TexasHomesteading.com

Growing Vegetables

How many vegetables to grow for each family member.

How many vegetables to plant depends on many different factors, the growing season, which vegetables you want to grow, are you growing the vegetables to eat fresh or do you plan to preserve them, size of your garden, etc.

Depending on how much land you have for your vegetable garden, you can maximize growing room by planting vegetables in wide rows instead of the traditional long skinny rows.  See the book Square Foot Gardening for more information on setting up your garden beds.

According to, John Jeavons, in “How To Grow More Vegetables”, you need approximately 100 square feet per person to eat fresh vegetables as they are available and 200 square feet per person for fresh and preserved vegetables to feed your family for a year. 

Number of vegetables to grow to feed a family of three:

300 Square Feet

Number of vegetables to grow to feed a family of four:

400 Square Feet

Number of vegetables to grow to feed a family of five:

500 Square Feet

Specific Vegetables:

Carrots -plant 4'X4' patch per person

Keep in mind when planning for the one square foot per person that some vegetable plants take up more space then others and have longer or shorter growing times. There are lots of options to help you extend your vegetable growing season and to help you grow more each season. You can increase your harvest by planting different types of the same vegetable and by not planting them all at the same time.

IMy best advise if this is your first garden, think small the first year.  See which vegetables grow well in your area, see which vegetables your family "really" ate, which vegetables were easy to preserve, which vegetables tasted good preserved.