What does "Succession Planting" mean?

I just received this great question in my inbox this morning:

"Succession planting...Does that mean that I sew seeds into the same cells that had the same variety in them before?  I've googled it and it still doesn't make very much sense.

thx! M"


I like this definition of succession planting found on Wikipedia:

Same crop, successive plantings: Several smaller plantings are made at timed intervals, rather than all at once. The plants mature at staggered dates, establishing a continuous harvest over an extended period. Lettuce and other salad greens are common crops for this approach.

So "M," in response to your question:

The germination time varies from plant to plant, and the back of your seed packet will usually indicate the time to germination.  For seeds with a longer germination period (like the lavender we planted this weekend) smaller groups over a couple of weeks is a good way to go so that you don't wait 3-4 weeks to find out they didn't take.  For a short germination period, once may work best.

We don't have a ton of space so we sometimes plant in the same cells 1 to 2 weeks later.  Ideally you would start with fresh pods/cells, in fresh trays, with fresh dirt.  This is because when the germination tray is kept at 70ish degrees it can start to grow a fungus that will rot seeds before they have a chance to sprout.

Hope that helps ya "M"!