• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

The Benefits of Succession Planting Seeds

July 13, 2014 by Jeanne

There are many benefits of succession planting seeds. A continual bloom or harvest is just one of the benefits of succession planting, or planting seeds at intervals.

 

benefits of succession planting seeds

 

Do you use succession planting in your garden? Succession planting means to plant a group of seeds, wait a week or two, then plant more seeds. It’s useful when planting lettuce and radishes, for example, so that you aren’t stuck with an onslaught of both vegetables at once. Succession planting means that there’s always a continuous crop of lettuce or radishes to harvest and you aren’t stuck with so much you can’t enjoy it.

But I’m a very forgetful gardener. I never remember to plant seeds in succession! This year, I vowed, would be different. So okay, I forgot to do succession planting for my lettuce and radishes. I did, however, remember it for the sunflowers.

My sunflower garden grows among the foundation plantings on the south side of the house, facing the fruit orchard. Some of the sunflowers self-seed from the year before; the heavy heads flop forward, spilling seeds on the mulch. We always get a few early sunflowers this way.
I start planting sunflowers as early as I can. They’re my passion, now that my father-in-law has passed away. He used to be the sunflower gardener. In his 80s, he could still plant sunflowers close to the house, even if the best of his gardening days were over. Since his death two years ago, cultivating the sunflowers has become my little hobby.

sunflowers

I buy some seeds from Burpee, usually the large bronze and Russian Giant sunflowers. Some are seeds we’ve saved from last year; we also cut a few sunflower heads and let the seeds dry in the garage over the winter. The cats take care of any mouse bold enough to wander inside in search of seeds.
I don’t do much to grow sunflowers. I usually just did a shallow hole in the mulch, drop in a seed, and move on. That’s it. Sunflowers are some of the toughest plants. Nature provides the water, and as long as they get plenty of sun, they’re fine. (For more about growing sunflowers, see About Sunflowers-Growing Sunflowers).

I plant the first row of sunflowers in late April, then another in May. I forgot to plant more in June, but this week, I’ll add more seeds to the garden for a late fall bloom. I love sunflowers in the autumn, and a bouquet of them on the table when the weather turns crisp and cool sounds lovely.
The best part of growing sunflowers, however, is the birds. The goldfinches and other small birds adore the seeds, and will fly right up to the house where the sunflowers grow, perch on the stalks, and eat seeds just inches away from the windows. Genghis Khan, our house cat, could spend hours gazing adoringly up at the birds, licking his chops, and batting at the window glass…but of course, the birds are quite safe. We love getting that close to the birds, too, and watching their antics from the windows.
Succession planting of sunflowers, like lettuce and radishes, ensures beautiful flowers for many weeks instead of just one big blast of color. If you haven’t tried growing sunflowers, try this idea. Your garden, the birds, and if you have one, your cat, will thank you!

sunflowers
My sunflower garden this week

More Gardening Articles

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:

  • Are Organic Seeds Better?
  • How to Save Sunflower Seeds
  • Saving Seeds

post signature

Filed Under: Seed Starting

Previous Post: « Fresh Food Wednesday: Chilled Cucumber Soup Recipe
Next Post: Fresh Food Wednesday: A Review of Oloves »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • How to Grow Cucumbers: A Complete Guide
  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

cherry tomatoes in various stages of ripeness

Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts

Volunteer plants are one of nature’s most delightful surprises. They spring up unbidden, often in places we didn’t expect—cracks in sidewalks, corners of compost piles, or nestled beside a stone foundation, like the vibrant coleus seedlings growing near my deck shown in these pictures. These botanical freeloaders aren’t weeds; they’re plants that have reseeded themselves…

Read More

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme