Succession Planting Calculator
Stagger your plantings so you harvest a little every week instead of one giant crop. Enter your frost dates and pick a crop to get a full planting and harvest schedule.
How It Works
Succession planting is the practice of sowing a crop in small batches every few weeks instead of all at once. The result is a steady, manageable harvest that lasts all season instead of a single glut that goes to waste. This calculator works backward from your frost dates to find every possible planting date.
Cool-Season vs Warm-Season Crops
Cool-season crops (radishes, lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots, beets, kale, chard, turnips) tolerate frost and can be planted 2–4 weeks before your last spring frost. Many can also be planted again in late summer for a fall harvest.
Warm-season crops (beans, cucumbers, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, peppers) are killed by frost. Plant them on or after your last spring frost date. For a fall crop, count back from your first frost date to make sure they mature in time.
Picking the Right Interval
The interval is how long you wait between plantings. A shorter interval means more, smaller harvests. A longer interval means fewer, bigger ones.
Fast crops (radishes, turnips): plant every 7–10 days. They mature in 3–6 weeks.
Medium crops (lettuce, spinach, bush beans): plant every 10–14 days.
Slow crops (carrots, beets, cucumbers): plant every 14–21 days. They need more time to mature.
Tips for Succession Planting
Use the same space: When one planting is finished, replant the area. Radishes followed by beans, for example.
Mix early and late varieties: Plant a fast-maturing variety first, then a slower one for variety and to extend the season.
Watch the weather: In a hot summer, lettuce and spinach bolt (go to seed) fast. Use heat-tolerant varieties or skip to fall plantings.
Keep records: Note what you planted and when. Adjust next year's schedule based on what worked.