Which factors should you consider when planning how to keep your hoophouse filled with productive food crops in the cool seasons? Suitable crops, cold-hardiness, deciding which crops to grow, deciding how much to harvest and how much to plant, crop rotation, mapping and scheduling, month by month planting, seasonal transitions, packing more in with succession planting, interplanting and follow-on cropping.

1. Sequential Planting of Cool
Season Crops in a Hoophouse
©Pam Dawling, 2019
Author of Sustainable Market Farming
and The Year-Round hoophouse
SustainableMarketFarming.com
facebook.com/SustainableMarketFarming

2. 1. Overview of cool seasons in the hoophouse. 12
planning steps.
2. Which Crops to Grow. Suitable crops from various
crop families. Cold-hardiness table. Crop Value
Rating (comparing different crops)
3. How much to harvest and plant. Seasonal
transitions. Crop rotation. Maps and schedules,
Month-by-month planting and harvesting
4. Packing More In: Succession crops, Follow on
crops, Interplanting, Filler crops
5. Record-keeping
6. Resources
What’s in This Presentation

3. I live and farm at Twin Oaks Community, in central Virginia.
We’re in zone 7, with an average last frost April 30 and average first frost
October 14. Our goal is to feed our intentional community of 100 people with a
wide variety of organic produce year round. www.twinoaks.org

4. Our Hoophouse at Twin Oaks
• We have one 30’ x 96’ FarmTek ClearSpan gothic arch hoophouse,
with two layers of plastic.
• We put it up in 2003, and like many growers we had the primary
goal of growing more winter greens, early tomatoes and peppers.
• We grow many different crops, rotating them as best we can.
• We divided our hoophouse lengthwise into five 4’ beds and a 2’
bed along each edge.
• Our paths are a skinny 12” wide - maximum growing space.

5. Manual work, no-till
• We decided to use a no-till
system with all manual work
in our hoophouse.
• We wanted to try intensive
no-till practices in a small
well-defined area.
• We did not want to subject
ourselves or our vegetables
to gasoline fumes.
• We value the small peaceful
paradise we have created.
• We like how few weeds we
have as a consequence of not
inverting the soil.

6. 1. Overview of Winter Hoophouse Crops
 Night-time protection of two
layers of plastic and an air gap –
7F warmer than outside!
 Growth rate is faster inside than
out
 Plants tolerate 14F colder than
they do outside, without extra
rowcover
 Double plastic hoophouse in
zone 7, without inner rowcover,
salad greens survive when it’s
14F (-10C) outside.
 With thick rowcover for an
inner tunnel, they can survive
when it’s -12F (-24C) outside
For details, see my slideshows Hoophouse in Fall and
Winter and Hoophouse Cool Season Crops on SlideShare.net
Photo Wren Vile

7. Persephone Days and
Scheduling Winter
Hoophouse Crops
 When the daylight length is below 10 hours, little growth happens.
 The dates depend on your latitude. At 38° N, it’s Nov 20–Jan 20
 Dates are modified by the time it takes to cool the soil and the air.
 In practice, the effective dates for us are Dec 15–Feb 15.
 To harvest in mid-winter, plan to grow a good supply of mature
crops before this period. They will provide most of your harvests.
 For most of our winter, the hoophouse plants are actively growing,
not merely being stored for harvest (as happens in colder climate
zones and outdoors)
 We continue sowing new crops even in December and January.
For details, see my slideshows Hoophouse in Fall and Winter and Hoophouse Cool
Season Crops on SlideShare.net. They Include info on minimizing nitrate
accumulation in leafy greens

8. Planning is Circular, Just Like Farming
1. How much
money do
you need to
earn?
2. Which
markets
to sell at
3.
Which
crops
to grow
4. How much of
what to harvest
when: Harvest
Schedule
5. How much to
grow to achieve
your harvest goals
6. Calculate sowing dates to
meet harvest dates: Field
Planting Schedule7. When to sow for
transplants: Seedlings
Schedule
8. Where to plant
each sowing of
each crop: Maps
9. Packing more in:
succession plantings,
intercropping, relay
planting, double
cropping
10. Adjust to make
your best
possible plan
11. What to do if
something goes wrong:
Plan B
12. Record results
for next year’s
Better Plan
See my slideshow
Crop Planning
for Sustainable
Vegetable
Production

9. 2. Which Crops to Grow
Skipping over the issues of money and markets (see Resources),
we’ll go to Which crops to grow? Aspects:
• Which Crops Suit the Conditions?
• Cold-hardiness table
• How to Decide Which Crops to Grow
– Quick Crops and Steady Crops
– Crop Value Rating
• Which Crops are Most Profitable?
• Which Crops Sell for High Prices?
• Which Crops are Easy to Grow?
Also see my slide show
Cold-Hardy Winter Vegetables
on SlideShare.net
Also see my slide show
Diversify Your Vegetable Crops
on SlideShare.net
Planning
Step 3

10. Which Crops Suit the Conditions?
A. Lettuce: Leaf lettuce, baby lettuce mix, small leaf lettuces
B. Other salad greens: spinach, brassica salad mix
C. Cooking greens: Asian greens, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage,
cauliflower, chard, collards, endives and chicories, kale
D. Root crops: beets, carrots, bulb fennel, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips
E. Alliums: garlic, garlic scallions, leeks, onion scallions, bulb onions
F. Legumes: fava beans, peas
G. Bare root transplants: bulb onions, spinach, brassicas
H. Seed crops
I. Unusual crops
In early spring comes the “Hungry Gap” when the supply of winter roots and leafy greens
dwindles and people hanker for some fresh produce with different flavors

11. A. Lettuce Varieties for Fall and Winter
Particularly cold-
hardy for outdoors:
 Brune d’Hiver
 Buckley
 Ezrilla
 Green Forest
 Hampton
 Lollo Rossa
 Merlot
 North Pole
 Red Tinged
Winter
 Revolution
 Rouge d’Hiver
 Tango
 Winter Marvel
Rouge d’Hiver Lettuce
Credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
The Salad Bowls are not so good outdoors
in cold weather but do well under cover.
Icebergs do not survive frost.
Lettuce heads may survive much colder temperatures than you ever
imagined! 15-20F (-9.5 to -7.5C)

12. Small-leaf lettuces: Johnny’s
Salanovas, Osborne’s and High
Mowing’s Eazyleaf; Tango,
Oscarde, Panisse. Photo Osborne Seeds
A. Baby Lettuce & Small Leaf Lettuces
Baby lettuce mix
Sow 10/23, harvest 12/4, dtm 42
Sow 12/31, harvest 2/21, dtm 52
Sow 2/1, harvest 3/18, dtm 45
Sow 2/15, harvest 3/25, dtm 38
For details, see my slideshow Lettuce Year-
Round on www.slideshare.net

13. B. Other Salad Greens
 Several small greens are
very hardy:
• Arugula (particularly
Sylvetta, Surrey and Astro)
• Corn salad/Mache
• Miners Lettuce/Claytonia/
winter purslane
• Upland Cress,
• Minutina
• Parsley,
• Salad burnet
• Sorrel,
• Saltwort
Many cooking greens can be
used as salad while small
Photo Wren Vile

14. B. Spinach
Spinach works for salad or cooking
Spinach is a challenge to start in hot weather!
Optimum germination temperature 70°F (21°C) Max 85°F
(29°C).
Wait for soil temperature to drop. Use
a soil thermometer. For earlier planting,
pre-sprout seeds one week.
Cold hardy to 0°F (–18°C)
Spinach grows whenever the
temperature is above 40°F
(5°C).
Spinach
Photo Kathryn Simmons

15. • Interesting mustard
mixes are sold for salad
mixes
• We often mix our own
Brassica Salad Mix from
leftover random brassica
seeds. For a single cut,
almost all brassicas are
suitable – just avoid
turnips and radishes with
prickly leaves!
• We sow between 10/2
and 11/14 for winter
harvest and from 12/4 to
2/12 for March and early
April harvests.
B. Brassica (Mustard) Salad Mixes
Wild Garden Pungent Mix. 40 days to harvest.
Pink Petiole Mix, Ready in 40 days.
Photos Wild Garden Seed

16. B. Microgreens
Photo Andrew Mefferd
www.chelseagreen.com
For clear instructions on efficiently
growing microgreens for sale, see
Andrew Mefferd’s Greenhouse and
Hoophouse Grower's Handbook –
Organic Vegetable Production Using
Protected Culture

17. C. Leafy cooking greens
Spinach and
brassicas are the
most productive
crops in winter
(more so than
lettuce)
Asian greens
Chard and beet
greens
Endives and
chicories
Photo Tatsoi, Wren Vile

