A Time To Sow

For me, planting my garden is about feeding my family FRESH, locally grown, healthy food. To that end, I do not simply plant all the things in march and sit back. No... I plant and I look at the calendar.

Let's talk about what I do, which is called Staggered Succession Planting In this shot above: • Top left, butter crunch lettuce, seeded 3 weeks ago. • Top right, seeded today, Romaine. • Middle left, Arugula, and Spinach seeded 3 weeks ago • Middle right, Butter Crunch lettuce seeded today. • Bottom left, Dark Opal Basil, Oregano, and Sweet basil, and Thyme in round pot. • Bottom right (w/greens), last of the 1st batch of Butter Crunch lettuce. • Bottom Right, newly seeded Arugula and Butter Crunch.

THE IMPORTANT PART of Staggered Succession, is to start seeds at different times, and plan the time it takes to harvest. I know roughly what we eat as a family for our Lettuce. So, I plant seeds about 3 to 4 weeks apart. this gives the first batch time to grow and be ready for a few harvests, for nightly meals. Then, as the first batch of seeds and lettuce bolt, and die off, going bitter, the next batch is ready for picking and eating.

Below here, two of the old planters of Lettuce. As lettuce gets older while growing it becomes more bitter. The Romaine (Top), and Red Romaine (bottom) lettuce is really bitter now. I removed most of the roots and plants, and tossed them to the compost pile. Kept SOME of the soil, to be added to new compost and new Peat. this mix of 1/3 soil, 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat is what I use for all my containers.

Below Some of the Sweet Banana Pepper are turning from green to yellow to orange and even a bit red!

Above Lots more Sweet Banana Pepper on the plants, ready to turn sweet yellow!

Above Lastly, this is the most important part, too! A good solid misting and watering for the newly planted seeds. Water Is Life, or so I am told.

I hope you, too, can plant staggered succession to give your own garden a sustained harvest for yourself and family.