Relay Planting for Bigger Harvest

Plan for a season long harvest of corn, beans and other vegetables with relay planting!

My friend Bob Polomski recommends this technique in his Month-by-Month gardening book for Alabama. The idea is to stagger the planting time of one crop over a long period of time instead of planting it all at once.

Let’s take beans for example. Start the season by planting a couple rows of beans. Then two weeks later plant another row or two. Continue until the last possible planting date for beans in your area. This way you will have a long harvest period instead of one big harvest.

You can accomplish the same thing by using varieties that mature at different times. So let’s say you plant beans that mature in 65, 80 and 95 days. Plant all these at the same time, but you will be harvesting over a longer period.

A bit more information: Further increase your harvest with space saving planting strategies. Interplant short season crops like radishes, beets and lettuce between long season crops like tomatoes and cabbage. For more ideas watch my video on this topic.