18. C. Kale
Harvesting
Russian kales in
the hoophouse in
late winter.
Photo Wren Vile
Germination temperatures 41°-95°F (5°-35°C)
Russian kales (napus varieties) grow better in the hoophouse than
Vates (blue curled Scotch oleracea type).
Grow at lower temperatures than Vates will, although they are not
as cold–tolerant. Red Russian bolts before White Russian.
We tried Black Magic Lacinato kale but it didn’t do as well.
Cold hardy to 0°F (–18°C)
Sow 9/24, harvest 12/8
Days to maturity 75

19. C. Asian Greens
• Faster growing than lettuce.
Some are ready for
transplanting 2 weeks after
sowing in fall (or you can direct
sow them)
• Keep a flat of seedlings ready,
pop plugs into empty spaces as
they occur, where other crops
have failed or finished early.
• Easier to germinate in hot
weather than lettuce.
• Cold hardy to 12°F (–11°C) or
even 10°F (-12°C) outdoors,
colder indoors
• 50–80 days to maturity for
winter hoophouse crops
Credit Ethan Hirsh
For more details, see
my slidehow Producing
Asian Greens on
SlideShare.net

20. C. Asian Greens – many types
• Napa Chinese Cabbage
• Pak Choy
• Tokyo Bekana
• Maruba Santoh
• Tatsoi
• Yukina Savoy very
• Senposai cold-hardy
• Komatsuna
• Mizspoona
• Toraziroh
• Thick-stemmed mustard
• Yokatta-na
• Hon Tsai Tai
• Mizuna
• Ruby Streaks, Scarlet Frills &
other frilly mustards
• Chrysanthemum greens

21. C. Chard
• Chard germinates best at 85°F
(29°C) - useful as a substitute
when it is too hot to sow
spinach.
• Most chard is hardy outdoors
without rowcover to 15°F
(–10°C).
• 12°F (–11°C) indoors without
rowcover, 0°F (–18 °C) with.
• Green chard is hardier than the
multi-colored types
• Days to maturity: 61 – 103 days
– Sow 9/15, harvest 11/15 – 5/10
– Sow 10/26, harvest 2/6 – 5/10
Fordhook Giant chard.
Photo Bridget Aleshire

22. C. Endives and chicories
Related to wild chicory and dandelions, naturally bitter.
3 main species: endive, wild endive and common chicory
Endives
and
Chicories
Common
Chicory
SugarloafRadicchio
Belgian
endive
Wild
Endive
The
weeds
Endive
Escarole
(Batavian
endive)
Frisée
(curly
endive)

23. C. Endives
Frisée endive is the most bitter.
Normally it is blanched before
eating.
Upper photo Hudson Valley Seed Library
Escarole is the least bitter member
of the family and looks like a sturdy
lettuce. Although it can be eaten in
hearty salads, it is generally sautéed
or braised, which brings out the
sweetness and mutes the bitterness.
Lower
photo
Van
Geest
Inter-
national
Photo NPR Kitchen Window

24. C. Heading chicories
• Chicories develop peak flavor and
sweetness as temps drop in the fall
• Hardier than lettuce
• Hold well in the cooler, much better
than lettuce, especially when
harvested slightly immature with an
inch of root attached
• 2 main types of radicchio (storing
chicories) - Chioggia (round and red),
and Treviso (oblong and red).
• Slower maturing varieties are more
cold tolerant, faster maturing ones are
more heat tolerant.
• Sugarloaf chicory is one of the
sweetest, least bitter types, but is also
the least cold hardy.
Photo www.growitalian.com

25. D. Root Crops: Beets
• Beets prefer soil temperatures of
50°F–85°F (10°C–29°C)
• Only 3.5 days to emerge at 86°F
(30°C), but 14.6 days at 50°F (10°C).
• In late summer, you can maintain a
soil temperature below 86°F for a few
days using shadecloth.
• Hand-sowing pre-sprouted seed is an
option if the season is relentlessly hot.
• Sow 1/2″-1″ deep, tamp the soil, and
keep the surface damp with daily
watering until they emerge.
Crosby Egyptian Beet. Credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

26. D. Root Crops: Carrots
• Carrots prefer soil temperatures of 45°F–85°F (7°C–29°C),
• They germinate in 4 or 5 days at 80°F (27°C).
• Keep the soil surface damp until they come through.
• For winter hoophouse growing, try Napoli or Mokum. Nelson is no
longer available.
• Sow fall carrots outdoors very early in August, to store or harvest all
winter.
Photos Southern
Exposure Seed
Exchange

27. D. Bulb Fennel
The crunchy white “bulb”
consists of the swollen
stem bases of the leaves.
Has a vaguely licorice-like
flavor.
• Cool-weather short-lived perennial grown
as an annual in zone 6 and warmer.
• In zone 7, two seasons for planting:
March-April and July-August
• In zones 2-5 it grows as a biennial.
• Depending on your climate, sow in early
spring, mid-spring, late summer or early
fall.
• Can be sown when the danger of hard
frost (28°F) is over
• Grow the plant fast, provide plenty of
water and harvest before flower stems
form
• Sensitive to day-length and sudden chilly
spells
• Fall crops are likely to be more successful
than spring ones.
• If your spring crop bolts before forming a
good bulb, your weather is too hot for
spring planting - stick to fall crops in
future, or start earlier in the spring

28. D. Radishes
• Radishes germinate at temps
41°F–95°F (5°C–35°C)
• Small radishes take 27–52 days
to maturity
• Don’t sow large winter radish
types before August – they
bolt.
– Harvest before temperatures
drop to 20°F (-7°C)
– Store well in plastic bags under
refrigeration
– Popular for making Kim Chee,
salads and stir-fries.

29. D. Turnips
• Turnips + greens excel in the hoophouse.
• We sow our first ones Oct 15 (around our
first frost date) for harvest from Dec 4.
• We do a second sowing Oct 24-Nov 9 and a
small third sowing Dec 10.
• We like Red Round and Hakurei and have
tried Oasis and White Egg to find a cheaper
replacement for Hakurei (Oasis is closer).
• Hakurei is delicious, but is one of the least
cold-tolerant, and does not survive dips
below 10 °F (-12 °C) very well, as almost the
entire root is above the soil.
• In cold climates, try Purple Top White Globe
• Germination 41°–104°F (5°–40°C)
• Days to maturity 52 – 99 days.
Scarlet Ohno Revival turnip.
Photo Southern Exposure Seed
Exchange
White Egg turnip. Photo Wren Vile

30. E. Alliums: Scallions (Bunching Onions,
Spring Onions)Scallions
• We sow 9/6 for harvest 12/1 - 3/1;
11/18 (following radishes) for
harvest in early spring. Trying
10/20 in 2018
• Evergreen Hardy White and White
Lisbon scallions are hardy down to
0°F (-18°C)
Photo Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Bulbing onions
• We have sown for growing to
maturity in the hoophouse
• We have grown seedlings for
planting outdoors.
Onions planted in front of peppers
Photo Kathryn Simmons

31. F: Legumes
• Peas such as dwarf snap
peas, or pea shoots
• Photo Bridget Aleshire
• Fava beans,
• Photo Kathryn Simmons

32. G. Bare-root Transplants
• Plants dug up from a
nursery seedbed and
transplanted elsewhere.
• Save time and money,
compared to growing
starts in flats.
• Save on greenhouse
space.
• Very sturdy plants - full
depth of soil to develop
big roots
• Little extra care needed -
less prone to drying out
than seedlings in flats.
Photo credit Ethan Hirsh
In October we sow “filler”
greens and lettuce to use in the
hoophouse during the winter
In November we sow bulbing
onions to plant outdoors 3/1
Jan 24 we sow kale, collards,
spinach to plant outdoors in Mar.

