DibbleSuccession planting is the fix for the classic garden problem of feast and famine: forty heads of lettuce all ready the same week, then nothing. Instead of one big sowing, you sow a little, often. The result is a steady supply over months rather than a glut and a gap.
How it works
Pick a fast crop and sow a small batch every one to two weeks through its season. As one batch is harvested, the next is coming up behind it. Lettuce, radishes, bush beans, and carrots are ideal. Slow, single-harvest crops are not worth it. Summer heat changes what works, and summer garden care covers it.
Know when to stop
Every crop needs a certain number of days to mature. Count that many days back from your first fall frost, and that is your last useful sowing date. Sow after it and the crop runs out of season before it is ready. In Tennessee, where zone 7 sees its first fall frost around November 1, a 60-day crop has to be sown by early September. This is the kind of date Dibble tracks for you automatically, so you get a reminder to make each sowing and a note when the window is closing.
A simple rhythm: sow a short row of salad greens every two weeks from early spring until the heat of summer, then start again as it cools in late summer.
