Succession planting on my plot

[dean_wales]

Hi all,

The plot is still not in full use but I have 18 beds now in cultivation. Each being 1.8m by 2.4m. The ground is quite clay but digging in what compost I have and using weed matting means most beds now have something in them that is a#live and growing.

Definite improvement on last year!

My question is about planting different crops in succession during the year to maximise my use of space and avoid periods where I have nothing growing. What can I be sowing now in modules or pots to follow existing crops

I currently have bed with the following beds:
1. Regular onions
2. Garlic
3. New (first early) potatoes
4. Regular (maincrop) potatoes
5. Green courgette
6. Yellow courgette
7. Peas and suagrsnap
8. Crown prince squash
9. Leeks
10. Broad beans (2nd late sowing - 12in tall)
11. Beetroot, parsnip and radish
12. Rhubarb
13. Salad vegetable assortment
14. French beans (dwarf)
15. Empty - Early cabbage will be planted out tonight
16. Empty - Sweetcorn will be planted out tonight
17. Empty
18. Empty

I have the following seedlings in the greenhouse about to be potted on but still small, got loads but not sure if I want a whole bed of each yet:
PSB
Late cabbage
Red cabbage
Kailaan
Kale

I was thinking that the last two empty beds could be filled with cabbage and PSB when bigger.

Otherwise I have lots of seeds and no real idea which crops will be out early enough to be replaced by late crops for the winter and spring.

What do you think?

Dean.

[Penellype]

I find I can follow my early peas with tomatoes, and the early potatoes with Christmas potatoes planted in July. I usually follow onions with PSB, but this does mean lifting the onions early and ripening them indoors (I use my garage) which I find works ok.

Depending on how you harvest your salads you may be able to follow those with something - I have a load of "catch crops" which I sow repeatedly as salad veg, things like lettuce, rocket, mizuna, pak choi, spinach etc which grow very quickly. Other people prefer to leave salads in the ground as "cut and come again" in which case they will be there longer.

Your radish and beetroot will probably be ready fairly quickly, but the parsnips are a winter crop and taste better after a frost.