How many pounds of veggies can your garden grow? (2024)

FAQs

How many pounds of veggies can your garden grow? ›

If you have good, healthy, living soil, then you can easily produce 1 lbs. of food per square foot of garden space.

For a family of four, the Morning Chores calculator recommends a garden 40-feet-by-20-feet. “That would allow you to grow an adequate amount of vegetables to feed that family of four,” Lindley said.

With good soil and close planting, you might estimate a conservative yield of about 1 pound per square foot. So in a 400-square-foot garden — just 20 by 20 feet — you can grow enough veggies for yourself.

Generally speaking, 200 square feet of garden space per person will allow for a harvest that feeds everyone year-round.

On average, a staked tomato plant will produce an estimated 8 pounds per plant, while plants trained via trellis or cage produce an average estimate of 12 to 20 pounds per plant.

In “How To Grow More Vegetables”, intensive gardening guru, John Jeavons, says you'll need about 200 sq. ft. per person to grow enough vegetables and soft fruits for the growing season at intermediate yields.

WILL A FOOD GARDEN REALLY SAVE MONEY? The average household with a food garden will spend $70 a year for seeds and garden supplies; but will reap $600 worth of food. That's a $530 return on your investment.

When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant saving to the grocery budget. However, it takes time and patience, and a small outlay of money to buy seeds, and tools, if you need them.

If you grow $100 worth of vegetables per bed, you're starting to make a dent in your budget. If you can harvest $160 worth of vegetables per bed, and you have six small beds, then you're talking serious money – as much as $800 a year, after the prorated expenses needed to build the beds.

As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.

How big of a garden do you need for a family of 10? ›

A general guideline for a summer vegetable garden is to plan on about 100 square feet per person. Advanced: If you're more ambitious and want year-round groceries, plan on about 200 square feet per person. Freeze or can at least half of the harvest for winter use.

It is easy to bite off more than you can chew when you are a first-time vegetable gardener. As a rule of thumb, you should start small then add if needed. A good starting size for a garden would be between 75 and 100 square feet.

how many cucumbers can you harvest per plant? Depending on the variety, you can expect to harvest around 20 cucumbers per plant.

One pound of tomatoes equates to three tomatoes roughly the size of a baseball. Each tomato should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Do tomatoes grow back after picking? When you have picked tomatoes they can grow back during the harvest season depending on the variety. Tomato plants are unlikely to reproduce tomatoes each year, however, as they do not tend to survive the winter.

How many vegetable to plant for a family. In general, multiply the number of plants per person by 3 or 4 for a family-sized planting.

I grow 18 tomato plants for our family of four and am able to can close to 40 jars of salsa, 10 quarts of stewed tomatoes, and 25 jars of tomato sauce.

A 12 'x 18' or 12' x 24' can be the appropriate size, if the family is growing fairly intensively. An 18' x 24' might be more ideal if you want to include fruit trees because they take up more space. Around 400 sq ft (20' x 20') is what we would recommend to eliminate the need for the grocery store.

A general guideline for a summer vegetable garden is to plan on about 100 square feet per person. Advanced: If you're more ambitious and want year-round groceries, plan on about 200 square feet per person.