Succession Planting:

continuous harvest throughout the season

Rachel Beyer

Purdue Student Farm Manager

rbeyer@purdue.edu

765-743-1155

www.purdue.edu/studentfarm

Looking Back to Plan Ahead

Sales records (pen and paper, excel spreadsheets, quick books, squareup.com, Veggie Compass, Organic Farmers’ Business Handbook)

CSA survey results and other customer feedback (CSAWare, Farmigo, etc.)

Variety performance and harvest notes and remembrances

What is your Growing Season?SALES AGREEMENT: Student Farm - Dining Services (primarily Sagamore Room -- Chef Haumesser).

Estimated weekly delivery calendar (bags, lbs, items per week)

April May June July August September October November December

3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18

Mixed greens (bag) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

microgreens Full (12 mo.) season -- 2 clamshells

Kale (bag) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Fresh herbs (lb) 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

Green onions (lb) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Beets (lb) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Radish (lb) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Green beans (lb) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Tomatoes (lb) 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

Peppers (lb) 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

Potato: Fingerlings (lb) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Eggplant (ea.) 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

Cucumber (ea.) 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

Zucchini (ea.) 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

Price City FoodsHTM West wood

Sagamore Room

Sylvia's Brick Oven Weeks

Total Volume Per Week

Total Volume For Season Gross Sales

Basil lb $10.00 25 5 20 10 15 60 900 $9,000.00

Beans lb $2.00 20 20 2 20 42 840 $1,680.00

Beets lb $1.50 10 20 20 5 30 55 1650 $2,475.00

Brussels Spouts lb $2.00 50 8 50 400 $800.00

Cabbage lb $2.00 50 8 50 400 $800.00

Carrots lb $2.50 10 20 10 200 $500.00

Cilantro lb $4.00 5 1 5 18 11 198 $792.00

Cucumber lb $1.00 18.75 37.5 1.5 14 57.75 808.5 $808.50

Eggplant lb $1.00 8.75 43.75 2.625 12 55.125 661.5 $661.50

Greens bag $4.00 12 16 15 35 43 1505 $6,020.00

Kale bag $3.00 8 8 10 3 32 29 928 $2,784.00

Kohlrabi lb $1.00 5 12 5 60 $60.00

Leeks lb $2.00 20 10 20 200 $400.00

Microgreens clam $20.00 4 2 4 48 10 480 $9,600.00

Onions lb $2.00 25 10 15 35 525 $1,050.00

Parsley lb $4.00 5 1 5 15 11 165 $660.00

Peas lb $2.50 30 8 30 240 $600.00

Peppers, Hot lb $2.50 5 5 7.5 15 17.5 262.5 $656.25

Peppers, Sweet lb $2.50 15 25 7.5 15 47.5 712.5 $1,781.25

Potatoes lb $2.00 20 20 15 40 600 $1,200.00

Radish lb $1.50 10 10 20 5 30 45 1350 $2,025.00

Scallions lb $2.00 10 20 4 25 34 850 $1,700.00

Tomato lb $2.50 25 15 50 20 17 110 1870 $4,675.00

Winter Squash lb $1.50 30 8 30 240 $360.00

Zucchini lb $1.00 25 25 3 14 53 742 $742.00

$51,830.50

Production Goals

Crop Calculators and Planting Schedules Johnny’s Select Seeds Catalogue:

planting info page

http://www.farmsunseed.com/crop-planning-spreadsheets.php

https://www.agsquared.com

Penn State Extension Crop Planning Links

Successions: life cycle and harvest windowSingle planting: long maturity, one harvest, or less popular onions, leeks, peas, potatoes, kohlrabi, fennel, tomatoes,

peppers, eggplant, okra, winter squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, parsnips, celeriac, celery, most herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary, etc.)

Early and late plantings: cool season or good field holding• cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, collard greens, Asian

greens, spinach, turnips, beets, carrots, parsley

Three to four per season: shorter life cycle, intense fruit set, multiple but limited harvest from one planting• beans, cucumber, summer squash, edamame, sweet corn,

watermelon, cantaloupe,

Weekly or biweekly: short maturity, tender, one or two harvests of marketable quality per planting• baby greens, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, dill

Seed Varieties

Days to maturity

Heat and cold tolerance

Disease resistance

Balance familiar performers with exploring new options

Multiple varieties in each planting protects against total crop failure and provides “diversity” to customers

Timing and Organization Make adjustments based on the demands of your

market and the limits of your growing season Learn the harvest window for each crop on your farm Label each succession as you create your crop plan:

lettuce 1, lettuce 2, lettuce 3, lettuce 4, lettuce 5, lettuce 6

Excel SORT function Build in a buffer Group plantings according to date and cultivation

preference, as well as family: • Early Field (onions, broccoli, kale, chard, collards, peas, kohlrabi,

Asian greens, fennel, turnip)• Salad Garden (lettuces, spinach, baby greens, radish)• Roots + Tubers (potatoes, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes)• Summer Fruit (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, summer

squash)• Cucurbits + Beans (watermelon, cantaloupe, winter squash,

beans)• Late Field (broccoli, kale, chard, collards, Brussels sprouts,

cauliflower, carrots, beets)

Keep records for each crop and variety

Storage If proper storage options are available, grow extra potatoes,

winter squash, onions, cabbage, beets, carrots, cabbage, garlic, hot peppers, sweet potatoes, celeriac, and storage radish for winter distribution!

Harvest and cure appropriately: Wholesale Success – A Farmer’s Guide to Food Safety, Selling, Handling, and Packing Produce by Jim Slama and Atina Diffley

Need at least two coolers or cellars– one very dry around 55 degrees for winter squash and sweet potatos, the other 35-40 degrees for everything else. The trick in the colder cooler is humidity-- onions, garlic, and cabbage prefer things to be fairly dry so should be stored in open air bins to facilitate maximum air circulation. While potatoes, carrots, and beets, etc. appreciate some humidity.

Build your own on the cheap: http://www.storeitcold.com/

Season Extension Bring early summer fruits to

market by transplanting in to hoophouses mid-spring

Keep fall greens going in to the winter with quick hoops or heavy row cover

Harvest greens, scallions, radishes, and herbs through the winter with hoop houses and internal covers. Ideal transplant date for winter bunching greens is mid-August. Last date for direct seeded baby greens items is mid-October

Resourceshttp://www.purdue.edu/studentfarmhttp://www.farmsunseed.com/crop-planning-spreadsheets.phphttp://www.msuorganicfarm.com/https://squareup.com/https://qbo.intuit.comhttp://www.veggiecompass.com/http://www.csaware.com/http://help.farmigo.com/why-farmigo.htmlhttp://www.agsquared.com/http://extension.psu.edu/business/start-farming/news/2013/crop-planning-for-csashttp://www.in.gov/isda/files/Harvest_Calander.pdfhttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-186.pdfhttp://naturecenter.org/DeLanoFarms.aspx