How Big of a Garden Should I Plant?

Household Size

• The issue of garden size is relative to the number of people the garden will be feeding and the amount of vegetables they will consume. Make a list of vegetables that your family eats. This list becomes the planting guide and ensures none of the vegetables grown are wasted.

  Research the yield of each vegetable to determine how much of each vegetable to plant. If you plant too much, or grow tired of certain vegetables, having people to whom you can give extra saves any vegetables being wasted.

Square Feet

• Plan the square footage of the garden to coincide with the space requirements of the vegetables. Carrots, radish, onion and other root vegetables take up much less room than broccoli, tomato, peppers and other bush vegetables. Vine plants such as cucumber and beans require more space. Lettuce and leaf vegetables are compact plants, but still use up to 1-square foot per plant.

Adjustments

• Methods to compensate for space include sequence planting whereby you plant a crop in the same spot as a previously harvested crop; companion crops such as root vegetables growing around bush varieties because they grow in opposite directions; or using trellises and hanging baskets for vine plants.

Planning

• Plan the garden by drawing the location of each vegetable on graph paper. Use circles or squares to represent each vegetable. Write the vegetable name in the circle or square and place them in the garden. Adjust the planning as needed to produce effective use of the square footage.

Time Frame

• First-time gardeners may be overwhelmed with the amount of time required to tend the garden. Start with a small garden to gauge the time frame and commitment needed to tend to your garden. Increase the size of the garden as your ability grows each year. Over time you can determine a good size that suits your time limits and ability.

  Plant multiple harvest yielding vegetables such as broccoli, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and peas. You plant once, then as you harvest each crop the plant produces a new crop. This eliminates the added space requirements of placing new plants while yielding a constant supply thereby reducing the size requirement.

Examples

• Plant snap beans 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart in 8-foot rows. A 4-foot square area can accommodate four to 10 pounds of lettuce. A 4-by-4-foot square of 16 stalks of corn yields 24 ears. A cucumber mound 3-foot in diameter yields 10 pounds in one season. One plant each of cherry tomato, a bush tomato and a vine tomato yields a variety for small family.