How Much Acreage to Grow Food for One Person?

Use

• How much acreage you'll need for one person depends in part on how you'll use the food. If you want enough produce for fresh eating through the summer, a small plot, 10 by 10 feet, is probably sufficient. If, on the other hand, you plan to freeze or can produce for the winter, you'll need at least double the space.

Gardening Methods

• Intensive gardening methods allow gardeners to grow much more food in a limited amount of space. Divide a small garden into 1-square-foot blocks and plant one crop intensively in that space. For example, plant 16 onions or four lettuce plants per block. Use trellises to grow beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers and small melons vertically to conserve space. Interplant large plants, such as tomatoes, with small root vegetables or leafy greens. With a very sufficient garden, you may be able to grow enough food for one person in two raised beds. Amend the soil frequently with manure and compost to avoid soil depletion.

Plant Selection

• Some plants have more value in the garden than others. If space is limited, select crops that provide the most value. For example, fresh corn is fairly inexpensive to buy at the store when in season, but it takes up a lot of room in the garden, depletes the soil and is prone to insect and disease problems. Gourmet lettuce, on the other hand, is quite expensive at the store, but grows quickly in the garden, requires little space and rarely suffers disease problems. It is a high value crop. Other high value crops include broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and summer squash. Choose plants that freeze or can well.

Growing Conditions

• How much acreage you need also depends on growing conditions. Rich, loose soil will yield more produce than heavy clay soil or infertile sandy soil. Amend the garden with compost or manure before planting. Weather conditions also play a part. You'll be able to grow more food in a small area if you have mild springs and long, warm summers. Gardeners with a short growing season usually need a larger plot to grow the same amount of food.

General Recommendations

• If you've never grown a garden before, start with two or three raised beds that are 8 feet long and 3 feet wide. Make paths between them for easy access. Fill the beds with loamy, rich soil and mulch the paths to keep them clear of mud and weeds. Raised beds simplify gardening and make it more enjoyable. In early spring, plant the beds with lettuce, peas, broccoli, carrots, potatoes and onions. In early summer, pull out the dwindling lettuce and peas and replace them with tomatoes, beans and peppers. Interplant the carrots and onions with cucumbers and summer squash.

  Come midsummer, plant lettuce, kale and broccoli seeds among the other plants. They'll emerge in the fall as warm-season plants are dying. Water the garden at least weekly during dry weather and harvest ripening fruit promptly. Side dress plants with a balanced fertilizer once or twice during the season. You'll be surprised at how much food you're able to harvest through this simple system. Once you've gained experience, expand the garden if you like. Start small, though, to avoid becoming overwhelmed. If gardening isn't fun, you'll likely lose interest.