33. H. Seed Crops
• Clifton Slade in Virginia overwintered collard
greens for a seed crop the next spring. He is
in zone 7b. He grew a whole tunnel full.
• Clif direct seeded Champion collards 12/1.
• On 2/15 he started rolling up the side
curtains every day, to vernalize the plants.
• 90 days from sowing, 3/1, he had greens.
• Although he had not intended to sell greens,
he did sell about 1000 lbs (450 kg).
• On 3/10, the plants flowered. Seed matured earlier than outdoors.
• Clif harvested the tops of the plants into totes, using pruners. He had
100 lbs (45 kg) of pods, which gave 30 lbs (14 kg) of cleaned seed.
• The yield was double that grown outdoors.
• Seeds were bigger than outdoor-grown seed, with good germination
• After pulling the collard seed crop, Clif transplanted okra

34. I. Unusual Crops or Varieties
Miniature crops, unusual varieties
Gourmet high value crops
Jerusalem artichokes
Crosnes
Edible flowers
Garlic scapes, garlic scallions
Green garlic
Herbs
Photo
simpleseason
al.com

35. Winter-Kill Temperatures –
Frosty Weather – 35° to 25°F (2°C to -4°C)
Some starting numbers of killing temperatures outdoors (without
rowcover unless otherwise stated). Your results may vary! Let me know!
In a double-layer hoophouse (8F/5C warmer than outside) plants can
survive 14F/8C colder than outside, without extra rowcover; at least
21F/12C colder than outside with thick rowcover (1.25 ozTypar/Xavan).
See the handout for more variety names.
• 35°F (2°C): Basil.
• 32°F (0°C): Cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, tomatoes.
• 27°F (–3°C): Many cabbage, Sugarloaf chicory.
• 25°F (–4°C): Some cabbage, chervil, chicory roots for chicons and
hearts, Chinese Napa cabbage, dill, endive (more frost-hardy than
lettuce), some fava beans, annual fennel, some Asian greens (Maruba
Santoh, mizuna, most pak choy, Tokyo Bekana), some onion scallions
(many varieties are hardier), radicchio.

36. Colder
from 22°F down to 15°F
• 22°F (–6°C): Some arugula (some varieties are hardier),
Bright Lights chard, large leaves of lettuce (protected hearts and
small plants will survive colder temperatures), rhubarb stems.
• 20°F (–7°C): Some beets, broccoli heads (maybe OK to 15°F/
-9°C), Brussels sprouts, some cabbages (the insides may still be
good even if the outer leaves are damaged), celeriac, celtuce
(stem lettuce), some head lettuce, some mustards/Asian greens,
flat leaf parsley, radishes, most turnips .
• 15°F (–9.5°C): Some beets, beet greens, some broccoli, some
cabbage, rowcovered celery, red chard, cilantro, endive, some fava
beans, Russian kales, kohlrabi, some lettuce, especially small and
medium-sized plants with 4-10 leaves, curly parsley, rutabagas if
not covered, broad leaf sorrel, turnip leaves, most covered turnips,
winter cress.

37. Colder Still
down to 10°F
• 12°F (–11°C): Some beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
some cabbage, carrots, most collards, some fava beans, garlic
tops if fairly large, most fall varieties of leeks, large tops of
potato onions, covered rutabagas, Senposai leaves - the core
of the plant may survive 10°F (–12°C), some turnips.
• 10°F (–12°C): Covered beets, Purple Sprouting broccoli for
spring harvest, a few cabbages, green chard (hardier than
multi-colored types), some collards, Belle Isle upland cress,
some endive, young bronze fennel, Blue Ridge kale, probably
Komatsuna, some leeks, some covered lettuce, covered Asian
winter radish (including daikon), large leaves of savoyed
spinach (more hardy than flat leafed varieties), tatsoi, Yukina
Savoy.

38. Coldest
down to 0°F
• 5°F (–15°C): Garlic tops even if small, some kale, some
leeks, some bulb onions, potato onions and other
multiplier onions, smaller leaves of savoyed spinach and
broad leaf sorrel, many Even’ Star greens varieties are OK
down to 6°F (-14°C), some unprotected small lettuces.
• 0°F (–18°C): Chives, some collards (Blue Max, Morris
Heading, Winner), corn salad (mâche), garlic, horseradish,
Jerusalem artichokes, Even’ Star Ice-Bred Smooth Leaf kale,
a few leeks (Alaska, Durabel), some bulb onions, some
onion scallions (Evergreen Hardy White, White Lisbon),
parsnips, salad burnet, salsify, some spinach (Bloomsdale
Savoy, Olympia).

39. Unthinkably Cold
• -5°F (-19°C): Leaves of overwintering
varieties of cauliflower, Vates kale survives
although some leaves may be too damaged to use.
• -10°F (-23°C): Reputedly, Walla Walla onions sown
in late summer
• -30°F to -40°F (-34°C to -40°C): Narrow leaf sorrel,
Claytonia and some cabbage (January King?) are
said to be hardy in zone 3
• Use this table to decide what to grow and when to
harvest it.

40. How to Decide Which Crops to Grow
• Some crops offer more money for the area
• Some are more profitable in terms of time put in
• Crops which quietly grow all season from a single
planting can be an advantage.
• If the same plants provide multiple harvests, this can
be great value for time. Leafy greens are the best
example.
• In High-Yield Vegetable Gardening, Colin
McCrate and Brad Halm point out that
when planning what to grow, it's important
to consider how long the crop will be in the
ground, especially if you have limited space

41. McCrate and Halm distinguish between
• Fast Growing Crops (25-60 days from sowing or transplanting)
Direct sown arugula, baby lettuce mix, mustard greens, some Asian
greens, radishes, spinach, turnips; transplanted head lettuce,
endive, heading Asian greens.
• Half Season Crops (50-90 days from sowing or transplanting)
Direct sown beets, carrots, corn salad, snap peas, snow peas,
shelling peas, scallions; transplanted broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,
collards, chard, kale, kohlrabi, radicchio.
• Long Season Crops (70-120 days from sowing or transplanting)
Direct sown fava beans, parsnips, rutabagas; transplanted Brussels
sprouts, bulb fennel, garlic (longer), leeks, bulb onions.
Here I only include cool weather crops
Curtis Stone, in The Urban Farmer, distinguishes between
Quick Crops (maturing in 60 days or less) and Steady Crops
(slower maturing, perhaps harvested continuously over a
period of time).
Quick Crops and Steady Crops

42. Crop Value Rating
Curtis Stone designed a Crop Value Rating system based on 5 factors.
• Decide if each particular crop gets a point for that factor or not.
• Then look for the crops with the highest number of points. Spinach
gets all 5 points; cherry tomatoes only 3.
• The smaller your farm, the more important to choose high-scoring
crops. His 5 are:
1. Shorter days to maturity (fast crops = chance to plant more; give a
point for 60 days or less)
2. High yield per linear foot (best value from the space; a point for1/2
pound/linear foot or more)
3. Higher price per pound (other factors being equal, higher price =
more income; a point for $4 or more per pound)
4. Long harvest period (= more sales; a point for 4 months or longer)
5. Popularity (high demand, low market saturation)

43. Clifton Slade at Virginia State
University in his 43,560 Project
(how to earn $43,560 from one
acre), recommends choosing
crops which produce one
vegetable head or stalk, or 1 lb
of produce, per square foot.
Leafy crops feature
prominently.
Morris Heading Collards, Photo
Kathryn Simmons
Which Crops are most Profitable?

44. Which Crops are Most Profitable?
Richard Wiswall Organic Farmer’s
Business Handbook
• Leafy greens, parsley and basil
earn more than fruiting crops.
• Outdoor kale can produce
$2463 from 1/10 acre, and of
the crops he compared, only
parsley and basil earned more.
• Field tomatoes came in at
$1872, and several vegetables
(bush beans, sweet corn, peas)
made a loss.
• You have to crunch the
numbers to know!
Vates kale. Photo Kathryn Simmons

45. Which Crops Sell for High Prices
(not necessarily easy to grow)
• microgreens,
• Heirloom
vegetables
• baby
vegetables,
• salad mix,
• lettuce,
• arugula,
• herbs,
• edible flowers,
• storage crops,
• garlic,
• fruits,
• container
grown salad
• unusual crops
• out-of-season
crops,
• bedding plants
and
transplants,
• cut flowers,
• ornamental
crops
This list is from
Market Farming
Success by Lynn
Byczynski
Photo: John Everett, for The
Chronicle

46. Which Crops are Easy to Grow?
Steve Solomon in Gardening When it Counts provides tables of
vegetable crops by the level of care they require. Your results may vary!
Onion bed. Photo Kathryn Simmons
• His Easy List includes these possible
cool weather hoophouse crops: kale,
collards, endives, chicories, spinach,
cabbage, beets, chard, all legumes.
• His Harder to Grow List: lettuce,
arugula, parsley, carrots, parsnips,
broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi, turnips,
rutabagas, mustards, non-heading Asian
greens, scallions, potato onions, garlic.
• His Difficult List: bulb onions, leeks,
Chinese cabbage, asparagus, celery,
celeriac, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts,
early cabbage.

