It is nice to see someone really thinking and getting into this subject. I have been obsessed with it for years. I farm in MN zone 4 though so it is hard to help with your dates. I do have a lot of charts I have made that might help you if you adapt them out about a month in each direction. I look a lot at days to maturity in seed catalogs. Through experience I have learned which crops to pull out and be done with. For this area garlic is thoroughly done about 7/25. You could plant squashes in late June but not in with the garlic unless it is done by then in your area. I will see if I can post some files in my notes on this website or you could email me for them.

how was your indoor seed starting disaster?

Minnie hit the nail on the head when she said "experience" as that is the only valid way to learn how it will work for you, when and what to plant. Discouraging I know but succession planting is one of those things you can plan for except in a very loose, flexible fashion.

I'd suggest you first try only 2 plantings rather than 3, keep good notes of DOH and DOP for each crop and by next year you will know where you can squeeze in 3 plantings if it is even possible in your zone (normally 6a is a 2 planting zone). Keep in mind you have to allow time between crops for soil amending too so it isn't a "crop out-crop in same day" thing.

~~~I'm thinking about planting peas, spinach, onions, and carrots around the third week of March, assuming there's no snow. Am I correct in assuming that those will be ready to harvest by the time I'm starting my main, mid-May plantings?~~~

Spinach, probably yes. But not the peas an definitely not the carrots. Onions - green salad/bunching onions yes or they can go longer but if planting bulbing onions, no, rather mid-late July (and plant them earlier too weather permitting).

Garlic is flexible and can be harvested anytime you want if smaller bulbs are ok with you and yes you can inter-plant with no problems Harvest some of them from each patch early, plant the squash there and by the time it is big enough to spread the rest of the garlic can be harvested.

You surely aren't planning to direct seed the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are you?

Dave

I'm actually not sure what went wrong. I used 2 inch peat pots with soil starting mix (can't remember what brand) and they were kept on a table by my sunniest window and I occasionally put them outside. Everything sprouted great, had one set of leaves, and were about 2 inches tall. In less than a week, all of them just fell over and died. The soil was moist, but not wet, and had adequate sun.

This was something I tried on a whim, so I didn't have a heat pad or grow light, but I figured that since this was in August, it might work. I've successfully started things like green bean and watermelon seeds before, using the wet paper towel/plastic bag method, but never with soil.

Good to know that the best way to figure out what will work for me is trial and error. I assumed so, but wanted to make sure I didn't miss something obvious!

And I thought I made a note of that earlier, but no, all tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant will be plants, not direct seeded.

I'm less concerned about the carrots and onions, I think. If they take longer, that's not a huge deal. Good to know about the peas, though, so I might skip them this year.

It's been my experience that if I plant a bed full of spring vegetables
that they won't mature in time to plant summer vegetables in that same bed. But then it also depends on what the spring vegetable is. Some things will work like lettuce, radishes, and quick maturing things like this since you can eat them whenever but definitely not carrots. You can intercrop carrots with summer veggies by allowing room for the summer veggies to be planted later, but true succession planting is probably a no go. Well, at least for me it is.

Rodney

i can see right off bat three problem with you seed starting.
1. peat pots.
2. you did use sterile
3. lack a good light source

trial and error is not proper way to start seeds you need use
proper methods.

asm, I would agree with Dave that 3 crops are marginal in our zone. A couple plants might work but not very many. Using the MU Extension website is a good source. As Dave mentioned, you may need some time to work or rest the soil between planting another crop which adds some time. I am in SW MO 6a as well. grid, nobody mentioned trial and error for seed starting. That is a different topic . The OP is asking about succession planting in zone 6a,

succession planting done correctly is consecutive races .
you need to do everything correctly and know the rules
but unlike relay race you need know when switch runners.
I have chart from 1943 that shows succession planting. it good start. i will post
it tomorrow.

theforgottenone1013, the carrots can stay in that particular bed as long as they like, since it's my smallest bed. That's why I have them and the onions there, so they can just do their thing without getting in the way of later plantings.

gridgardener, the peat pots were used simply to keep the soil together and weren't going in the garden. "Sterile" might have been the wrong phrase, but what I used was a mix I purchased that stated it was to start seeds. While I didn't use a dedicated grow light, I was also playing around to see if it was entirely necessary. Experimentation is half the fun of gardening for me, so doing thing rigidly by the book would take the fun out it.

dirtguy50, the MU extension is what I'm going by for planting dates. I was thinking that three planting was possible, but if it isn't, that's fine. Good think I'm reading and asking about this stuff now, since I've still got lots of time! I'm actually in the KC area, not SWMO (but I grew up there), but the climate is about the same.

The way I generall handle it is to put fall things in where the spring things come out. So in late summer I plant kale wher the garlic had been, for example. Summer stuff needs to go in the ground before spring stuff gets pulled, often.

Things started in spring have a wide timing of when to pull, though. Peas are toast by mid-late May here, so if I don't want to set up a second fence, I can just plant my beans there... But my beans do arrive later than if I started them as early as possible on a seperate fence. Garlic, as you noted, isn't ready until early July. Once that is pulled the bed is empty for a month or so until I plant kale. Or I might plant a quick crop of something there a little sooner. Cheers!

