Relay Cropping for Warm-Season Fruiting Vegetables
Includes: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes, corn
Warm-Season Relay Cropping: Extending the Harvest Window
Warm-season vegetables often start slowly, then accelerate as temperatures rise. Relay cropping takes advantage of their gradual early growth by planting quick-maturing or cool-season crops between young transplants. As the warm-season plants spread, the early crops finish and the space transitions seamlessly to full summer production.
In small gardens, this method maximizes sunlight and soil warmth while keeping beds full from May through fall. Fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers especially benefit from relay cropping because they don’t demand full bed space until midseason.
Relay-Cropping Compatibility Chart: Warm-Season Vegetables
| Primary Crop (Ending) | Relay Crop (Beginning) | Why They Work Together |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Lettuce | Lettuce grows before tomatoes canopy over the bed. |
| Tomatoes | Basil (optional fast herb) | Basil matures as tomatoes rise; easy to tuck under. |
| Tomatoes | Green onions | Onions grow upright and finish before tomato roots expand. |
| Peppers | Lettuce | Lettuce uses early-season light before peppers size up. |
| Peppers | Spinach | Spinach finishes as peppers begin fruiting. |
| Eggplant | Lettuce | Lettuce fits between eggplant transplants early on. |
| Eggplant | Fennel | Fennel grows tall after eggplant is established. |
| Cucumbers | Lettuce | Lettuce grows before cucumber vines sprawl. |
| Cucumbers | Radishes | Radishes mature in the gaps before vines spread. |
| Summer squash | Lettuce | Lettuce finishes just as squash leaves enlarge. |
| Summer squash | Spinach | Spinach can germinate under gentle shade early. |
| Winter squash | Green onions | Onions finish before vines occupy full bed. |
| Winter squash | Radishes | Radishes fill soil quickly and then clear out. |
| Sweet potatoes | Lettuce | Lettuce finishes before sweet potato vines cover. |
| Sweet potatoes | Green onions | Upright onions don’t interfere with vine spread. |
| Corn | Beans | Beans climb corn stalks after corn is established. |
| Corn | Cucumbers | Bush cucumbers grow well at the base of corn. |
| Corn | Lettuce | Lettuce can grow before corn shades the bed. |
Conclusion
Relay cropping warm-season fruiting vegetables is one of the most efficient ways to keep your summer beds productive from the first heatwave to the last. By overlapping plantings of tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and beans, you maintain steady harvests, prevent gaps in production, and make the most of warm soil and long days. With thoughtful spacing, timely succession, and attention to crop health, your garden becomes a continuous, abundant cycle of fruiting plants that supports both yield and resilience all season long.
