One more question for today...

My next and final question for today (I think) is about succession planting.
I "think" we have 90 days for growing.....if I want to do succession planting say for peas or beans or what ever....do I take the growing days that the packet says from my 90 day growing season, and decide if I have room to plant more????
Can you see the confusion building up again....
Example. ...wait....grab a glass of wine first..this could get confusing for me...
M-kay.
beans say 55 days. I take that away from my 90-ish days, that leaves me with 35 days. Germination says 6 - 14 days (i'll take 14 due to my tardyness in watering) does that mean that I could do the initial planting on my last frost day...say june 4th, then plant again in two weeks and then two more weeks???? and still make my LFD???

thanx!!

Plant a new crop of stuff every week til time minus 90 = freeze

Are you starting seeds indoors? This could be of major help for getting more out of spring and fall crops for you!!!!

The only seeds I started inside were the tomatoes. I have 4 plants that seem to be doing pretty good, but are still going inside and out till the first week of June.

I can't help with the math because it's too early in the morning for that. But I can say, don't forget that peas are cold hardy and can be grown before and after your last frost date.

If we are talking beans, you will not have the full 90 days to grow them. Beans need warm soil to germinate. Johnny's catalog says 60 F (16 C) minimum soil temp, with 70-90 F ( 21-32 C) optimum. Also, at the end of the season, days are shorter and the sun is lower in the sky and less intense, with cool nights -- also not optimum for beans.

You need to adopt some of the strategies others have suggested. For example, plant four squares of beans to start and another four squares 2-3 weeks later. You can grow a spring crop in that second block of squares, such as peas, spinach or radishes. Then harvest them and plant your second block of beans. The first block can then be pulled out and planted again with something like broccoli or peas that can get a good start in the final days of summer and tolerate cooler weather in the fall.

Of course, I don't follow my own advice because I'm lazy. I find if I keep the beans picked so they don't go to seed, they will produce a second crop. I'm usually picking beans until the cold nights start shutting down the plants.

--Dave
Bolton, MA (zone 6a)

I really think this is a good question Debora, and this is where owning your own copy of the ANSFG book comes in so handy. Mel has provided so much information in there, if we remember to go back in and look for it. Go to page 255 and you'll find the start of a chart "Planting Schedule for Continuous Harvest Crops". The only information you have to provide is your first and last frost day. Find the crop you're interested in and follow the chart! He's got it all there, when to plant indoors from seed, sow directly outdoors, or put transplants outdoors, and when to stop planting too.

And remember, we can't control the weather, frosts can come earlier/later, crops can take longer to produce than the seed packet says, etc. Just start planting and gaining experience. There's no way around it. Good luck!

I actually happen to have that very book. I ordered it the same day I signed on to this terrific gardening site. I've flipped through it, but need to REALLY flip through it. I'll head to page 255 right now...and thanks.