dirt guy50 i don't in believe profiles. they allow other posters to make false assumptions about your garden.
asm198 doing by book prevents most problems.

1. gardening is like cooking only after you learn how recipes work can you change them so they don't explode in your face.
   2.A dedicated grow lite is require though all need is hanging florescent shop light.
2. peat pots cause soil or seed starting mix to dry out to quickly.

My previous comment was more about me not usually being able to get three succession crops from a single bed, as well as about intercropping. Carrots were just used as an example.

I can get two crops as I do like sunnibel and replant the beds in mid to late summer for fall once the spring stuff is gone.

Rodney

grid, why would you be afraid of letting us know where you are. That's is a red flag about your intentions or credentials if you are going to continue to make post with any credibility.

I'm beginning to suspect he/she is a troll. I mentioned upthread that I used a sterile soil starting mix, which grid said was one of my problems. Yet, on this thread, http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/2826397/what-medium-to-use-for-starting-seeds, he posted, "you use seed starting soil since it it usually sterilized to prevent soil born disease from effecting seedlings".

I plant my garlic here in zone 6A in early Oct. and harvest around July 4. Even if you couldn't harvest until late July, you could still sow: Escaroles, Asian radishes, turnips, late lettuces, spinach, and a range of Asian greens. Quite a list that would begin with sowing some in early August and the last, spinach, in early to mid September.

But you can't follow garlic with butternut or any other squash.

laceyvail - Why can't you follow garlic with any squash? Do you mean because of the length of the growing season?

I've done it for many years with no other problems that I'm aware of but I have a little longer growing season.

Dave

Yes, of course, length of season in zone 6A, and I specifically said if the poster harvests in LATE July. Even a summer squash sown in late July is not going to yield much unless there's a very late frost.

I'm in 6a or 6b (depending on what resource I use to find my zone) and on the other side of the state. I've never had garlic harvest extend to late July. Its more like late June to early July. Gaining that extra two to four weeks might be relevant regarding your plans of what to grow in that space.

Might want to try planting your carrots as a fall/early winter crop. Carrots always seem to take longer to harvest than what's generally listed. They would benefit from cooler soil temps and you could harvest over a long period instead of pulling them all at once to make room for a summer veggie. My growing season is probably a month longer but I think it would work there as well. I usually sow carrot seed in early August, thin in Sept and have first harvest by mid Nov. I'll leave most in ground all winter and just pull the ones I'll eat that day. Carrots are very cold hardy, I don;t see anything but minor damage to tops even in teens. I don;t know how the roots would fare if the ground was frozen for a long period, that's never an issue here. Mulching would help with that though.

little_minnie, I see you on other forums and and always amazed at what you get done in MN. Yep, MO shouldn't be a problem if you can get it done up there. Always nice to here from you.

I hope Emily Hurleye see this thread and other treads and posts about Gridgardener.

minnie welcome to place where your challenged on gardening.

my succession plan is real simple plant, harvest, plant, harvest. keep something growing for the whole season.

if want the real secret to succession planting here it is.
step 1. look up you number days of growing season.
step 2. look up your last spring frost date and first fall date.
step 3. create 52 week flow chart by weeks or 5 day increments that equal number days in step 1
step 4. put line down flow chart where the season starts, the season end and where frost dates are.
step 5. map out you garden planting area and divide it into numbered sections

step 6. get list of vegetable and when they can be planted in you area in relation to frost date.

step 7. get chart for seed germination times of various vegetables

step 8. make list of vegetable you want grow and there DTM (day to maturity)add few buffer days to the DTM number also add the number in step 7
step 9. over lay the info you gain from step 6,7,8 over the flow chart you made in step 4
step 10. then mark out the secessions worked in step 8 in number sections of planting map you created in step 5.

step 11 follow you plan remember start your seed at correct date in relation to frost so the plants ready to transplant at correct time for secession plan.

1. if plants do not produce a harvest by the time next plant has go into that location you did add enough buffer days. but you need remove the plants do not produce so you can keep the plan on schedule

this is bit bare bones method of how to plan you vegetable succession planting correctly but cover all important parts of doing it.

ttfn

any errors in this post are par for the course.

dave_f1 SC, I am planning to do carrots in the fall as well. I've never really bothered with them in the past, so this year will be my experiment to see which season will have produce better carrots.

My revised plan now is to still put peas in the 6.5 ft bed, behind the garlic. Then, depending on harvest times, I'l put the summer squash there or do green beans, since they grow fast. I'll do spinach in a section of the 10 ft bed, which will give me plenty of space for the cucumbers and I'll have room for the eggplant when the spinach is done.

As far as my primary issue, the garlic and squash problem, I think I'm going to play it by ear. I need to get the winter squash in the ground by the end of May, so I'll probably pull some garlic early to make room.

If I make a mess of things, so be it. I'd just rather plan to do all of it and have the seeds ready than decide not to do it and end up with an empty bed.

I am developing a tool that helps plan succession planting - its a little theoretical at this point (the very cold May in Chicago has disrupted my succession plans for the radish), but should provide a starting point. It is at http://www.edenpatch.com.

I am researching using Growing Degree Days to estimate maturity instead of the usual ranges, would be interested in hearing if others have tried that.

Would appreciate any other comments or feedback also!