Which planting approach involves starting a new crop before the previous one has finished harvesting to maintain overlap?

Which planting approach involves starting a new crop before the previous one has finished harvesting to maintain overlap?

• A. Inter-planting
• B. Succession planting
• C. Vertical gardening
• D. Relay planting

Answer: (D)

Continuous harvest by overlapping crops in time is the idea here. Relay planting is the practice of starting a new crop before the previous one has finished, so there’s an overlap in production and you can move from one harvest to the next without a gap. This keeps a bed productive and makes efficient use of space, as you’re handing off production from one crop to another in a smooth transition. For example, you might plant a fast, early crop and, just as it’s nearing harvest, plant a second crop in the same bed so it begins producing before the first is done. Inter-planting mixes crops in the same area to maximize space or provide pest or microclimate benefits, but it isn’t mainly about overlapping harvest times. Succession planting aims to extend harvest by placing new crops after the previous ones are harvested, which can create a sequence but doesn’t inherently require one crop to still be present while the next is started. Vertical gardening focuses on growing plants upward to save ground space, not on staggering harvests.

Continuous harvest by overlapping crops in time is the idea here. Relay planting is the practice of starting a new crop before the previous one has finished, so there’s an overlap in production and you can move from one harvest to the next without a gap. This keeps a bed productive and makes efficient use of space, as you’re handing off production from one crop to another in a smooth transition. For example, you might plant a fast, early crop and, just as it’s nearing harvest, plant a second crop in the same bed so it begins producing before the first is done.

Inter-planting mixes crops in the same area to maximize space or provide pest or microclimate benefits, but it isn’t mainly about overlapping harvest times. Succession planting aims to extend harvest by placing new crops after the previous ones are harvested, which can create a sequence but doesn’t inherently require one crop to still be present while the next is started. Vertical gardening focuses on growing plants upward to save ground space, not on staggering harvests.