47. 3. How Much to Harvest,
How Much to Plant
• How Much to Harvest: what do you have
markets for?
• Your Harvest Schedule: which crops you
want to harvest when, how often and
over what length of time, including how
much of each
• How Much to Plant to Achieve Your
Harvest Goals: add 10% margin (for culls
and failures) to your desired harvest
quantity
Planning
Steps 4-5

48. Maps and Planting Schedule
• We plan September-March in
early-mid August.
• We plan March-September in
February
Gather your information:
 First possible planting date
 Last worthwhile planting and
harvesting dates
 Everything in between!
 Decide on harvest dates,
 Calculate planting dates
 Draw up a planting schedule
 Plan follow-on crops where
possible.
Tatsoi Photo Wren Vile
Planning
Steps 6-8

49. When to Plant -
Days to Maturity
Find the number of days to maturity (from the catalog).
Is that number from seeding to harvest or transplant to
harvest?
Work back from each target harvest date, subtracting days to
maturity, to give the planting date.
Days to maturity in catalogs are generally for spring planting
once conditions have warmed to the usual range for that crop.
When growing in late fall, winter or early spring add about 14
days - seedlings grow slower when chilly.
In winter when the temperature is below 40F (4C), plants don’t
grow much at all – ignore those days from your calculations.
“Days to Maturity” usually means “Days to First Harvest” which
may not be the same as “Days to Full Harvest”.
With carrots it doesn’t matter exactly what size they are, but an
immature Chinese cabbage is just no good.
Planning
Step 6

50. Germination Temperatures
• Will your crop actually germinate at the
prevailing temperature? Don’t waste
space and time.
• How many days does your chosen crop
need to germinate in your conditions?
• Use a soil thermometer, and consult
charts.
• The Year-Round Hoophouse,
• Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable
Growers (the 2012 edition is online)
• Nancy Bubel’s New Seed Starter’s
Handbook.
• Lettuce seedlings emerging. Photo Kathryn Simmons

51. Crop Rotations
Lettuce,
chicories
Brassicas
Spinach,
chard
and beets
 Cool weather crops mostly fall
into 3 crop families
Lettuce and chicories
Brassicas
Spinach, chard and beets.
 2 other families are grown in
smaller amounts
Legumes
Alliums
 Rotate the main families each
cool season.
 Use the less common families
to fill out the space, ad hoc.

52. FEDCBA
92'88'88'88'92'96'
dy10/1Ready10/2Ready10/24Ready10/24Ready9/6Ready9/16
Cowpeas
d36ftTomatoes6/1-9/15
to9/15GherkinsTomatoesSquashBuckwheat8/9-9/6
Cowpeas7/23-10/23Cowpeas6/30-10/23
56'4/7-9/23
Rad#210/1follbyBrass
Sal#22/1-11/23
ler#110/10BrassSal#110/2follby
Rad#512/23-4/`15
er#210/20
iller#110/23
filler#211/9Radish#310/30-1/30
h#411/29
Chinese
Cabbage
Pak Choy
10/3 - 1/23
4 x 11' foll by
Chard #1
10/16 - 5/1
Spinach#311/9-filler
12rowscrosswisein3'
Tatsoi #2
11/15 - 3/1
8 rows x 7'
Yukina
Savoy #1
10/6 - 2/10
4 rows x 12'
Mizuna
#1
10/20 - 1/25
6 rows x 8'
Russian kales 10/22 - 4/17.
Red kale on south, White on north
4 rows x 52'
Yukina
Savoy
#2
10/24 - 3/2
4 rows x 8'
Mizuna
#2
11/9 -3/24
6 rows x
6'
Turnips #1, 10/14 - 2/10
3 rows x 96': Red Round to North, Hakurei to south East end, south side followed by 3 rows x26' Lettuce Mix #3, 2/1 - 4/30
Wheat (and Mustard?)
Spinach #1 9/6 - 2/15
8 rows x 56'
West end, south side followed by 3 rows x31' Lettuce Mix + arugula #2 12/31 - 3/20
West end North side followed by Snap Peas 2/1 - 5/31 x
Tatsoi #1,
9/7 - 12/31
8 rows x 16'
followed by Spinach
#4 1/15 - 5/7,
12 rows x16'
Bull's
Blood
Beets,
9/7 - 4/25
10 rows x 9'
Tokyo
Bekana
Scallions #1
9/6- 3/1,
7 x 7'
Radishes #1
9/6-11/7
5 x 7' then
Scallions #2
Lettuce #2, 10/25 - 3/1
4 rows x 50'
Senposai, 10/24 - 2/28
4 rows x 38'
Lettuce Mix+ Arugula #1,
10/24 - 2/28
9 rows x 30'
Spinach #2, 10/24 -
3/14
8 rows x 18'
Turnips #2,
10/26 - 3/22
6 rows x 21'
Chard #2
10/26 - 5/1
8 rows x 9'
CBA
88'92'96'
Ready9/6Ready10/12Ready10/24,11/29
8Tomatoes3/24-
/23B&S7/31-9/1
Radish#210/1-12/312'
BrassFill#110/101.5'
BrassFill#210/201.5'
FillLett#110/232'
Spinach #1
9/6 - 2/15
56' x 8 rows (5 rows Tyee, 1.5 rows Avon, 1.5 rows Chevelle)
West end, S side foll by Lettuce Mix #2 12/31-3/20 32'x3 rows
West end North side followed bySnap Peas 2/1 - 5/31 56' x 1 row
Tatsoi #1
9/7 - 1/14
16' x 8 rows
foll by Spinach #4
1/15 - 5/7
16' x 15 rows
Bull's
Blood
Beets
9/7 - 4/25
9' x 10 rows
Scallions
#1 (North)
9/6- 3/1, 7' x7 r
----------------
Radishes #1
9/6-11/7 7' x 5r
then Scall #2
11/18 7'x 5 r
Tokyo
Bekana
10/1-1/14
11' x 4 r then
Spinach #5a
1/16 11'x15 r
Filler
Lett
#2
11/9
4'
Spin #3
11/9 6'
Tatsoi #2
11/15 - 3/12
14' x 4 rows
Rad#4
11/29-2/254'
Brass Sal
Mix #2
12/18-3/29
8'x8r
Spinach #2
10/24 - 5/1 36' x 4 rows (2T, 1 A, 1 C)
Peppers
4/11-10/31
W:Cowpeas6/1-9/15
E:Beans,Cowpeas6/28-10/12
Spinach #5b
1/16 24' x 8 rows
Lettuce #1
10/15 - 3/1 48' x 4 rows
BrassSalad#1
10/2-12/224'thenRad#5
Pak Choy
10/3-1/23 11' x
4 rows then
Collards/Brass
Sal #3 1/24
1'/10' x 15 r
Chinese
Cabbage
10/2-1/23 11' x
4 r then
Kale/Collards
1/24 8'/3' x 15r
September 2015- March 2016
September 2016-March 2017
Real Life Crop Rotations
Two beds in our hoophouse in two consecutive cool seasons

53. HoopHouse Map March-September 2015
Pam
27 Dec
2014
→
North
G F E D C B A
96' 92' 88' 88' 88' 92' 96'
Make a Blank Map
• We use spreadsheets, you
choose computer or paper
• We have 5 beds 4’ (1.2 m) wide,
2 edge beds 2’ (0.6 m) wide
• Make your map to scale
• Work from last year’s map, if you
have one.
• Write in last winter’s crops, for
each bed, in small print at one
end.
• Write in the summer crops in
each bed, and their finish dates
(when the bed will become
available.)

54. HoopHouse Map
Pam
10 August
2015
Bed
Prep
Over-
view
→
North
G F E D C B A
96' 92' 88' 88' 88' 92' 96'
Beets, Cowpeas
Edamame Nemaland 36 ft Tomatoes 6/1-9/15
6/23-9/23 Solarize to 9/15 Gherkins Tomatoes Squash Buckwheat 8/9-9/6
Cowpeas 7/23-10/23 Cowpeas 6/30-10/23
Peppers 56 ft
4/7-10/31
September 2015 -
March 2016
WheatandMustard9/15
Greens9/16
By 9/6 1 bed for bbb, scallions #1, radish #1, spin #1, tatsoi #1
By 9/30 1/2 bed for Tokyo Bekan/Maruba Santoh, Chines cabbage, Pak Choy, brass
fill #1
By 10/13 1/4 bed for chard #1; 1/2 bed for turnips #1; 1/2 bed for lett #1
By 10/21 1/2 bed for kale (the ex-Nema bed, with Yukina Savoys, Mizunas,
radishes?)
By 10/23 1/2 bed for lett #2; 1/2 bed for sps; 1/4 bed for spin #2; 1/4 bed for lett mix
#1; 1/4 bed for turnips #2; 1/4 bed for tatsoi #2;
Greens9/24
LateGreens11/1
Nema-ResistantGreens10/2-10/22startdates
RussianKale10/22,YukinaSavoy10/6,Mizuna10/2
Greens10/24
Greens10/24
EarlyGreens9/7
Make an Overview
Map
1. List all the crops to be grown, and
quantities.
2. First figure out which bed can be the
Early Bed, then the others.
3. Decide which main crop family could
go in each bed, considering crop
rotations, edge beds being narrow and
colder, dates of availability.
Tomatoes
Buckwheat
8/9-9/6
Early Greens
9/7

