What Is Succession Sowing?
Succession sowing means making small, repeated sowings instead of raising one large batch at once. It keeps salad leaves, radishes, peas, beans and other quick crops arriving over a longer period, while reducing gluts and empty beds. The rhythm can be adjusted easily for weather, space and household appetite.
Begin by listing crops that are harvested quickly or all at once. Radishes, rocket, salad leaves, spring onions, carrots, beetroot, dwarf French beans, peas and coriander respond especially well to repeated sowing. Crops that occupy a bed for many months, such as Brussels sprouts or parsnips, are less suitable for frequent repeat sowing. Estimate what your household can eat in a week, then sow only that amount plus a little allowance for failures. A 1 m row, a short drill or a few module trays can be enough. Small sowings are easier to weed, water and protect than an overfilled bed.
Make the first sowing when soil and weather suit the crop, not simply because a calendar says spring has arrived. In southern England this may be earlier than in a cold Scottish or northern garden. Warm soil under a cloche or fleece can help early radishes and salad leaves, but do not sow into sticky, waterlogged ground. Use peat-free multipurpose compost for module-raised plants and fine, stone-free soil for direct drills. Mark every sowing with a weatherproof label showing crop, variety and date. This lets you judge the right interval from your own harvests rather than guessing next year.
Set a repeat interval based on speed of growth and the season. In spring, sow salads and radishes every two or three weeks because cool weather slows growth. In high summer, sow more often if you want a steady supply, as warmth speeds them up and leafy crops can bolt. Make fewer, larger sowings as autumn approaches, when days shorten and plants grow slowly. Check the previous sowing before making another: if it is still tiny after a cold spell, delay the next batch. Flexible timing is the heart of succession sowing, not rigid adherence to dates.
Use gaps left by harvested crops promptly. After early potatoes, broad beans, garlic or spring cabbage, clear weeds, add a thin layer of garden compost and rake the surface level. Follow with a quick crop such as rocket, salad leaves, radish, spinach or spring onion, according to the month. If soil is dry, water the drill before sowing and cover seed lightly. In a small garden, grow salad leaves in containers while a bed is occupied by courgettes or tomatoes. Keep a simple bed plan so you do not repeatedly grow related crops in the same patch without a break.
Protect each new sowing according to the season. Fleece or a cloche can help establish early and late salads, while fine mesh may keep pests away from brassica seedlings. Water gently with a rose so seed is not washed from shallow drills. Thin direct-sown seedlings early enough to give the remaining plants room, and use the thinnings in salads where appropriate. Harvest leaves from the outside of cut-and-come-again plants, leaving the centre to regrow. Pick beans, peas and courgettes regularly, as this encourages more production and prevents a sudden backlog in the kitchen.
Review the plan at the end of each season. Note which sowings produced a useful quantity, which bolted, and where slugs, drought or shade caused gaps. You may find that a fortnightly salad sowing is ideal in May but wasteful in August, or that a late July pea sowing never has time to crop on your allotment. Use those observations to make a local schedule for next year. Keep spare seed dry and labelled, but replace old packets when germination falls. Succession sowing works best as a responsive routine, not a complicated timetable.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I succession sow lettuce?
A small sowing every two or three weeks is a sensible starting point from spring into summer. In hot weather, sow little and often because lettuce may bolt quickly; in cooler autumn weather, lengthen the interval. Check how fast your last batch is growing and adjust to avoid having several ready at once.
Can I succession sow carrots?
Yes. Sow short rows from spring through early summer, spacing them about three weeks apart if your soil and weather allow. This spreads harvesting and avoids a single large crop. Keep the seedbed consistently moist until seedlings emerge, and cover young rows if carrot fly is a known local problem.
What should I sow after early potatoes?
After lifting early potatoes in summer, tidy the bed and sow quick crops such as rocket, salad leaves, radishes, spinach or spring onions. Add garden compost and water well first if the ground is dry. Choose something with enough time to mature before autumn weather slows growth in your area.
General guidance for UK home gardens and allotments. Conditions vary by region, soil and season; the RHS or a local garden centre can give site-specific advice. Page updated 19 Sep 2026.