Asking Yourself, "How much should I Plant?!"

[digitS']

Some of us have nearly unlimited space for a garden. Some, are very limited - a few plants tucked into the corner of the yard. Some, have far too much lawn grass .

For the beginning gardener, especially one who doesn't have to fit his/her enthusiasm into a confined space, the tendency is to go bigger than smaller. I call this -- planting from here to the horizon.



Let me just assure you of one thing: it is far easier to plant a big garden than to take care of what you have planted.

Please, give some thought to things like the cultivation and irrigation needs of your garden. And, what looks to be reasonable in May, often puts the plants - beyond the pale - in August. They will still be there. Will you be there for them ?

Here is some advice from the horticulturalist at About.com: How Much to Plant Per Person. Notice that she uses information from John Jeavons' "How To Grow More Vegetables." I have often gone back to this book . . . with a pencil and paper . . . to see what makes sense to me. And, speaking of pencil and paper - measuring by the foot and putting together a map is just a super idea. Heck, it is even fun !

As far as what makes sense, I think the idea that 200 square feet per person makes sense. Four thousand square feet for a 12 month diet also makes sense but most of us, aren't trying to grow our own grain crops in the garden. Two hundred square feet may even give us a few things to freeze or can. For a family of four - 800 square feet or 1,000 square feet is often considered as a "rule of thumb" for an average family by Cooperative Extension.

Be sure to go to that 2nd page on the About.com website to see how much is suggested for each crop. Of course, take into account individual tastes and preferences. And, here is a Cooperative Extension 4-page pdf on Intensive Gardening.

I've got a lot of square feet to work with but I still, very much prefer to plant closely - without crowding. You have to take your cultivation preferences into account. I prefer to weed garden beds sitting on a stool in the paths and reaching in for hand weeding. Weeds in the paths can be killed with the rototiller. I'm not weed-tolerant. Seeing a weed reach the flowering stage, sends near-panic thru my entire body . In the competition between garden plants and weeds :/ - I'm on the side of my plants.

Anyway, those 4 pages from Purdue Cooperative Extension give you some idea how much yield you will get from the 5', 10' and 15' About.com is suggesting you should grow -- if you take good care of those plants .

Have fun!

Steve

edited to add:

 

[Detlor Poultry]

Gardeners tend to deploy the same mindset as chicken math. People are smart who think ahead and really consider how much work they can do.

700 beets on the east half + 3,000 carrots on the west half = 3,700 plants. Room for 2,500 more!


Unfortunately, there is another factor to include


700 beets + 3,000 carrots - neccesary basal care and TLC = 0 plants.


It's the same as Easter Ducklings. Unknowledgable people walk into a pet shoppe and buy 3 little ducklings to add to a decoration or something, which only live for 4 days because those people had no clue what to do with them or couldn't do anything with them.


Don't let yourself have an Easter Garden.

 

[digitS']

Can you imagine, the SPCP*?

digitS'

*Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Plants

 

[skeeter9]

Haha. I want to be a member, Steve!

Thanks for the links - this is really good info and very pertinent for me right now. Hubby and I definitely have garden-growing pains!!!

 

[thistlebloom]

Good point about the season long care of all those cute little seedlings. They'll need plenty of it even when your too tired, or it's uncomfortably hot, or you have more entertaining things to do on your list.

And this is my shortcoming - processing the harvest. I love to grow and take care of the garden, it's the dealing with the FOOD end of it where I trip up.

 

[digitS']

It can really be overwhelming - the harvest. Often, we don't have the option of "waiting until the weekend" to grab what is there. The thermometer rises to 85 every afternoon and your broccoli or greenbeans just won't make it 7 days or 5 days and still be in peak condition. And, isn't that one of the very most important reasons to be out there, toiling to grow food - to have the best fruit and vegetables?

Lots of beginning gardeners seem to have real trouble deciding when to harvest. It probably helps to be willing to eat most anything raw. It doesn't mean that we have to eat all of our broccoli raw but, it is best to have an idea about the taste of produce at its prime.

While spending time in the garden, I'm always thinking, "Do I want to eat this, now?" It is almost as tho' I'm there with the pot . If the answer is "yes," even if I'm not gonna eat it now . . . the produce is harvested, washed and goes into the fridge. I suppose it takes practice but 1 thing I try not to do is wait and wait for something to get BIG so that I can prove something to the neighbor, or whomever. The risk of losing flavor and tenderness outweigh anything else under the sun. We can do our bragging at the table.

Steve

 

[grow_my_own]

I am sure that I am over-planting this year, but that's primarily because we are not quite sure how well our garden will do with this being our first full-year in this house/climate/area. We are unsure as to what will actually grow, what won't do well here, etc. I would rather end up with too much than not enough--the chickens can certainly eat most of the extra that comes out of the garden, and that helps defray the cost of feed, as well! Ever watched a flock of chickens feast on a pumpkin, seeds and all? The protein in the seeds is good for them, and the nutrition in the pumpkin itself is as good for them as it is for us. We can also donate extra food to the local food bank and share with friends and neighbors. If we do not get extra or if what we plant doesn't do well, this season will still be a learning experience for us. But I'm pretty much planting a little bit of everything.

ETA: Actually, I'm planting more than a little bit. LOL.

 

[seedcorn]

Can you imagine, the SPCP*?

digitS'

*Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Plants

Not even funny as someone will now get that idea and start it, giving us more government do gooders. Unless they put me in charge with a huge salary, fantastic retirement benefits along w/medical dental, and an assistant to do all the work who will have an assistant to do all the work who will have an assistant....................

 

[r4eboxer]

Boy, did I ever learn this my first year of gardening. My sister and her husband 'volunteered' to work the garden with us. At the time i thought it was perfect. We had the land and they had lots of kids that would help tend the garden. After planting enough of every vegetable, including 100 tomato plants, for TWO families my sister and her family were 'tired of it all'.

So that left 3 people, me, myself and I to weed and tend that garden and put all that food up. I'll happily report that I did a great job and canned most my harvest. BUT NEVER AGAIN will I put that much food in my garden even if I am promised help. If someone wants to use some land they can till up their own little corner on my property and I'll keep to what I need in my garden plots and care for that. This way when they fizzle out and loose steam I can just mow over top of the whole mess they made and be done with it.

Last year was so much better, though I didn't get enough tomatoes (blight) for our family for the year I did not spend every waking and sometimes sleeping moment in the garden.

Seriously folks take heed to the above information, you'll be thankful you did come mid to late July.

 

[skeeter9]

Very good point, boxer. One of our friends really wants to garden, but does not have space, so I told her she could garden with us. We were talking about it last night and decided that, pretty much, she could use a section of our land to have her own space and be responsible for taking care of it herself. My guess is that she will not have the time to tend it properly, so this way our garden won't be affected and she can have some fun for at least part of the season.

grow_my_own, I want to have some extra for the chickens as well. The question then becomes, how much more to add to what we think we need. . . We are just going to make our best guess and see what happens.