Succession Sowing: How to Harvest Vegetables All Season Long

Every gardener knows the frustration: you spend weeks nurturing your lettuce seedlings, transplant them carefully, wait patiently for harvest—and then suddenly you have thirty heads of lettuce ready at once. You eat salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You give bags away to neighbours. And then, just as quickly as the glut arrived, it's gone, and you're back to buying limp supermarket leaves.

This feast-or-famine cycle doesn't have to be your reality. The solution is succession sowing—a simple technique that transforms how you grow and harvest vegetables throughout the season.

What Is Succession Sowing?

Succession sowing means making repeated sowings of the same crop at regular intervals rather than sowing everything at once. Instead of planting an entire packet of lettuce seeds in March, you sow a small batch every two to three weeks from early spring through late summer. The result is a steady stream of harvests rather than one overwhelming glut.

The technique works because vegetables sown at different times will mature at different times. A row of radishes sown in April will be ready in May, while another row sown in May will be ready in June. Simple as that.

Why Bother with Succession Sowing?

Beyond avoiding gluts, succession sowing offers several practical benefits for UK gardeners.

Fresh produce tastes better than stored produce. Lettuce harvested yesterday beats lettuce that's been sitting in your fridge for a week. By spreading your harvests across the season, you're always eating vegetables at their peak.

You'll waste less food. When everything ripens at once, even the most dedicated vegetable eater struggles to keep up. Smaller, regular harvests mean you actually use what you grow.

It spreads your risk. If a late frost damages your first sowing of French beans, your second sowing is still coming along. If carrot fly attacks your early carrots, your later sowings may escape unscathed.

You make better use of space. As one crop finishes, the next is ready to take its place. Your beds stay productive rather than sitting empty waiting for the next main crop.

Which Vegetables Benefit Most?

Not every vegetable needs succession sowing. Tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines produce fruits over a long period from a single planting—there's no need to sow more. Similarly, crops that store well like onions, garlic, and winter squash can be grown in one batch and kept for months.

The vegetables that benefit most from succession sowing are quick-maturing crops that don't store well and are harvested all at once.

Ideal candidates for succession sowing:

Salad leaves including lettuce, rocket, spinach, and mixed salad mixes are perfect for this approach. They mature quickly, bolt in warm weather, and are best eaten fresh.

Radishes mature in as little as four weeks and don't hold well in the ground—they become woody and hollow if left too long.

Carrots, especially quick-maturing varieties, can be succession sown from early spring through midsummer for harvests from June to October.

French beans and runner beans benefit from two or three sowings to extend the picking season well into autumn.

Beetroot sown successionally provides tender baby beets from June onwards rather than a single harvest of oversized roots.

Peas, particularly early varieties, can be sown in batches through spring for an extended harvest.

Spinach bolts quickly in warm weather, so regular sowings ensure a constant supply of tender leaves.

Courgettes and cucumbers, though prolific, can benefit from a second sowing in late May to ensure plants are still producing strongly in September.

Recommended Sowing Intervals

The interval between sowings depends on how quickly a crop matures and how fast conditions change through the season. Here's a comprehensive guide for UK gardens, organised by sowing frequency.

Every 2 Weeks

These fast-growing crops mature quickly and benefit from frequent, small sowings:

Spinach — bolts rapidly in warm weather, so frequent sowings in spring and again from late July keep you in tender leaves. Avoid midsummer sowings.

Runner beans — a second sowing two weeks after your first extends the picking season well into autumn.

Pea shoots — these quick salad crops are ready in just three weeks. Sow densely in trays under cover from late winter.

Pak choi — fast-growing Asian green best sown from late July onwards to avoid bolting. Regular sowings provide leaves through autumn.

Tatsoi — another hardy Asian green for late summer sowing, producing rosettes of mild, spoon-shaped leaves.

Corn salad (lamb's lettuce) — very hardy winter salad. Sow in early September for harvests through the coldest months.

Sunflowers — for continuous blooms rather than food, succession sow sunflowers every two weeks from mid-March through May.

Every 3 Weeks

The classic succession interval works well for most quick-maturing vegetables:

Lettuce — the poster child for succession sowing. In cool spring weather you may stretch to three weeks between sowings; in warm summer conditions, sow more frequently.

French beans — tender beans that benefit from staggered sowings from May through mid-July.

Beetroot — sow from mid-March through early July for baby beets from June onwards. If you want larger roots for winter storage, a single later sowing works better.

Carrots — sow direct from mid-March to mid-July. Later sowings often escape carrot fly damage better than early ones.

Peas — sow from late winter through mid-May. Avoid summer sowings as peas struggle in heat.

Turnips — quick-growing roots perfect for spring and late summer. The sweet, mild baby turnips are far superior to woody mature ones.

Broccoli (calabrese) — succession sowing from late winter provides heads from early summer through autumn.

Summer cabbage — staggered sowings from late winter through spring spread your harvest.

Summer cauliflower — needs steady growth without checks, but benefits from succession sowing for a longer harvest window.

Kohlrabi — fast-growing brassica ready in about eight weeks. Sow in spring and again after the summer solstice.

Florence fennel — prone to bolting in long days, so sow early spring or from late June onwards. Succession sowings within those windows extend harvest.

Celery — long-season crop that benefits from staggered sowings from mid-March.

Endive — hardy salad for autumn and winter. Sow after the summer solstice through mid-July.

