Interplanting and relay cropping allow your garden to produce more food in less space—without sacrificing soil health or increasing labor. By pairing crops that complement each other above and below ground, and by planting one crop before the previous crop finishes, you keep the soil covered, the roots alive, and your garden photosynthesizing every single day.

This post introduces the principles behind the Master Interplanting & Relay Cropping Chart for Major Vegetables—a complete reference for deciding what to plant together, which crops can follow each other immediately, and how to use timing and root architecture to your advantage. Whether you’re gardening in raised beds or in-ground beds, these strategies help you use space efficiently while supporting beneficial insects, reducing weed pressure, and building resilient soil over time.

Why Interplanting and Relay Cropping Work

1. They Keep the Soil Covered and Alive

Empty spaces invite weeds and cause soil biology—especially mycorrhizal fungi—to starve. Interplanting and relay cropping ensure living roots remain in the ground. As one crop matures, another is already in place to take over.

2. They Maximize Vertical and Root-Zone Space

Crops occupy different layers of the garden:

Tall crops create shade for tender greens.
Deep-rooted crops share space well with shallow-rooted ones.
Fast growers fill gaps before slower crops take off.

This creates a three-dimensional use of space.

3. They Increase Biodiversity and Reduce Pests

Many pests become less destructive when you diversify plantings. For example:

Onions repel aphids near carrots.
Marigolds and calendula attract hoverflies that prey on soft-bodied pests.
Basil improves tomato growth while drawing in pollinators.

4. They Improve Productivity

With relay cropping, you eliminate the waiting period between crops. Instead of a bed sitting idle, you harvest one crop while its successor is already established.

How to Use the Master Chart Effectively

Step 1 — Identify the Anchor Crop

Choose the crop that will take the bed for the longest time (e.g., tomatoes, corn, winter squash). Everything else is planned around that crop.

Step 2 — Select Compatible Understory or Edge Plants

Choose crops that:

Grow quickly
Stay small
Tolerate partial shade
Have shallow or noncompetitive root systems

Examples: lettuce, radishes, cilantro, green onions, beets.

Step 3 — Plan the Relay Timing

Ask:

When does the first crop slow down or reach half maturity?
Can transplants be inserted between rows 2–4 weeks before harvest?
Can seeds be sown into the maturing crop 3–6 weeks before harvest?

This creates a zero-gap transition.

Step 4 — Consider Root Compatibility

Use combinations that naturally avoid competition:

Shallow + Deep
Fibrous-rooted + Taprooted
Single-taproot + Clover-like spreader

This is included for every vegetable in the chart.

Step 5 — Keep the Soil Disturbance Minimal

Cut finished crops at the base rather than pulling them. Leaving roots in place protects the soil web and gives incoming crops an immediate advantage.

Benefits You’ll Notice Almost Immediately

Better Soil Structure

Multiple root forms—taproots, fibrous roots, laterals—create channels for water, oxygen, and beneficial organisms.

Fewer Weeds

Dense plantings naturally suppress weeds without synthetic herbicides or plastic.

Higher Yields per Square Foot

Gardeners often double their production by layering crops above, below, and between each other.

Healthier Plants from Diversity

Interplanted beds have greater stability and fewer pest outbreaks.

Less Water Needed

Shaded soils stay cooler and lose less moisture.

Putting the Chart Into Practice: A Simple Example

Let’s say you are growing tomatoes. Using the chart, you might:

Interplant young lettuce, arugula, basil, or green onions at transplanting.
Add beets or parsley 3–4 weeks later.
Relay plant fall carrots or cilantro into the tomato bed in late summer.
Remove tomatoes by cutting them at the base; let the fall crop take over immediately.

This keeps the bed productive for 9–11 months without a break.

Using the Chart

The Master Interplanting & Relay Cropping Chart is meant to be a long-term planning tool—one that helps you think about your garden as a living, year-round ecosystem rather than a sequence of isolated crops. Interplanting and relay cropping make gardening more abundant, more ecological, and more efficient. With practice, these techniques become second nature, and you’ll begin to see the garden not as a collection of separate beds—but as a dynamic, always-growing landscape.

Legend

Best Interplanting Partners = crops you can grow side-by-side
Relay / Succession Options = crops you can sow or transplant into the standing crop
Notes = root depth, mycorrhizal status, understory/tall crop relationships

