes, but once yours get started the garden grows like crazy, almost no disease. No need to plant a second crop of cucumbers , squash, or tomatoes because they produce from early summer until frost. Plus that view, which is beyond measure. Each area certainly has its strong points.

[jal_ut]

The corn earworm adult is a night flying insect. You can greatly reduce the adults by putting one of those electronic bug killer lights near your corn patch.

Another thing that works is to take some mineral oil and an eye dropper and put a drop of oil on the silks when they emerge. This may be OK for a small planting, but too time consuming for the size of corn patch I plant.

I don't think the corn earworm can winter over in Wyoming nor Utah because of the extreme cold, however they winter farther south and head north as the weather permits. Some years they don't make it here, other years they get bad.

[stella1751]

The corn earworm adult is a night flying insect. You can greatly reduce the adults by putting one of those electronic bug killer lights near your corn patch.

Another thing that works is to take some mineral oil and an eye dropper and put a drop of oil on the silks when they emerge. This may be OK for a small planting, but too time consuming for the size of corn patch I plant.

I don't think the corn earworm can winter over in Wyoming nor Utah because of the extreme cold, however they winter farther south and head north as the weather permits. Some years they don't make it here, other years they get bad.

Good tip. What kind of oil?

BTW, we have an ugly Memorial Day weather system moving in. According to the weather alert issued, this one is coming up through Utah

[hendi_alex]

Plan is going very well so far this summer. Squash vines are about spent, but four replacements are growing vigorously, ready to bloom in a week or two. Tomatoes keep dying, giving up to disease, by the ones and twos, but my stock of replacement plants remains quite healthy and as a plant dies another goes into the ground as a replacement. The replacement plants are taking hold and growing well, to provide for an extended season. Cucumber vines are slowing a bit, but two vines are just about ready to move into production. Will plant another few vines this week. Beans have been producing continuously, with the last batch now coming into bloom. Will plant another batch this week, but am not confident as temperatures remain in the 90's. Second wave of corn is now filling out and should extend the corn harvest to five or six weeks of continuous sweet corn. The corn this year has been simply outstanding. Last planting of arugula is continuing to produce in spite of the heat.

[digitS']

Alex, you are so far ahead of me, I'm a little shy about responding.

It has been about 6 weeks since the last frost. I replaced the bok choy with . . . more bok choy . The first bok choy was started in the greenhouse and set out. The 2nd bok choy was from seed sown in the garden, thinned and the extra plants moved to that bed. I harvested the first of those plants yesterday.

Lettuce starts have gone out just about weekly for about 2 months. That might continue for another week . . .

More zucchini seed was started and the seedlings transplanted out. I've done this a number of times and begin getting fruit from those late zucchini plants about the 1st of September. Usually, I set those out between the early cabbage but this year I decided to put them in with the kohlrabi.

The kohlrabi are just now coming off so the zukes should be able to make use of that space quickly. In the early cabbage, I've planted cucumbers. I'm not terribly optimistic about this but the cukes that I set out in May don't look so great. They took one 35°F morning a month ago and dang near died! (Some of the melons DID die and had to be replaced.)

None of my sweet corn will be "knee-high by the 4th of July" this year for about the 1st time, I'm sorry to say. Four staggered sowings were made. Too much cool June weather this year . . . If you have had sweltering weather there in the Southeast maybe thinking of this will help: Here in the interior of the Northwest, the 85° we had yesterday was the warmest so far this year . . . 300 miles from the Pacific - maybe we need some taller volcanoes in the Cascades !

Steve
who had better be careful what he wishes for . .

[hendi_alex]

First bed of bush beans has been pulled. Second and third plantings are still flowering and setting pods. Just planted a third planting, they are just now sprouting. Probably will plant two or three more batches. I am also going to plant some climbing green beans on the northeast side of some rows of corn. The beans will give a little nitrogen back to the spot, will run up the corn stalks, and will receive shade from the brutal south west afternoon sun.

I'm still getting a trickle of cucumbers from my first two plantings, but have now made a third planting which has now sprouted. I placed two hills on the east side of a shade cloth barrier, which will help protect them from the late afternoon sun.

Last week I pulled up the last of my early squash plants, but still have a few squash in the fridge. The replacement plants are just now setting fruit and are looking good. I've planted yet another planting which is just sprouting. They are located on the east side of a row of corn, so they as well will be shaded from the afternoon sun.