55. Make a Final Map
1. Start with the crops needing most
space - leaf lettuce, spinach, kale,
turnips, and large Asian greens.
Find a home for each crop in a
space available timewise and
suitable rotation-wise
2. Pencil each crop in, showing how
much space it needs
3. Write in the planting dates and
finish dates
4. Note remaining space left in the
bed, available for minor crops.
5. Then fit everything else in, in a
way that works with your planting
dates (one or two beds at a time,
September – October, or the
whole hoophouse at once?)
HoopHouse Map Sept 2017 - March 2018
B+W 2
Aug 2017
→
North
G F E D C B A
96' 92' 88' 88' 88' 92' 96'
"NEMA YEAR 3" NEMA YEAR 1
Rad #2 10/1-12/31 2'
Brass Fill #1 10/10 1.5'
Brass Fill #2 10/20 1.5'
Lett Fill #1 10/23 2'
Rad #3 10/30-1/30
Spinach#210/24-5/136'x4rows
LettuceMix#2.5
11/1624'x3rowsthen
Spinach#5b1/1624'x8
BrassSalMix
#212/18-3/29
8'x8r
Rad #4
11/29-2/25
4'
Tatsoi#2
11/15-3/12
14'x4rows
Spin#3
11/96'
Fill
Lett#2
11/94'
Lettuce#110/15-3/143'x4rows
Squash 4/1-7/16
Cowpeas 7/14-8/30
W B + S 7/21=10/8
E Cowpeas 5/1- 8/18
Spinach#1
9/6-2/1556'x8rows
4rowsAvon,4rowsReflect
WestendSsidefollbyLettuceMix#212/31-3/2032'x3rows
WestendNsidefollbySnapPeas2/1-5/3156'x1row
Senposai10/24-
2/2838'x4rows
Tomatoes 3/17-7/30
Bkwt 8/6-9/1
Lettuce#210/25-3/150'x4rows
RussianKaleWhiteonNRedonS
10/22-4/1752'x4rows
B + S 7/17-10/1 or
sooner
Brass Salad #1
10/2-12/22 4'then Rad #5
PakChoi10/3-
1/2311'x4
rowsthen
BrassSal#3
10'x15rows
1/27
Chinese
Cabbage
10/2-1/2311'
x4rthen
Kale
8'/Collards3'
x15r1/24
Tokyo
Bekana
10/1-1/1416'
x4rthen
Spinach#5a
1/1611'x15r
Cowpeas
6/1-9/15
Turnips#110/14-2/1096'x3rowsthenLettuceMix#32/126ftx5rowsatEastend
Chard#1
10/16-5/10
13'x4rows
Turnips#2b10/25-3/1329'x6rows
Peppers
4/11-10/31
Turnips#2a
10/25-3/13
11'x6rows
Chard#2
10/26-5/1
9'x8rows
LettuceMix#1
10/24-2/28
30'x10rows
Rad#1(S)9/6-
11/77'x5r
thenScall#2
11/187'x5r
9/6-3/17'x7r
------------
Scall#1(N)
Bull's
Blood
Beets
9/7-4/259'
x10rows
Tatsoi#1
9/7-1/1416'x8rows
thenSpinach#41/15-5/7
16'x15rows
Tomatoes 3/15-7/30
Bkwt 8/6-9/1
Mizuna#1
10/20-1/25
8'x6rows
YukSavoy#1
10/6-1/25
12'x4rthen
Mizuna#32/1
12'x6rows
Mizuna
#2
11/9-
3/24
6'x6r
Yukina
Savoy#2
10/24-
3/2
8'x4
rows

56. Make a Planting Schedule
1. Set up the framework for a planting schedule (modify last year’s?)
2. Enter a row for each planting of each crop, including planting date,
bed, row length, number of rows, space between rows, in-row space
of transplants, variety name, expected harvest start and end dates
3. Watch out for changes between growing something in a 2ft edge
bed or a 4ft middle bed. Twice as many rows in a middle bed, rows
only half as long as in an edge bed.
Date
Done
Plan
Date Bed
Sow
/Tpl
Row
length in
feet
Row
space in
inches
#Rows
Plant
space in
inches Crop Notes
Harvest
Start
Harvest
Finish Success?
4. Plan follow-on crops where
possible. To plan successions or
follow-on crops, it is important to
get an idea of how long the first
round of crops will be in the ground.
Photo Wren Vile

57. Make a Final Planting Schedule
1. Check any changes needed compared to last year
2. Be sure to follow all changes through to both the map and the
schedule.
3. Check: add total row feet assigned to each bed - make sure it fits!
4. Sort the planting schedule by date order.
5. Have 2 people proofread for sense and for compatibility with map.
6. Make any needed corrections.
7. Make final versions of map
and schedule
Photo Wren Vile

58. Transition to cool
weather crops
• We clear a bed
• Add compost
• Broadfork
• Rake
• Sow or transplant
Seasonal transitions
Transition from cool to warm weather
crops
• We flag planting spots every 2’ (60 cm)
down the mid-line of the bed
• Clear crops that are too close
• Dig holes
• Add a shovelful of compost in the hole
• Plant the warm weather crop
• Over the next few weeks, harvest to the
south of the new plants, and anything
between them that’s too close
• Over the following few weeks, harvest
the rest of the greens between the new
plants and then crops to the north.
Broadfork
from Way
Cool Tools

59. • By 9/6: 1 bed for Bulls Blood beets, scallions #1,
radish #1, spinach #1, tatsoi #1
• By 9/30: 1/2 bed for Tokyo Bekana/Maruba
Santoh, Chinese cabbage, Pak Choy, brassica
fillers #1
• By 10/13: 1/4 bed for chard #1; 1/2 bed for
turnips #1; 1/2 bed for lettuce #1
• By 10/21: 1/2 bed for kale (plus Yukina Savoy,
mizunas, frilly mustards, radishes?) {RKN}
• By 10/23: 1/2 bed lettuce #2; 1/2 bed senposai;
1/4 bed for spinach #2; 1/4 bed for lettuce mix
#1; 1/4 bed for turnips #2; 1/4 bed for tatsoi #2
Bed Prep Over-view

60. • Sept 15 and Sept 24: We make outdoor sowings of crops to
later transplant into the hoophouse at 2–4 weeks old. We
use hoops and ProtekNet, and water frequently
• Sept 15: 10 varieties of hardy leaf lettuce and romaines; pak
choy, Chinese cabbage, Yukina Savoy, Tokyo Bekana,
Maruba Santoh, chard
ProtekNet and hoops. Photo Wren Vile
Sept 24: another 10 varieties of
lettuce; Red and White
Russian kales, Senposai, more
Yukina Savoy, mizuna and
arugula
Fall Sowings to Transplant Inside

61. September Hoophouse Planting
Early September : We clear
and add compost to one of
the beds and sow sprouted
spinach seed, radishes,
scallions, Bulls Blood beet
greens and tatsoi.
At the end of September we
clear summer crops from one
more bed, add compost. We
transplant Tokyo Bekana and
Maruba Santoh at 2 weeks
old, Chinese cabbage, pak
choy and Yukina Savoy at 3
weeks.
Spinach in September.
Photo Pam Dawling

62. Early October Planting
Early October, we sow more radishes and some “filler”
greens, (spinach, lettuce and Asian greens) to fill gaps
later.
By mid-October we clear and prepare another bed and
transplant lettuce at 10" (25 cm) apart, and chard. We sow
our first turnips.
Mizuna
Photo Ethan Hirsh

63. Late October Planting
We clear and prepare more beds and transplant the kale,
Senposai, mizuna, arugula and Yukina Savoy at 4 weeks
old and the 2nd lettuce.
We sow more “filler” greens, our first baby lettuce mix,
our second spinach, turnips and chard, and more radishes.
Young Senposai
plants.
Photo Ethan Hirsh

64. November Planting
Nov 10 we sow more turnips, mizuna and arugula, more filler
lettuce and spinach, and our first bulb onions for field
transplanting as early as possible in March. We then have a
fully planted hoophouse.
From Nov 10 on as each crop harvest winds down, we
immediately replace that crop with another.
Nov 11-20 we sow scallions, tatsoi, radishes, more bulb onion
starts.
Bed of tatsoi.
Photo Ethan Hirsh

65. December Planting
• During December we use
the “Filler” greens plants
to replace casualties and
harvested heads of Tokyo
bekana, Maruba Santoh,
Chinese cabbage, Pak
choy, Yukina Savoy daily.
• We sow our fifth radishes
and our second baby
lettuce mix.
• Pak Choy replacing Yukina
Savoy here.
Photo Ethan Hirsh

