Succession Planting - Grow More Vegetables in Less Space

If you have a small amount of space to plant a vegetable garden, you are probably eager to get the most out of it. Succession planting is a great way to accomplish this. This practice involves growing the same or complementary crops in the same spot continuously throughout the season in order to maximize the yield a garden can produce. In other words, succession planting combines the efficient use of space and timing to obtain better results. 

Companion planting of carrots and onions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many novice gardeners mistakenly believe that planting and sowing seeds is a one-and-done process that only happens at the beginning of the growing season. So, they head out to the garden each spring, get some plants and seeds in the ground… and wait for the magic to happen.

Unfortunately, following this one-off approach to planting is almost guaranteed to cause many peaks and valleys in what can be harvested throughout the season. If you want your garden to produce an abundant supply of fresh produce all season long, you need to plan ahead for it.

Plan Ahead for Successful Succession Planting 

To create a successful succession-planting plan for your garden, you need to take a number of variables into account. For example, you’ll want to consider how long each crop takes to reach maturity, how long it produces once mature, and which crops can be harmoniously planted in the same space at different times throughout the season.

Although the number of variables involved in succession planting may seem a little intimidating at first, don’t let that discourage you. It may take some practice, but you can definitely get the hang of it. If you are just starting out, choose only one or two beds or containers to practice in your first year. Also, take detailed notes in your garden journal throughout the growing season so you know what worked - and what didn’t - when next season rolls around.

Getting Started with Succession Planting

Before you start digging in the dirt, you’ll want to have a good idea of what you plan to grow. Start by making a list of which plants you want to grow in your succession planting area. As you are compiling this list, make sure you note the correct variety of each plant, because there is a lot of diversity among different varieties of the same plant species.

Then, next to each plant variety on your list, note how long that particular plant takes to reach maturity, is it heat or cold tolerant, how many hours of sunlight it needs each day, what type of soil it prefers, and its spacing requirements. The back of seed packets and garden catalogs are great starting points for this exercise.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once you know what you’d like to grow in your selected space, decide if you want to focus on growing the same crop throughout the season or if you want to try inter-planting more than one variety. Lettuce and herbs like basil and cilantro are great for repeated sowing all season long. However, if you want to try more than one crop, try to find a couple of recommended companion plants for your favorite choices.

If you need more information on companion planting, there are tons of great resources and books available on this topic.  The best ones provide a lot of great information to help in your planning process.  Online resources are nice, but it’s always good to have a hard copy on hand for future reference. (Click the "companion planting" tag below this post for more articles on this topic - and check out the suggestions below for some hard-copy resources.)

Although succession planting may seem complicated at first, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can make it work for you. By applying the principles of succession planting to your own backyard garden, you’ll soon be growing more fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs throughout the season than you ever thought possible.

Recommended Resources for Succession & Companion Planting:
   

Tasty & Unique Plants to Add To Your Garden

If you take a look at the average garden bed you're likely going to find your standard vegetable garden staples. Neat rows of carrots, nicely staked peas, and plump red radishes are great choices, but some of us out there want to live on the wild side and grow something new or different. If you're looking to add a little flair of excitement to your vegetable garden this year then look no further. Here's some tasty choices that will have your neighbors peering over the fence and asking “What is that?” when they catch a glimpse of your unique veggie picks.

Amaranth – This veggie is not for people with a height complex as by the time it's finished growing it could easily end up taller than you! They grow up to eight feet in height and produce beautiful reddish gold flowers, giving your garden a bit of eye candy as well. The leaves taste great chopped up in salads or in a stir fry, lending a uniquely tangy and nutty flavor that's sure to please. And the seeds are also a healthy addition to cereals, oatmeal, and baked goods.

Peanuts – Whether you're looking to grind them up for some homemade peanut butter or use them in a delicious meal, these tasty and healthy legumes could be just what you're looking for. They're fun to plant and watch grow and your possibilities for preparing them are endless. If you wanted to, you could pluck them right out of the ground and eat them right from the shell, they're that good!

Swiss chard (Photo credit: greenhem)

Chard – Another great looking vegetable that would look as much at home in a flower garden as it will among your other veggies. Swiss chard offers tons of great ways to cook and serve it, and newer varieties of rainbow Swiss chard both look and taste absolutely fantastic.