Full Chart

Crop	Best Interplanting Partners	Relay / Successions	Special Notes
Arugula	Tomatoes, sunflowers, peas, corn	First crop before warm-season vegetables	Excellent understory; cut at soil level
Basil	Tomatoes, peppers, corn	Relay with lettuce, beets	Great insectary; boosts tomato growth
Beans (Bush/Pole)	Brassicas, tomatoes, corn, squash	Transplant beans into maturing carrots	Pole beans climb corn; fix nitrogen
Beets	Green onions, carrots, parsley, nightshades	Relay with summer squash	Non-mycorrhizal; likes onion family
Broccoli	Lettuce, green onions, parsley, cilantro	Overseed with parsley/cilantro	Non-mycorrhizal; thrives with fast mycorrhizal understories
Cabbage	Lettuce, green onions, nasturtiums (interplants that make mycorrhizal associations)	Follow with rooted crops	Nasturtiums attract parasitoids; use cilantro as ground cover below cabbage in fall
Carrots	Onions, lettuce, beets; interplant only with mature crops ready for harvest	Relay ahead of squash, beans, lettuce	Sow second crops into maturing canopy; carrots do not thrive in competition with weeds
Cauliflower	Lettuce, onions, parsley, cilantro (interplants that make mycorrhizal associations)	Relay with fall herbs – cilantro and parsley	Nasturiums or any flowering insect attractants increase presence of parasitoids
Celery	Leeks, onions, spring radishes, lettuce, beets, parsley, cilantro	Relay with lettuce and radishes	Prefers cool understories; shallow-rooted
Corn	Beans, other leguemes, squash, basil, melons	Relay with pumpkins or pole beans	Tall crop; great for shade-loving understories such as lettuce and arugula
Cucumbers	Corn, sunflowers, radishes, beets, lettuce	Relay after radishes or spinach	Likes partial shade; pair with tall trellises; green garlic can have beneficial effects
Eggplant	Basil, beans, spinach as groundcover; allyssum, marigolds deter pests	Relay with lettuce, arugula, green onions, beets	Likes warm soil; mycorrhizal; avoid competition first two months
Fava Beans	Brassicas, leafy greensd; prefers no competition in first 30 days after emergence	Relay after fall carrots; follow with potatoes, celery, parsley, parsnips, green onions	Fixes nitrogen; cool-season crop
Fennel	Dill, coriander, alyssum	Do NOT relay into fennel	Allelopathic—plant at edges only
Garlic	Lettuce, beets, carrots, cucumbers; bulbs may not size up next to competition	Relay with summer greens, strawberries	Strong pest suppressant; shallow-rooted; plant beneath broccoli, cauliflower
Ginger	Basil, turmeric, lettuce, beets	Relay with greens, spring radishes	Loves dappled shade; grows well under taller crops
Kale	Lettuce, onions, herbs (interplants that make mycorrhizal associations)	Relay with cilantro, parsley, or arugula	Non-mycorrhizal; long-lived
Leeks	Carrots, celery, beets, lettuce	Follow spring radishes; relay into onions or fall crops	Thin root profile allows tight spacing
Lettuce	Brassicas, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, fennel, leeks, celery, radishes, green onions, okra, annual herbs, cucumbers	Relay everywhere—ideal placeholder crop	Best early-season interplant
Bulb Onions	Carrots, beets, lettuce; next to no competition for sizable bulbs; space well	Relay with short-term greens	Compete poorly—use slow companions
Green Onions	Beets, carrots, dill, basil, nightshades, brassicas such as broccoli and cauliflower	Relay into empty gaps	Non-mycorrhizal; easy space filler; good pest deterrent
Parsnips	Onions, lettuce, radishes	Relay after radish canopy	Deep-rooted; aerates soil; sow in late winter for fall harvest
Peas	Lettuce, radishes, carrots	Relay with cucumbers or beans	Cool-season; nitrogen fixer; gets along with most crops
Peppers	Basil, onions, carrots, lettuce, green onions, beets, turnips, arugula; keep competition free for first 5 to 10 weeks	Relay with cilantro or radishes	Prefers light understory shade
Potatoes	Beans, corn, lettuce, beets, radishe, turnips, green onions, cilantro; prefer no competition for first 60 days	Relay early potatoes with beans, squash	Deep-rooted; leaves soft soil for next crop
Radishes	Lettuce, carrots, peas, brassicas; avoid dense plantings or greens will surpass roots	Relay into squash, cucumbers	Fastest gap filler; great opener crop
Spinach	Brassicas, radishes, peas; note spinach is a poor competitor — give own row	Relay into cucumbers, beans, green onions, or lettue	Cool-season; good living mulch; does not make mycorrhizal associations
Summer Squash	Beans, lettuce	Relay with green onions, potatoes, radishes, turnips, beets or carrots	Large canopy suppresses weeds
Winter Squash	Corn, beans, sunflowers; undersow with gren onions, parsley, carrots to help feed soil	Relay after garlic or onions	Sprawling; perfect for late-season
Sweet Potatoes	Corn, beans, okra, cowpeas	Relay after lettuce or spinach	Excellent living mulch; spreads
Tomatoes	Basil, lettuce, green onions, carrots, beets, bush beans, arugula	Relay with cilantro or radishes	Mycorrhizal; tall crop for understories; pairs well with borage, sweet alyssum nasturtium, marigolds
Turnips	Lettuce, peas, onions (interplants that make mycorrhizal associations)	Relay before beans or corn	Quick crop; good soil opener; sow with fall cover crops
Daisy-Family Flowers (Marigold, Zinnia, Calendula, Cosmos)	Most vegetables—especially nightshades, squash, beans	Relay with late greens	Excellent insectaries; attract predators & pollinators