Tomato & Basil Bed with Spring Greens
A single bed that yields twice: fast spring greens first, then tomatoes and basil for the whole summer.
Season timeline
- Direct-sow the spring greens
- Start tomatoes and basil indoors
- Harvest the radishes
- Plant out tomatoes and basil
- Harvest lettuce and spinach
- Clear the spring greens
- Pick basil all summer
- Harvest tomatoes
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Direct-sow the spring greensMar–Apr
As soon as the soil is workable, sow radishes, lettuce and spinach in rows across the whole bed.
- Start tomatoes and basil indoorsMar–Apr
Sow tomatoes and basil in pots on a warm windowsill or in a heated greenhouse.
- Harvest the radishesApr–May
Radishes are ready four to six weeks after sowing; pull them before they turn woody.
- Plant out tomatoes and basilMay–Jun
After the last frost, plant tomatoes into the cleared radish rows and tuck basil between them.
- Harvest lettuce and spinachMay–Jun
Cut lettuce heads and pick spinach leaves while the weather is still cool.
- Clear the spring greensJun
Remove bolting greens so the tomatoes can root into the whole bed, then mulch the surface.
- Pick basil all summerJun–Sep
Harvest basil by pinching whole shoot tips; the plants branch and keep producing.
- Harvest tomatoesJul–Oct
Pick tomatoes as they ripen; regular picking pushes the plant to set more fruit.
- Clear the bedOct–Nov
Before hard frosts, remove the spent plants and compost healthy foliage.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tomato: Jul | Tomato: Aug | Tomato: Sep | Tomato: Oct | ||||||||
| Basil | Basil: Jun | Basil: Jul | Basil: Aug | Basil: Sep | ||||||||
| Chinese radish | Chinese radish: Apr | Chinese radish: May | ||||||||||
| Garden lettuce | Garden lettuce: May | Garden lettuce: Jun | ||||||||||
| Spinach | Spinach: May | Spinach: Jun |
The bed over the season
- Tomato · Sowing
- Tomato · Harvest
- Basil · Sowing
- Basil · Harvest
- Chinese radish · Sowing
- Chinese radish · Harvest
- Garden lettuce · Sowing
- Garden lettuce · Harvest
- Spinach · Sowing
- Spinach · Harvest
Why this combination works
Radishes, lettuce and spinach germinate in cool soil and are harvested before the bed’s main season starts. By the time tomatoes and basil go out after the last frost, most of the greens are already gone, so the two plantings never compete for light or water. Basil thrives in the warm microclimate under the tomatoes and is traditionally used as an aromatic companion that helps confuse pests such as whitefly. The deep-rooting tomatoes and the shallow-rooted spring greens also draw on different soil layers.
Tips
Water tomatoes at the base, never over the leaves. Mulch the bed right after transplanting to keep moisture in. Do not resow spinach after May, it bolts in the heat. Pinch basil tips regularly so the plants stay bushy.