Eggplant – Nothing beats the eggplant when it comes to the delectable flavors of international cuisine. Used all over the world, from Italy to Thailand, you're sure to find an option for you and your family to enjoy from casseroles to soups or even sliced and grilled right on the barbecue! No matter how you cook it you can't go wrong with something that tastes this good. (I used to hate eggplant when I was little, but now I look forward to it every summer!) With beautiful purple, green, or white fruits, it will add some visual interest to your garden as well.

Romanesco – If you're looking for a vegetable to add to your garden that looks like it's from another planet then check out this one! A veggie in the same family as cauliflower and cabbage, these crazy looking vegetables aren't just really cool, they're really healthy! Excellent sources of tons of great vitamins, they look so pretty you may have a hard time pulling them up to eat them.

Each and every one of these planting ideas are guaranteed to look great in your garden and taste great on your plate, but when it comes down to it, it's your garden and your choice. The possibilities are practically endless so get out there and find the perfect, one of a kind veggies for you and your family to enjoy!

The Cost of Growing Your Own Veggies - Part 2

We've already covered some of the costs involved in starting a vegetable garden and now we're going to discuss a few more. That way you’re going into this endeavor with your eyes wide open.

If you're going to be a gardener, you need some tools to tend the garden. You don't have to have every gizmo out there, just the ones you'll really use. Research some of the tools and pick what will work best for you and your situation. Tools are something you buy once, although garden gloves are a different story.

How to save: Look for sales on the tools you need, especially when it's off season. You'll get better deals at the end of summer rather than in the spring. One place to get spectacular bargains are at estate sales. Once you have the tools, you should take good care of them. Make sure you put them away somewhere where they are protected and store them clean. At the end of the season give them a good cleaning and add a coat of protective oil as directed. (Check the gardening section of our website for good prices on some recommended tools.)

Every year you need plants to stick into the ground, right? Not necessarily; some plants will over-winter so you don't have to start totally over. Other than that, yes, plants are needed.

Runner bean seeds (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How to save: It depends on where you live but take note of many herbs like rosemary and oregano that will come back the next season. Others might be mint, onion, garlic. 

How to save: Save your seed at the end of the season. Using your own seed is much cheaper than buying new plants. You'll find the seeds in the heads of the dried flowers. Store them in marked envelopes or bags for future use. You won't ever again have to buy onions, lettuce, cilantro, carrots and more. (Note: If you grew plants from hybrid seeds or seedlings, you won't always get good results if you save their seeds. Grow open-pollinated or heirloom varieties if you want to save seeds.) If you don't have seeds to save, buy packets of seeds and start them yourself rather than seedlings as this is certainly less expensive.

Watering your veggies can really cause your water bill to go up in the summer.

How to save: Water by hand, if possible, and not with a forget-about-it sprinkler that also waters your fence, sidewalk, and part of the house. Water in the early morning or evening (depending on where you live) so that you don't lose the water to evaporation from the sun. You could also set up a drip irrigation system, which feeds a small amount of water directly to the roots of the plants, and minimizes evaporation.

Also, consider planting things a little closer together so the leaves of the plants help shade the ground in the plot. This, and using a mulch to cover the bare ground can help conserve water by keeping the moisture in the ground longer. Of note - if you live in a dry, arid place, raised beds might not be the best solution for you as beds above ground tend to dry out faster.

Having your own vegetable garden is rewarding in so many ways. To help keep the costs down and make it worth your money to grow your own, consider the above tips.

The Cost of Growing Your Own Veggies - Part 1

There are many reasons to grow your own vegetables. You get to eat food that hasn't been tainted with chemicals and you feel great satisfaction that you're able to nurture life from a mere seed in the earth to a fresh vegetable on your table.   Besides that, it's just fun (most of the time) to work in the garden in the fresh air, with maybe some family members right there alongside you.  But one of the biggest reason people give for wanting to start their own garden is that it will save on their grocery bills. But does it really?

Yes and no. It depends on how you go about it and how long you've been doing it. Let me explain.

