Succession planting
Plan a second sowing
A second sowing is easier to manage when it is a dated task rather than a vague reminder to plant again. Start with one crop, a small amount of available space, and a clear last date. You can then see the actual work created by a repeating interval.
Reviewed Oct 27, 2026
- Batch 1April 1, 2027
- Batch 2April 15, 2027
- Batch 3April 29, 2027
Choose what each batch is for
Write down the crop and how you intend to harvest it before choosing an interval. Different harvest stages can use different reference schedules. Johnny’s succession chart, for example, separates baby-leaf lettuce from full-size heads rather than giving one lettuce interval.
The interval is a starting assumption. It is not a promise that harvests will occur exactly the same number of days apart. Weather, the variety, and your management still affect what happens between sowing and harvest.
Work through a small example
Suppose you choose April 1, 2027 as the first sowing date, May 1 as the last allowed date, and a 14-day interval. Adding 14 days repeatedly produces April 1, April 15, and April 29. The next date would be May 13, so it is not added.
The end date is inclusive: a batch that lands exactly on May 1 would be included. This example explains the calendar rule. The dates are user choices, not a claim that every crop or garden should use this schedule.
| Batch | Sow on | Days from the first sowing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1, 2027 | 0 |
| 2 | April 15, 2027 | 14 |
| 3 | April 29, 2027 | 28 |
Check that the next sowing has somewhere to go
A date list does not reserve physical space. If the first batch is still using the bed when the next sowing is due, decide whether the next batch has another location or whether your schedule needs adjusting. Use notes to connect each batch to a bed or a measured portion of it.
Keep batch size separate from the interval. Changing a 14-day interval to 10 days adds more sowing tasks within the same time span. It does not automatically change the number of plants in each task or increase the available growing area.
Choose a stop you can justify
Use a crop-specific source where it provides a later-season cutoff, and retain its harvest-stage and protection assumptions. If the source gives only a regional month or a condition, do not turn it into a universal frost offset. Enter a cutoff you can explain and note where it came from.
For a plan crossing December, enter the correct year for both endpoints. Read the generated dates in order before adding them to your plan; January belongs after December when the year advances.
Keep the batches editable
After adding the schedule, give each batch a short note and update its task status as you work. If conditions change, adjust the affected date rather than pretending the original schedule was a forecast. Export a fresh list after substantial changes, and keep the JSON backup when you want to preserve the editable plan.