Land cress — peppery salad leaf for late summer sowing, with a flavour similar to watercress.

Coriander — bolts quickly in heat, so sow in spring and again from mid-July. Regular sowings ensure a steady supply of leaves.

Dill — similar to coriander, best in cooler weather with succession sowings in spring and late summer.

Basil — tender herb that needs warmth. Succession sow from mid-April under cover for fresh leaves all summer.

Every 4 Weeks

These crops produce over a longer period, so need less frequent succession sowings:

Chard (Swiss chard) — hardy and productive, providing cut-and-come-again leaves over many weeks. A few succession sowings fill any gaps.

Kale — very hardy, cropping from autumn through winter. Staggered sowings from May extend the harvest period.

Every 8 Weeks

Parsley — slow to germinate but long-cropping once established. Two or three sowings through the season ensure you always have fresh leaves.

Crops That Don't Need Succession Sowing

Some vegetables produce over a long period from a single planting, so succession sowing isn't necessary:

Tomatoes, peppers, chillies, and aubergines fruit continuously once they start producing. Courgettes, cucumbers, and squash are similarly prolific from one planting (though a second courgette sowing can extend peak production). Climbing beans keep producing as long as you keep picking.

Crops that store well—onions, garlic, potatoes, winter squash—are best grown in a single batch and harvested for storage.

Long-season crops like leeks, Brussels sprouts, and sprouting broccoli need the full growing season to mature, making succession sowing impractical.

When to Start and Stop

In the UK, most succession sowing happens between February and September, though the exact window depends on your location and the crop.

Late winter sowings (February-March): Many crops can be started early under cover—this is when succession sowing for the year really begins. If you're looking for specific guidance on what to sow in this period, our guide to what to plant in February covers the best vegetables, herbs, and flowers to start now.

Spring sowings (March-May): The main succession sowing season. Start with hardy crops under cover in March—lettuce, spinach, and early peas. As soil warms, move to direct sowing outdoors. By May, you can add French beans and courgettes.

Summer sowings (June-July): Continue with salads, though choose bolt-resistant varieties for the warmest weeks. This is prime time for succession sowing carrots and beetroot. Make your final sowings of French beans by early July to ensure harvest before frosts.

Late summer sowings (August-September): The window narrows as days shorten. Focus on quick-maturing crops: radishes, fast lettuce varieties, spinach, and Asian greens. Oriental leaves like pak choi, tatsoi, and mizuna actually prefer autumn conditions and can be sown now for harvests through October and November.

Charles Dowding notes that salad rocket and mizuna sown in spring tend to bolt quickly and suffer more pest damage than August sowings, which produce healthier leaves over a longer picking period. Sometimes the best time to sow isn't the obvious one.

Practical Tips for Success

Start small. If you're new to succession sowing, begin with just one or two crops. Lettuce and radishes are forgiving and quick enough that you'll see results within weeks.

Keep records. Note when you sow, when you harvest, and how much you actually use. After a season or two, you'll know exactly how much lettuce your household needs and how often to sow it.

Use modules for flexibility. Sowing into module trays rather than direct into the ground means you can start the next batch while the current crop is still in your beds. When space opens up, your transplants are ready to go in.

Match varieties to seasons. Early lettuce varieties differ from summer varieties which differ from autumn varieties. Seed packets indicate this—pay attention and you'll avoid disappointment.

Don't forget the shoulder seasons. Cold frames, cloches, and fleece extend your sowing window at both ends. An early sowing of lettuce under cover in February gives you leaves weeks before outdoor sowings mature.

Embrace catch cropping. Quick crops like radishes can be tucked into gaps between slower-growing vegetables. Sow a row of radishes between your newly planted brassicas—you'll harvest the radishes long before the cabbages need the space.

Watch your plants, not just the calendar. Rather than following a rigid schedule, make your next sowing when seedlings from the previous batch have four true leaves, or when peas are about 5cm tall. This responsive approach keeps you in step with actual growing conditions.

Planning Your Successions

The key to successful succession sowing is planning. Before the season starts, think about what you want to harvest and when.

Work backwards from your desired harvest. If you want lettuce in June, count back 8-10 weeks and sow in April. If you want French beans in September, sow in June.

Consider how much you'll actually eat. A family of four might need a short row of lettuce every three weeks, while a couple might only need one every month. Better to sow too little and add another batch than to face the dreaded glut.

Build in some buffer. Not every sowing succeeds. Slugs, unexpected weather, and simple forgetfulness all play a role. Having more sowings in your plan than you strictly need gives you insurance against the inevitable failures.

Tools like GrowYear can help enormously here. By tracking your sowings and harvests, you build a picture of what works in your specific garden, taking the guesswork out of planning future seasons.

Start This Season

Succession sowing doesn't require special equipment, rare skills, or even much extra time. It's simply a shift in mindset from growing vegetables to growing a vegetable supply—thinking about what you want to harvest and when, then sowing accordingly.

If you've never tried it, start with a single crop this season. Lettuce is ideal: quick, forgiving, and satisfying. Sow a small batch now, another in three weeks, and a third three weeks after that. By midsummer, you'll understand intuitively why succession sowing transforms a vegetable garden from a source of occasional gluts into a reliable source of fresh food.

That steady supply of crisp, fresh leaves—no supermarket trips required—is what makes the small effort worthwhile.