There are initial costs involved in setting up your plot(s). If you're going to do containers or some sort of raised beds, there's the cost of the materials. This should be a cost that doesn't occur frequently unless you use something that's not durable and has to be replaced often.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How to save: Use lumber you've been storing to build the beds or old containers scavenged from friends and neighbors. Know anyone who's repurposing? Fences or decks being torn down might give you the lumber you need. You can also look for damaged and discounted boards at the lumberyard. Just be sure that you're using untreated lumber, as treated wood contains chemicals that can leach into your garden and affect the health of your plants - and ultimately your family.

Then there is the cost of soil and fertilizer to fill up your plots. If you're working with depleted soil or deadpan, more amendments will be necessary. This is usually an up-front cost, but you might have to top off your beds every year with more soil.

How to save: Don't buy bag after bag from the home improvement store unless they're having a good sale. Buy in bulk from a garden center or landscaping firm. You can save on delivery if you borrow a truck and go pick it up yourself.

Know that fertilizer is important to any garden plant. Fertilizer gives them the nutrients they need for healthy production. Compost enriches the soil and that's why it's nicknamed "black gold" by many gardeners.

How to save: Make your own compost. It can be as simple as using an old plastic garbage can and drilling some holes into it, then throwing your kitchen scraps (non-meat), garden waste, old leaves, and grass clippings into it. Using your own homemade compost can mean better soil which means stronger, healthier plants and better vegetable yield. Make a fertilizer from compost tea and use that plus other home remedies instead of buying expensive bagged or bottled products. (Click the "compost" tag below this post for an extensive list of how-to articles on composting.)

Here you have just some of costs associated with having a vegetable garden, plus some tips on how to make these costs less of a strain on your wallet.

Next week, check back for Part 2, and learn how you can save on tools, plants, and watering costs for your garden.

Using Coffee Grounds for Organic Gardening

While some people would declare coffee to be the staff of life and will enjoy several cups of their favorite brew throughout the day, there really is more to coffee than just drinking it. It turns out coffee can actually play a part in organic gardening. So not only can you drink it, but you can use the coffee grounds to make your garden soil and plants happy.

Brewed coffee is acidic, but the grounds produced from the brew are not. The brewing process removes the acid and they become neutral and nitrogen-rich. This is good news and lends itself to practical applications in your garden.

Coffee grounds. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Probably the easiest thing to do with your coffee grounds is to add them to your compost pile. They are considered a "green" material just like vegetable peelings and grass clippings. Being rich in nitrogen means they will help heat up your compost and aid in a faster decomposing time. As with any composting, brown materials such as dry leaves should be included in your bin as well.

Another way to use your grounds is to work them well into the soil before you plant your garden. Or consider lightly sprinkling them around your garden before a good watering as if they were a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.

Consider making a compost tea with the remains. Try grounds and water for a weak mix and let it heat up. Strain it and spray on the plant leaves. You might want to do a test run first to make sure it's not too strong. Otherwise, you can make a full-blown tea with other compost material too and aerate the mixture with a pump and bubblers before straining and spraying it.

Some people like to spread coffee grounds around their acid-loving plants, but since the coffee's acid was depleted in the brewing process, it may not really give extra help to these plants. There are those who swear by it though.

If crawling pests are a problem, try spreading grounds and crushed egg shells around plants in an effort to deter pests such as slugs.

A handful of healthy worms in coffee compost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Feed the worms, they like coffee too! If you have a worm bin you can feed it to them in small doses mixed in with your other kitchen scraps. If you don't have a worm bin, working them into your compost pile or directly into your soil will benefit the wrigglers who will, in turn, benefit your soil.

You can keep a container in the kitchen for your grounds after you brew your coffee and then dump them all into your compost bin at the end of the week. Alternatively, you can get larger quantities by visiting your local coffee shops and asking for their grounds. Consider making arrangements to pick up their waste on a specific day each week and they'll keep you "grounded".  Do watch your ratio though, as it should not be more than 20-25% of your total compost material.

The next time you have coffee, save the remains for the benefit of your garden. Put them in your compost pile, feed the worms, work into the soil, or use in a tea, and watch your plants thrive!