66. January and February Planting
We fill gaps with Asian
greens, spinach or lettuces
as appropriate, until Jan 25
From Jan 25 to Feb 20 we fill
all gaps everywhere with
spinach transplants
From Feb 20, we only fill
gaps on the outer thirds of
the beds, leaving centers
free for tomatoes, etc.
“Filler” transplants. Photo Ethan
Hirsh

67. March Planting
After 2/20, we harvest the
winter crops from the
center rows first, plant the
new early summer crops
down the center, then
harvest the outer rows bit
by bit as the new crop
needs the space or the
light. This overlap allows
the new crops to take over
gradually.
Our winter and spring
crops end in April
Tomatoes transplanted in the middle of a
lettuce mix bed. Photo Kathryn Simmons

68. Winter Hoophouse Harvest Dates
• October: beet greens, radishes, spinach, tatsoi.
• From November onwards: As October plus arugula, brassica salad
mix, chard, lettuce leaves, mizuna, frilly mustards and scallions.
• From December: As November plus kale, senposai, turnips, and
Yukina Savoy.
• During December: whole plants of Tokyo Bekana, Maruba Santoh.
• During January: heads of Chinese cabbage, pak choy.
• Having the heading crops in December and January gets us
through the slow-growth period.
• Most loose-leaf crops last until mid-March or later.
• Yukina savoy. Credit Ethan Hirsh

70. For details, see my slideshow
Hoophouse in Fall and Winter on
SlideShare.net
4. Packing more in
 Keep the space filled with
useful crops.
 Important to know when
crops will bolt, and how to
plant sensible quantities
 3 techniques:
– succession planting,
– interplanting,
– follow-on cropping
December harvests Photo Wren Vile
Planning
Step 9

71. Succession Planting for Continuous
Harvests
 Typically, plants mature slower
in colder weather
 To get harvests starting an
equal number of days apart,
vary the interval between one
sowing date and the next
according to the season
 Length of time from sowing to
harvest varies according to
day length in some cases
 Keep records and use info
from other local growers to
fine-tune your planting dates
For all the details, see my slideshow
Succession Planting for Continuous
Harvests on SlideShare.net
Tatsoi. Photo Ethan Hirsh

72. Succession Crop Planning Approaches
1. Rough plans: “every 2 weeks
for crop x, 3 weeks for crop
y”, don’t work well in winter
because days to maturity
vary so much.
2. “No paperwork” methods
3. Sow several varieties on the
same day
4. Plan a sequence of sowings
to provide an even supply,
using graphs
Ruby Streaks, mizuna, lettuce mix. Photo Kathleen Slattery

73. “No Paperwork” Methods
Sow more lettuce when
the previous sowing
germinates (lettuce mix
or lettuce to transplant)
 Photo young lettuce Wren Vile

74. Sow Several Varieties on One Day
• Use varieties with
different days-to-maturity
sown on the same day.
• We do this with lettuce,
turnips, mizuna-type
mustards.
• It would work for broccoli
• Photo Lettuce seedlings Bridget Aleshire

75. For details of this method see
Succession Planting on
SlideShare.net
Making a Close-Fit Plan Using Graphs
• Succession crop graphs can
be used for winter
hoophouse crops
• Keep good records and
eliminate sowings that are
too late to give a harvest –
some crops bolt in January
(Tokyo bekana and Maruba
Santoh), some in February
(tatsoi)
Cherry Belle radishes. Photo by
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

76. Make a Graph - 6 Steps
1. Gather sowing and harvest start and finish dates
for each planting of each crop
2. Make a graph for each crop: sowing date along the
horizontal (x) axis; harvest start date along the vertical (y)
axis. Mark in all your data. Join with a line. Smooth the
line.
3. From your first possible sowing date find the first harvest
start date.
4. Decide the last worthwhile harvest start date, mark that.
5. Divide the harvest period into a whole number of equal
segments, according to how often you want a new patch.
6. Mark in the harvest start dates and see the sowing dates
that match those harvest dates
Next we’ll take one step at a time

77. For each sowing of each crop, collect
1. Sowing date
2. Date of first harvest
3. Date of last worthwhile harvest of
that sowing
 Compared to spring and summer
plantings, the results for winter
plantings can look quite wacky.
 Spinach, lettuce and kale grow
every time the temperature in your
hoophouse is 40F (4.5C) or more,
 Some other crops need warmer
temperatures to make any growth,
and will “sit still” when it’s too cold.
 Here’s the first part of our data.
Sowing
Date
Harvest
Start
Harvest
End
6-Sep 30-Sep 7-Nov
6-Sep 3-Oct 10-Nov
6-Sep 7-Oct 7-Nov
1-Oct 2-Nov 17-Dec
1-Oct 10-Nov 25-Dec
5-Oct 9-Nov 2-Jan
Radishes
Step 1 Gather Sowing & Harvest Dates

78. Step 2 Make a Graph
X axis = Sowing Date, across the bottom
• Mark in all your data, and join with a line.
• Graphs can be made by hand or using a spreadsheet program such as Excel, which calls
them charts. This type of graph is called a “scatter chart.”
9/7/2016
9/27/2016
10/17/2016
11/6/2016
11/26/2016
12/16/2016
1/5/2017
1/25/2017
2/14/2017
3/6/2017
3/26/2017
4/15/2017
8/18/2016 9/7/2016 9/27/201610/17/201611/6/201611/26/201612/16/2016 1/5/2017 1/25/2017 2/14/2017
Harveststartdate
Sowing date
Ser…
Yaxis=HarvestStartDate
Radishes
- several
years’
data

79. Step 3 From your First Possible Sowing
Date find the First Harvest Start Date
Draw a line up from
your first possible
sowing date on the x
axis to the graph
line. 9/7?
Draw a horizontal
line from the point
on the graph line to
the y axis.
This is your first
harvest date. Ours is
around 10/1.
Harvest date varies
according to
temperature.
9/7/2016
9/27/2016
10/17/2016
11/6/2016
11/26/2016
12/16/2016
1/5/2017
1/25/2017
2/14/2017
3/6/2017
3/26/2017
4/15/2017
8/18/2016 9/7/2016 9/27/2016 10/17/2016 11/6/2016 11/26/2016 12/16/2016 1/5/2017 1
Harveststartdate
Sowing date

80. Step 4 Decide your Last Worthwhile
Harvest Start Date
• Decide your last
worthwhile harvest
start date 3/18?
• Draw a line across
from this date on
the y (harvest) axis
to the graph line
• Draw a line from
this point on the
graph line down to
the x axis to show
when to sow. 1/26? 9/7/2016
9/27/2016
10/17/2016
11/6/2016
11/26/2016
12/16/2016
1/5/2017
1/25/2017
2/14/2017
3/6/2017
3/26/2017
4/15/2017
8/18/20169/7/20169/27/201610/17/201611/6/201611/26/201612/16/20161/5/20171/25/20172/14/2017
Harveststartdate
Sowing date
S…

81. Smoothing the Graph Line
• The line joining the points on the graph is often jagged,
due to differences in weather from year to year, and to
growing varieties with differing maturity dates.
• Smooth the jaggedness by drawing a smooth line
hitting most of your points, with equal numbers of
points above and below it, equally distributed over
time.
• Practice with a pencil, drawing a line in the air just
above the graph.
• When you’re fairly confident, draw a
smooth line.
• With radishes the curve is slight, but
it’s there.

82. Radish Succession Crops Graph
with Smoothed Line

83. Step 5 Divide the Harvest Period into
a whole Number of Segments
 Count the days from first harvest of the first sowing to the first
harvest of the last sowing:10/1–3/18=30+30+31+31+28+18=168
 Use the harvest end dates to see roughly how long a patch of
radishes lasts (how often you want a new patch coming on line)
 Divide the harvest period into a whole number of equal
intervals of that length. If we want new radishes every 34 days,
we’ll need 5 equal intervals between plantings (34 x 5 = 170).
 Five intervals means 6 plantings. (P-I-P-I-P-I-P-I-P-I-P)
 The harvest start dates will be 10/1, 11/4, 12/8, 1/11, 2/14,3/20
 Draw a horizontal line from each harvest start date to the graph
line – see next slide

84. Radish Succession Crops
Harvest Start Dates

85. Radish Succession Crops
Sowing Dates

86. Step 6 Determine the Sowing Dates to
Match your Harvest Start Dates
 Drop a vertical line down to the horizontal axis from each place
that a horizontal line meets your smoothed curve.
 Read the date on the horizontal axis at this point
 Write these planting dates on your schedule: 9/7, 9/30, 10/28,
11/22, 12/20, 1/27
 Sowing intervals are 23, 28, 25, 28, 38 days – longer in Dec-Jan.
 If your hoophouse planting plans exceed the space you’ve
got, simply tweaking to a less frequent new harvest start
could free up space to grow something else.
 Also consider a gap in radish supply, if other crops could
make better use of the space.