Tomato plants continue to succumb to various wilt or disease but remaining plants are making lots of tomatoes. My store of replacement plants is still around a dozen, so as a plant dies, a replacement goes in the ground. So far things are looking good for a long season of tomatoes.

[garden5]

Alex, do you start your replacement tomatoes from seed, or do you pot-up suckers from the large ones. I've considered taking the suckers from the ones that I prune and using them as reserves to the ones that die.

You're quite ahead of me so far this year. I've not even gotten a single cucumber.

[hendi_alex]

All of the above and more. I don't toss tomato plants into the compost pile, but kitchen scraps including tomato peels and trimmings do go there. This year that resulted in dozens of volunteer tomato plants. Though they represent pot luck as to the variety, the plants have been a useful source for replacement plants. I also pinch suckers and remove all but the smallest upper leaves, and place them in one gallon nursery pots which are placed in the filtered light beneath my lattice potting bench. Most all take root and never slow down, giving healthy replacement plants for later in the season. Also, just to have some true to name, disease free replacements, I'll usually start a few from seeds in early to mid May with the idea of moving the plants to the garden in late June or early July. None of these methods gives fool proof results, but in combination they generally provide us with more than enough replacement plants to help carry the harvest into late fall.

[hendi_alex]

It has been really hot for the past month and a half or longer, except for a couple of days always in the 90's or hotter. That heat, drought, and humidity have been tough on the tender leaved squash and cucumber vines. Most of my cucumbers are planted so that they only get morning sun, so not much trouble there as they also get watered twice per day with automatic watering set up. Still the long vines got tired and production has slowed way down.

As posted earlier, I pulled my April planted squash, after replacement plants were within a few days of production. I've now planted another batch of squash hopefully to carry me through to frost. Here are a few photos. It seems to me that young squash produce much better than old worn out vines, even when the gardener can keep the old ones alive. So I just plan on pulling the old ones whenever they look tired or have other problems that grow worse on older plants.

Replacement plants for my April planted squash. They started producing within about a week of the others being pulled. Have been giving us a steady stream of produce ever since.

These are under shade cloth and really appreciate the relief from the direct hot sun.

[img]https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/5958455949_c06cfec010_o.jpg[/img]

This and one other hill are planted in the direct sunlight. The zucchini seem to tolerate the sun better than the tender leaved yellow squash.

[img]https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5959015282_3a20118d68_o.jpg[/img]

I have four hills of even younger plants, planted on the NE side of corn stalks to block the afternoon sun.

[img]https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5958456343_57377a6268_o.jpg[/img]

This is a third planting of cucumber vines. They are under shade cloth beside the squash. I also just planted four hills of cucumber seeds in a morning sun only raised bed location.

[img]https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5958457587_56896a8370_o.jpg[/img]

This succession of plants has kept us in a constant supply of squash and cucumbers. Without fresh plantings we would be lucky to keep the old vines producing much beyond early July. Pulling the old squash vines allowed me to get rid of the mildew and also eliminate most of the squash bugs. The bugs were very easy to find and kill on the smaller young plants of the new planting. A succession of squash/zucchini plants also helps avoid periods of SVB activity, acting as an insurance policy of sorts. A combination of planting in half day sun or under shade cloth and keeping fresh plants growing works really well for the cucumbers and most any other tender plant when planting in the deep south during July and August.

[soil]

I have my fall crops growing under my amaranth right now ( which is about 6ft) nice and cool, and moist perfect for their germination and early growth. when I harvest the amaranth the cool weather stuff will be ready to bust into growth.

[TheWaterbug]

My corn should be ready in a few weeks, and I'm wondering what to put in its place. I have 75 stalks in 3 rows of ~25' each, with rows spaced about 3' apart.

If I plant snow peas, soybeans, etc., should I leave the corn stalks for them to climb?

Or should I just rip them out and start fresh?

Or should I plant the peas and beans between the rows now?

Anything else that's symbiotic with corn stalks?

[hendi_alex]

Climbing green beans are great to plant at the base of corn stalks. The beans will even add a bit of nitrogen for the next year's corn crop.

[TheWaterbug]

Climbing green beans are great to plant at the base of corn stalks. The beans will even add a bit of nitrogen for the next year's corn crop.

Soybean seeds are soaking right now . . . .

[soil]

soybeans don't climb, they bush.

[TheWaterbug]

soybeans don't climb, they bush.

Well, there goes _that_ plan for world domination.

What about snow peas? Will they climb corn stalks?

Any other suggestions for tasty beans and peas that climb?