Mastering Succession Planting in the Low Desert

By: Angela Judd | November 7, 2024

Gardening in the low desert of Arizona presents unique challenges, but it also offers incredible opportunities for year-round gardening. Succession planting to ensure continuous harvests is a powerful strategy for making the most of your garden space. It helps you maintain productivity throughout the year by planning your garden to have crops ready to take over as others finish. This blog post will explore succession planting ideas specifically designed for the low desert environment.

Article Index:

Key Succession Planting Terms and Concepts
Succession Planting Plan for the Low Desert
Start with Cool-Season Crops in Late Fall and Winter
Transition to Warm-Season Crops in Early Spring
Plant Heat-Tolerant Varieties for Summer
Take Advantage of Extra Humidity During Monsoon Season
Return to Cool-Season Crops in Fall
General Tips for Succession Planting in the Low Desert

Succession Planting Terms and Concepts:

Succession planting: Utilizing various planting methods to maximize available space and growing season.
Interplanting: Growing two or more crops in the same area or near each other.
Intercropping: Interplanting to increase yields.
Companion Planting: Interplanting to benefit one another in some way.
Varietal Succession Planting: Planting different varieties of the same crop with varying maturity dates to stagger harvest times.

Succession Planting Plan for the Low Desert

(Click on highlighted crop names for how-to-grow guides for each crop.)

1. Start with Cool-Season Crops in Late Fall and Winter

The cool months from late fall through winter provide ideal growing conditions for cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, and broccoli. These crops thrive in the milder temperatures and shorter days of the low desert’s winter.

How to Implement: Plant root vegetables and brassicas in late fall, followed by greens. As the season progresses and temperatures rise in spring, these crops will be ready for harvest, freeing up space for the next round of plantings. If you are growing kale, my favorite way to use it is in this salad–the best kale salad you’ll ever make.

Example Succession:

Late Fall: Plant carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and beets as soon as nighttime temperatures begin to cool.
Mid-Winter: Fill empty spots left from warm-season crops with lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and radishes.
Intercropping Ideas: Plant peas next to a trellis filled with warm-season cucumbers. When the cucumbers finish, the peas will be ready to take their place and climb the trellis.
Companion Planting Ideas: Add bachelor buttons, dill, cilantro, and calendula to empty spots in your beds.

Bonus tip: Experiment with different varieties of broccoli that have varied harvest times, such as broccoli raab, Chinese broccoli, and traditional head-type broccoli. (Click the links for seeds.)

2. Transition to Warm-Season Crops in Early Spring

As winter turns to spring, the increasing temperatures signal the perfect time to plant warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, beans, and cucumbers. These crops can be planted in the spaces vacated by the cool-season crops, ensuring no garden bed stays empty for long.

How to Implement: Once your winter crops have been harvested, prepare the soil by adding compost and worm castings to replenish nutrients. Then, plant warm-season tomato and pepper transplants or cucumber seeds in early spring.

Example Succession:

Early Spring: Replace harvested spinach and lettuce with tomato and pepper transplants.
Mid-Spring: Plant cucumber and bean seeds as broccoli and carrots are harvested.
Intercropping Ideas: Plant cucumber seeds at the base of broccoli plants. They will sprout and grow and be ready to take over when the broccoli finishes.
Companion Planting Ideas: Plant marigolds and basil around your tomatoes.

Bonus tip: Experiment with pole and bush beans for staggered harvest times. The bush beans give you a larger initial harvest, and although the pole beans take longer to get going, they continue producing for weeks.

3. Plant Heat-Tolerant Varieties for Summer

The intense summer heat of the low desert can be challenging, but certain heat-tolerant crops like okra, eggplant, roselle, Armenian cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and melons survive these tough conditions. Choosing the right crops can keep your garden productive even during the hottest months.

How to Implement: After harvesting spring crops like beans and cucumbers, plant heat-tolerant crops that can withstand the summer sun.

Example Succession:

Late Spring: As beans and early cucumbers are harvested, plant okra and eggplant.
Summer: Plant Armenian cucumbers, melons, and sweet potatoes in open spaces, allowing them to spread and benefit from the summer heat.
Intercropping Ideas: Plant okra and roselle seeds at the base of warm-season crops. When the warm season crops finish, the okra and roselle will take over the space.
Companion Planting Ideas: Add different varieties of basil and zinnias throughout your garden.

Bonus tip: Plant sweet potatoes, cowpeas, and tepary beans at the base of okra and roselle plants. They will spread out below the tall plants and cover the soil during the hot summer months.

Vegetable, Herb, and Fruit Planting Guide for the Low Desert of Arizona

The ultimate resource for gardeners in arid regions with hot summers and mild winters—designed specifically for the low desert of Arizona.
It features information on how and when to start seeds indoors and when to transplant them outside for nearly 100 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

See it in my shop

4. Take Advantage of Extra Humidity During Monsoon Season

Why It Works: Although it is still hot, the goal is to get warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, Armenian cucumbers, and winter squash established so they can produce during the slightly cooler days of early fall. Monsoon humidity and moisture make conditions slightly more bearable and help crops adjust to summer’s long, hot days.

How to Implement: Choose sunny locations and then provide shade and mulch for a second round of tomatoes and peppers.

Example Succession:

Late July and August: Clear out a couple of cover crops and plant tomatoes and peppers.
Interplanting Ideas: Plant Armenian cucumber and winter squash seeds around other crops and see where they end up growing. Once they take off put ladder mesh trellises in the beds to give them something to climb.
Companion Planting Ideas: Tuck a few fresh basil and zinnia seeds around the garden.

Bonus tip: Try different varieties of Armenian cucumbers – there are so many types! Check out the cucumbershop for seeds.

5. Return to Cool-Season Crops in Fall

Why It Works: As summer transitions into fall, the cooler temperatures once again become suitable for cool-season crops. By planning ahead, you can have seedlings or transplants ready to go into the garden as soon as space opens up.

How to Implement: Start seeds for fall crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage indoors during late summer and transplant them into the garden as summer crops finish.

Example Succession:

Early Fall: Harvest summer crops like melons and okra. Replace them with broccoli and cabbage seedlings.
Late Fall: Continue planting cool-season crops as space becomes available, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh vegetables through the winter.
Interplanting Ideas: Plant crops like spinach and kale under the large roselle branches to benefit from the shade while it’s still hot.
Companion Planting Ideas: Begin planting cool-season herbs like dill, parsley, and cilantro in each garden bed.

Bonus tip: Cut back cover crop tepary beans and use them as mulch instead of straw for growing potatoes.

General Tips for Succession Planting in the Low Desert:

Soil Preparation: After each crop, replenish soil nutrients with compost and worm castings to ensure the next planting has a healthy start.
Mulching: Use mulch to help retain moisture and regulate soil temperature, especially during summer. Learn what to use for mulch here.
Irrigation: Adjust your watering schedule based on each season’s needs, watering deeply and only as often as needed. Learn more about how to water your garden in this guide.
Crop Rotation: Rotate your crops each season to prevent soil-borne diseases and pests from becoming established.

Conclusion:

Succession planting is a powerful tool for maximizing the productivity of your low desert garden. You can enjoy a continuous harvest year-round by strategically planning your planting schedule and choosing the right crops for each season. Incorporate these succession planting ideas into your garden plan, and watch your garden thrive, even in the challenging conditions of the low desert.

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