87. Our Radish Succession Dates
1. Radish #1, sown 9/6, harvested 10/5-
11/15.
2. #2, sown 10/1, harvested 11/6-12/25.
3. #3, sown 10/30, harvested 12/16-2/7.
4. #4, sown 11/29, harvested 1/16-2/25.
5. #5, sown 12/23, harvested 2/19-3/16
Our harvest intervals are uneven: 31-40
days. This fits better with our other crops.
Cherry Belle radishes. Credit
Southern Exposure Seed
Exchange
After many calculations and too many radishes, we cut back
to 5 sowings of 32' (10 m) each. We reduced the amount we
sow each time as a result of evening out our supply.

88. Hoophouse
Succession
Planting
2 sowings of chard,
scallions, tatsoi,
yukina savoy
3 sowings of mizuna,
turnips, bulb onions
4 sowings of baby
lettuce mix, brassica
salad mix
5 sowings of spinach,
radish
Crop Planting Date Harvest Dates Notes
Brassica Salad Mix #1 sown 10/2 10/29 – 12/22
#2 sown 12/18 ? – 4/20 11 days to germinate.
#3 sown 1/27 4/15 – 5/15? Only 2 cuts
#4 sown 2/1 2/12 is last sow date
Chard #1 transplanted 10/16 12/11 - 4/9
#2 sown 10/26 2/6 - 5/1
Lettuce Mix #1 sown 10/24 12/14 - 3/15 Up to 8 cuts
#1.5! sown 11/16 ? New this year
#2 sown 12/31 2/21 - 3/31 (4/15?) 3 cuts if we’re lucky
#3 sown 2/1 3/18 - 4/30 3 cuts if we’re lucky
#4 sown 2/15 3/25? - 5/15 Only sow if spring outdoor
lettuce is late
Lettuce heads until October 11/16 - 2/20 Harvest leaves from the mature
plants
2/21 - 3/31 Cut the heads
Mizuna #1 transplanted 10/20 11/25 - 1/25 Includes other frilly mustards
#2 sown 11/9 2/26 - 3/24
#3 sown 2/1 3/24 – 5/23 Scarlet Frill, Golden Frills outlive
mizuna and Ruby Streaks
Onions (bulbing) #1 sown 11/10 Transplanted outdoors as early
as possible in March#2 sown 11/22
#3 back-up sown 12/6
Radish #1 sown 9/6 10/3 - 11/16
#2 sown 10/1 11/10 - 12/25
#3 sown 10/30 12/15 - 1/31
#4 sown 11/29 ? Records lacking
#5 sown 12/23 2/13 - 3/30?
Scallions #1 sown 9/6 12/8 - 2/1
#2 sown 11/18 3/19 - 5/15 Following radish #1
Spinach #1 sown 9/6 10/30 - 2/15 or later Sprouted seeds sown
#2 sown 10/24 11/25 - 5/7
#3 sown 11/9 These later sowings are
harvested until 5/7
We keep planting to fill gaps and
pulling up finished plants#4 sown 1/16
#5 sown 1/17 Until mid-May To transplant outdoors in
February
Tatsoi #1 sown 9/7 10/30 - 12/31 9 weeks of harvest
#2 sown 11/15 2/12 - 3/12 4 weeks of harvest
Turnips #1 sown 10/14 12/5 - 2/20 Thinnings11/29
#2 sown 10/25 2/1 - 3/13 Thinnings 1/11
#3 sown 12/10 3/5 - 3/20 Only worthwhile if thinned
promptly and eaten small.
Yukina Savoy #1 transplanted10/6 12/5 - 1/25
#2 transplanted 10/24 1/8 - 2/1 or so Only one week extra

89. • Chard #1, transplanted 10/15, harvest 12/11-4/9.
– #2, sown 10/26, harvested 3/6-4/9
• Lettuce Mix #1, sown 10/24, harvest 12/11-2/21.
– #2, sown 2/1, harvest 3/20-4/20 (3 cuts if we’re lucky)
• Lettuce heads: Succession planting is practical only until October.
From November to February, harvest leaves from the same mature
plants. Harvest 12/6-3/31
• Mizuna (and other ferny mustards) #1, transplanted 10/24, harvest to
1/25.
– #2, sown 11/10, harvest 1/27-3/6,
– #3 ???
• Onions (bulbing) #1, sown 11/10.
– #2, sown 11/22.
– #3, sown 12/6 as back-up. Transplanted outdoors as early as
possible in March.
• Scallions #1, sown 9/6, harvest 12/25-3/20.
– #2, sown 11/13, following radish #1, harvest 3/19-5/15.
Our Other Succession Crops C-S

90. More Succession Crops S-Y
• Spinach #1, sown as sprouted seeds 9/6, harvest 10/30-4/9.
• #2, sown 10/24, harvest 11/20-5/7.
• #3, sown 11/10 as gap-filler.
• #4, sown12/27.
• #5, sown 1/17, as gap filler. All the later sowings are harvested until 5/7.
We plant to fill gaps, and pull up finished plants.
• #6, sown 1/24, primarily to transplant outdoors.
• Tatsoi #1, sown 9/7, harvest 10/30-12/28.
• #2, sown 11/15, harvest 2/15-2/28.
• Turnips #1, sown 10/15, harvest 12/4-2/20.
• #2, sown 11/10, harvest 2/25-3/10 (thinnings 1/11).
• #3, sown 12/10, harvest until 3/20. This sowing is only productive if
thinned promptly and eaten small. Turnip greens are very worthwhile -
the foliage is not weather-beaten, is very sweet, beautiful, and
becomes available when veggie-lovers are hankering for some good
fresh flavor.
• Yukina Savoy #1, transplanted 10/10, harvest 12/30-1/22.
• #2, sown 10/24, harvest until 1/29 (only one week extra)

91. • Some people use the term “Succession Planting” to refer to a
sequence of different crops occupying the same space over time.
• We follow our 1st radishes with 2nd scallions on 11/17
• 1st baby brassica salad mix with 5th radishes on 12/23
• Some of our 1st spinach with our 2nd baby lettuce mix on 12/31
• Our 1st tatsoi with our 4th spinach on 1/15
• Our Tokyo Bekana on 1/16 with spinach for planting outdoors
• Our pak choy and Chinese cabbage on 1/24 with kale for outdoors
• Our 2nd radishes with our 2nd baby brassica salad mix 2/1
• Our 1st Yukina Savoy with our 3rd mizuna on 2/1
• Some of our 1st turnips with our 3rd baby lettuce mix on 2/1
• More of our 1st spinach with dwarf snap peas on 2/1
Follow-on Winter Hoophouse Crops

92. Interplanting
• Fast growing crops like lettuce,
radishes and greens can be planted
between or alongside slower-
growing crops to generate more
income and diversity
• Interplanting lettuce and tomatoes is
39% more efficient than growing
each crop individually.
(Statistic and photo thanks to Alison and Paul Wiediger)
• We have grown peas with spinach
Planning
Step 9

93. Fast Filler Crops
Tatsoi. Credit Wren Vile
Ready in 30–35 days in fall, longer in
winter:
• kale, arugula, radishes (both the fast
small ones and the larger winter ones).
• many Asian greens: Chinese Napa
cabbage, Komatsuna, Maruba Santoh,
mizuna, pak choy, Senposai, tatsoi,
Tokyo Bekana and Yukina Savoy.
• spinach, chard, salad greens (lettuce,
endives, chicories) and winter
purslane.
• brassica salad mixes
Ready in 35–45 days in fall:
• corn salad, land cress, sorrel, parsley
and chervil.
Ready in 60 days in fall:
• beets, collards, kohlrabi, turnips and
small fast cabbage
Some cool-weather crops
mature in 60 days or less.
Mostly these are greens and
fast-growing root crops.
Useful if a crop fails, or you
have a small empty space.

