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Succession planting in eastern Idaho gardens – East Idaho News

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Succession planting in eastern Idaho gardens – East Idaho News


Now is the perfect time to plan for your spring garden. During the winter months, gardeners can reflect on last year’s successes and challenges, research new crops, and design a planting schedule. By preparing early, you can optimize your planting strategy and make this spring your most productive gardening season yet.

One method to consider is succession planting, where crops are planted at intervals throughout the growing season, rather than all at once. This approach helps extend the harvest and maximize the use of garden space. For Eastern Idaho gardeners, succession planting is especially valuable, as it can stretch harvests from early spring to late fall.

In Eastern Idaho, the growing season is often short and unpredictable. By understanding timing, selecting the right crops, and planting in stages, gardeners can enjoy a more abundant harvest despite varying weather conditions.

The variety of plants in this planter box demonstrates the concept of succession planting, where crops are planted in stages to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the growing season. As one crop matures and is harvested, another can take its place, making the most of the available space and extending the garden’s productivity.

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Benefits of Succession Planting

Succession planting offers several advantages, particularly in a climate like Eastern Idaho’s. One primary benefit is increased yield. By planting crops at intervals, your garden produces steadily over time instead of all at once, ensuring a continuous harvest. This approach also helps prevent the glut of crops often seen when planting everything simultaneously.

Another benefit is extending your harvest season. Succession planting allows you to plant crops suited for different stages of the year. Cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, and peas can be planted early in the spring, followed by warm-season crops like tomatoes and beans once the weather warms. Later in the season, you can plant quick-maturing vegetables like radishes and turnips, which can be harvested before the first frost. By staggering plantings, you ensure a steady supply of fresh vegetables throughout the growing season.

Additionally, succession planting allows efficient use of garden space. As one crop is harvested, it can be replaced with another, ensuring no space is left idle for long. This method maximizes the productivity of your garden, making it ideal for gardeners with limited space.

Planning and Timing

Effective succession planting requires careful planning and timing. The key is designing your garden to accommodate multiple plantings throughout the season while understanding each crop’s needs.

When planning your garden, map out planting areas to maximize available space. For example, cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach thrive in cooler temperatures, while warm-season crops like tomatoes and beans need full sun and warmth. You should rotate crops and track when and where you plant them to optimize space and keep your garden productive.

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Timing is crucial for succession planting. Cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, peas, and radishes thrive in cool conditions and can be planted early in the spring, often before the last frost. These crops mature quickly, in 30-60 days, making them ideal for early-season planting. After harvesting them, you can plant warm-season crops or another round of cool-season crops.

Warm-season crops like beans, tomatoes, peppers, and squash require warmer temperatures and should be planted after the threat of frost has passed, typically in late spring. These crops take longer to mature, often 60-90 days, so careful planning is needed to ensure they have enough time to mature before the first frost.

Quick-growing crops like radishes, turnips, and greens mature in 30-40 days and are perfect for filling gaps between slower-growing crops. These fast growers can be planted after harvesting early crops, ensuring a continuous harvest.

Crop Selection for Succession Planting

Choosing the right crops is key for success in succession planting, especially in Eastern Idaho’s variable climate. Below are some ideal crops for succession planting:

Cool-season crops can tolerate light frosts and thrive in early spring. They’re perfect for planting as soon as the soil is workable.

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  • Lettuce: Grows quickly and can be harvested in 30-40 days. Ideal for multiple plantings throughout the season.
  • Spinach: Hardy and quick-growing, spinach matures in 40-50 days.
  • Radishes: Ready in as little as 30 days, making them perfect for succession planting.
  • Peas: Plant early in spring and harvest in 60-70 days.
  • Kale: Thrives in cooler temperatures and can be harvested multiple times throughout the season.

Warm-season crops need higher temperatures and should be planted after the last frost, typically in late spring.

  • Tomatoes: Require full sun and warmth. Harvest in late summer.
  • Beans: Quick-growing, typically maturing in 60-70 days. Perfect for planting after early crops.
  • Squash: Needs a long growing period. Plant after the last frost.
  • Peppers: Require warmth and take 70-90 days to mature.

Quick-growing crops mature in 30-40 days, perfect for filling gaps between other crops.

  • Turnips: Ready in 30-60 days, ideal for early or late-season planting.
  • Arugula: A fast-growing leafy green, maturing in about 30 days.
  • Mustard Greens: Another quick grower that thrives in cool weather.
  • Beets: Matures quickly, ideal for filling gaps in the season.

Tips for Crop Selection in Eastern Idaho

When selecting crops for succession planting, consider Eastern Idaho’s growing season and soil conditions. Cool-season crops, such as lettuce and peas, can handle frost, making them ideal for early planting. Warm-season crops like tomatoes, beans, and squash should wait until the soil and air warm up in late spring.

Also, keep soil health in mind. Succession planting often involves planting in the same soil multiple times, so crop rotation is essential. Some crops, such as legumes (peas, beans), help replenish nitrogen in the soil, which benefits subsequent plantings. Adding compost and organic matter will help maintain soil fertility throughout the growing season.

Succession planting is a great way to maximize your harvest, especially in Eastern Idaho, where the growing season can be short. By selecting the right crops, timing your plantings carefully, and using your space efficiently, you can enjoy a continuous supply of fresh produce throughout the growing season. Whether you have a small garden or a larger plot, succession planting can help you make the most of your garden, even in challenging climates.

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Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances

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Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances


For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.

“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.

The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.

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Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.

Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.

Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.

“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.

Doing so is a risk, he said.

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“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.

Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.

But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.

Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.

Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.

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“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.

The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.

House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.

Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio

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University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders

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University of Idaho professor awarded M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders


A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.

A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”

Ashley Guillard posted TikTok videos falsely linking a University of Idaho professor to the Idaho college murders, leading to a defamation lawsuit. TikTok/ashleyisinthebookoflife4

“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.

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“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”

Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.

The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.

Idaho murder victims Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right, and their two surviving roommates.

Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.

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Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”

The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the savage slayings in July 2025 in a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. AP

Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.

In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.

During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.

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The off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Nov. 17, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom

However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.

She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.

It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.

The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.

With Post wires

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Gas prices expected to exceed $3 as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages

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Gas prices expected to exceed  as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages


BOISE, Idaho — AAA is warning Idaho gas consumers that pump prices will likely rise as the conflict in Iran disrupts oil and gas supply chains worldwide.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will likely push the price for a gallon of regular gasoline past the $3 mark over the coming days.

“On one hand, the crude oil market had time to account for some financial risk in the Middle East as forces mobilized, but a supply shortage somewhere affects the global picture,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “If tankers can’t move products through the region, there could be ripple effects.”

On Monday, March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.97, reports AAA, which is 12 cents more expensive than it was a month ago but 20 cents less than this time last year.

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State / Price: 1 gallon of regular gasoline

  • Washington / $4.37
  • Oregon / $3.92
  • Nevada / $3.70
  • Idaho / $2.97
  • Colorado / $2.89
  • Montana / $2.82
  • Utah / $2.74
  • Wyoming / $2.73

In terms of the most expensive fuel in the nation, Idaho currently ranks #14. However, buying a gallon of regular gas in neighboring states such as Oregon and Washington could cost a whole dollar more. In contrast, gas prices in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are anywhere between 15 to 24 cents cheaper than fuel in the Gem State.





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