94. Filler Greens
• As well as scheduled plantings,
sow a few short rows of lettuce,
spinach, Senposai, Yukina Savoy,
Maruba Santoh, Tokyo Bekana
to transplant and fill gaps as
soon as they occur.
• Peashoots can be grown as a
gap-filling crop if there is
unexpected open space in late
winter. We have used leftover
soaked seed from our spring
outdoor planting in early-mid
March. We harvest 4/10-5/5.
Large transplants of filler greens.
Photo by Ethan Hirsh

95. 5. Record Results for Next Year’s
Better Plan
• Make recording easy to do
• Have a daily practice of writing down what was done that
day
• Allow time to do that, without losing your lunch break
• Minimize the paperwork. Record planting dates and
harvest start and finish dates on the planting schedule.
• If your records suggest adjusting a date next year, adjust it
to halfway between last year’s plan and what seems ideal -
gradually zero in on the likely date without wild pendulum
swings based on variable weather.
Planning
Step 12

96. Advantages of Planning and
Record-Keeping
1. Use all the space to best advantage
2. You may find you don’t need to
sow as often or as soon as you had
thought.
3. Your records may show up the
chanciness of certain sowing dates,
particularly crops that will bolt
soon after sowing. See our
example of turnips #3. You may
choose a better idea.
4. Your record keeping may show up
some other ways to increase the
harvest period (eg pay attention to
aphids in February), and remove
the need to resow so soon.Chard Photo Kathryn Simmons

97. Resources - Books
 The Market Gardener, Jean-Martin Fortier, New Society Publishers
 The Complete Know and Grow Vegetables, J K A Bleasdale, P J Salter et al.
 Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers, Maynard and Hochmuth
 The New Seed Starter’s Handbook, Nancy Bubel, Rodale Books
 Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook – Organic Vegetable
Production Using Protected Culture, Andrew Mefferd, Chelsea Green
 Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-up to Market, Vern
Grubinger,
http://host31.spidergraphics.com/nra/doc/fair%20use%20web%20pdfs/n
raes-104_web.pdf NRAES
 The New Organic Grower, Eliot Coleman, Chelsea Green
 The Winter Harvest Handbook, Eliot Coleman
 Extending the Season: Six Strategies for Improving Cash Flow Year-Round
on the Market Farm a free e-book for online subscribers to Growing for
Market
 Gardening When it Counts, Steve Solomon , New Society Publishers

98. More Books
(I have reviewed some of these books on my blog at www.sustainablemarketfarming.com)
 The Lean Farm, How to Minimize Waste, Increase Efficiency, and Maximize
Value and Profits with Less Work Ben Hartman
 The Urban Farmer, Curtis Stone, New Society Publishers
 High-Yield Vegetable Gardening, Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, Storey
Publishers
 Market Farming Success: The Business of Growing and Selling Local Food, Lynn
Byczynski
 The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall, Chelsea Green
 Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers, Daniel Brisebois and Frédéric
Thériault (Canadian Organic Growers www.cog.ca)
 Nature and Properties of Soils, fourteenth edition, Nyle Brady and Ray Weil
 Garden Insects of North America, Whitney Cranshaw
 Managing Weeds on your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies. Charles
Mohler and Antonio DiTommaso. SARE. In prep.(not yet published)
 SARE Crop Rotations on Organic Farms, A Planning Manual, Charles Mohler,
Sue Ellen Johnson, editors

99. Resources – General
 Penn State Extension High Tunnels site:
extension.psu.edu/plants/plasticulture/technologies/high-tunnels
 HighTunnels.org: hightunnels.org/category/for-growers/growing-in-high-
tunnels
 ATTRA attra.ncat.org Market Farming: A Start-up Guide, Plugs and Transplant
Production for Organic Systems, Scheduling Vegetable Plantings for a
Continuous Harvest, Intercropping Principles and Production Practices (mostly
field crops, but the same principles apply to vegetable crops), Season Extension
Techniques for Market Farmers, and more
 SARE www.sare.org A searchable database of research: see Season Extension
Topic Room
 extension.org/organic_production The organic agriculture community with
eXtension. Publications, webinars, videos, trainings and support.
 Southwest Florida Research and Education Center,
www.imok.ufl.edu/programs/veg-hort/transplant (Information on age of
transplants, container size, biological control for pests, diseases, hardening off,
plant size, planting depth and temperature. )

100. Resources – My Slideshows
Many of my presentations are on www.Slideshare.net. Search for Pam Dawling
 Cold-hardy Winter Vegetables
 Crop Planning for Sustainable Vegetable Production
 Crop Rotations for Vegetables and Cover Crops
 Diversify your Vegetable Crops
 Fall and Winter Hoophouses
 Fall Vegetable Production
 Feed the Soil
 Producing Asian Greens
 Production of Late Fall, Winter and Early Spring Vegetable Crops
 Seed Growing
 Spring and Summer Hoophouses
 Succession Planting for Continuous Vegetable Harvests
 Sustainable Farming Practices
 Also cover crops, garlic, sweet potatoes, storage vegetables

101. Resources – More Slideshows and Sites
Other slide shows I recommend:
 Alison and Paul Wiediger : www.slideshare.net/aunaturelfarm/high-
tunnel-1-why-grow-in-high-tunnels and at least 11 more.
 Mark Cain Planning for Your CSA: www.Slideshare.net (search for Crop
Planning)
 Brad Bergefurd, Cultural Practices And Cultivar Selections for
Commercial Vegetable Growers.
www.slideshare.net/guest6e1a8d60/vegetable-cultural-practices-and-
variety-selection
Other sites I recommend:
 www.johnnyseeds.com. Winter growing guide
 www.motherofahubbard.com Winter Vegetable Gardening
 www.averagepersongardening.com info on winter gardening

102. Resources – Asian Greens
 Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables, Geri Harrington, 1984, Garden Way
Publishing. Includes the names for these crops in different cultures.
 Growing Unusual Vegetables, Simon Hickmott, 2006, Eco-Logic books, UK.
 Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Garden and Kitchen, Joy
Larkham, revised edition 2008, Kodansha, USA
 Kitazawa Seeds kitazawaseed.com/ & Evergreen Seeds have the most choices.
 Evergreen’s helpful clickable list. evergreenseeds.com/asveglis.html
 Fedco Seeds fedcoseeds.com/ and Johnny’s johnnyseeds.com/ have a good
range.
 Wild Garden Seed has many interesting home-bred varieties. Search under
Mustard. wildgardenseed.com
 Even’ Star Farm Ice-bred Seeds localharvest.org/even-star-organic-farm-M9994
 ATTRA Cole Crops and Other Brassicas: Organic Production attra.ncat.org/attra-
pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=27
 Saving Our Seed Project carolinafarmstewards.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/BrassicaSeedProductionver1_1.pdf an excellent 24-
page guide on organic brassica seed production

103. Resources - Planning
 AgSquared online planning software: agsquared.com
 COG-Pro record-keeping software for Certified Organic Farms: cog-pro.com
 Free open-source database crop planning software
code.google.com/p/cropplanning.
 Growing Small Farms: growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu click Farmer
Resources. Click Farm Planning and Recordkeeping to download Joel
Gruver’s spreadsheets. Debbie Roos keeps this site up to the minute.
 Mark Cain www.drippingspringsgarden.com under the CSA tab, you can
download their Harvest Schedule. Notebook-based system.
 Jean-Paul Courtens , Roxbury Farm www.roxburyfarm.com. Information for
Farmers tab, 100 Member CSA Plan, including a Weekly Share Plan,
Greenhouse Schedule, and Field Planting and Seeding Schedule (with charts
of possible crop yields). Courtens is also willing to send you their 1,100-
member schedule.
 John Jeavons How to Grow More Vegetables has charts: Pounds Consumed
per Year by the Average Person in the US & Average US Yield in Pounds per
100 Square Feet

104. Resources – Detailed Planning
 Tables of likely crop yields
johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/vegetablecharts.pdf
 gardensofeden.org/04%20Crop%20Yield%20Verification.htm two charts, one of
organic crops from The Owner-Built Homestead by Ken & Barbara Kern, one from
California.
 Determining Prices for CSA Share Boxes Iowa State U
extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/pdf/c5-19.pdf
 New England Vegetable Management Guide Crop Budgets
http://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices/crop-budgets
 Clifton Slade’s 43560 Project: Virginia Association for Biological Farming newsletter
vabf.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/clif-slade-43560-demo-project.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/LoudounBiz/clifton-slade-43560-project,
www.markklingman.com/docs/43560_Project_Overview.pptx
 USDA annual vegetable consumption www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf
 The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the UC Santa Cruz
Crop Plan for a Hundred-Member CSA, for a range of 36 crops in Unit 4.5 CSA Crop
Planning:casfs.ucsc.edu/documents/Teaching%20Direct%20Marketing/4.5_CSA_cr
op_plan.pdf

105. Sequential Planting of Cool
Season Crops in a High Tunnel
©Pam Dawling, 2019
Author of Sustainable Market Farming
and The Year-Round Hoophouse
SustainableMarketFarming.com
facebook.com/SustainableMarketFarming