I’m about to say something very controversial.
Sacrilegious, even. Well, at least in homestead circles.
Like always, a part of me is stoked for spring. STOKED, I tell you.
The seedlings are growing in the basement, and I walk through the dormant garden about once every 3 days dreaming and planning.
But a part of me is (gulp) is entirely OK with the fact I have two more months until we’re really ready to plant.
I heard the collective gasp. Homesteaders aren’t supposed to say things like that, huh? But I just had to let it out.
I do have a really good reason to feel like that, I think. Behind the scenes, The Prairie Homestead blog is undergoing some crazy-exciting changes. Things like a fresh new design, tons of new content and ebooks for you, the cookbook, and several other things that are still under wraps for the time being. 😉
It’s all good stuff, REALLY good stuff, but it’s also super time-consuming… And I’m finding myself hammering away at my desk more than usual in an effort to get as much created/finished/wrapped up before spring hits.
This homestead + blogging gig is a weird thing to juggle sometimes…
Anyway, that doesn’t mean I’m still not excited about the garden going in– it just has to be relegated to the back-burner of my brain at the moment. Oh, and that reminds me– I got some soil testing results back this week. I’ll share those next week– it was super interesting! Update: here’s my info on what I learned from testing my soil!
Pre-Garden Anxiety…
One the aspects I struggle with each year before we start planting is how much I need to plant per person to feed my family for the year. There’s always an element of uncertainty there for me, and it feels like a lot of the time I miss the mark but either planting way too much, or not nearly enough.
I’ve wanted to do a post summarizing planting amounts for a while now, and we finally got it put together for you. I’m hoping this will help to eliminate some of that pre-planting anxiety we all experience when we’re feverishly mapping out seeds and rows!
The tricky thing about this topic of how much to plant per person in the garden is that it’s pretty subjective and there are plenty of variables involved. The information in this post is meant to be a rough starting point, and then you can tailor your exact garden plan depending on your preferences, preservation plans, and garden space.
Six Factors to Consider While Planning How Much to Plant Per Person:
What does my family like to eat?
The best tip for gardening: make sure you are growing the foods you like to eat, not just things you think you should plant because all the homesteaders on Instagram are doing it. Obviously, if your family HATES onions, you might not grow them at all, or, maybe instead of 15-20 onion plants per person, you might only grow 20 onion plants for the entire family.
What does my family eat in larger quantities
Consider your family favorites and what you most commonly use to make meals for your family. For example, if your family likes beets, but you only eat them at mealtime every once in a while, you will likely want to plant less beets than suggested.
How old is each person in my family?
Obviously, a toddler is going to eat way less per person and a teenager is going to eat everything in your kitchen. Keep the ages of your family members in mind as you create your plan.
Are we eating in season or do we want to preserve excess harvests for later?
If you are planning on preserving specific vegetables for later (especially tomatoes), you will probably want to grow more of that plant than what is suggested below.
What can you grow successfully in your climate and/or garden situation?
If you live in a colder climate, you probably won’t be able to grow sweet potatoes, or, if you do, you might have a pretty small crop compared to hotter climates. This will definitely change how many plants per person you’ll want to grow.
How big is your garden space?
While you might WANT to grow enough of a vegetable for your family’s needs, it might not be possible with the garden space you have. For example, 30 beet plants per person is going to take up lots of room. You might not have the garden space to provide a large supply of beets for a family of four, so weigh how important beets (or whatever) really are in the grand scheme of your family’s regular meals.
(P.S. This was WAY too much lettuce for us. Ahem.)
How Much to Plant Per Person to Feed Your Family
Amounts are based growing enough to preserve and last for an entire year. Adjust as needed depending on your preservation plans and preferences!
Asparagus: 10-15 plants per person
Beans (bush): 10-15 plants per person
Beans (pole): 2-5 plants per person
Beets: 20-30 plants per person
Broccoli: 3-5 plants per person
Brussels Sprouts: 3-5 plants
Cabbage: 2-4 plants per person
Carrots: 20-30 plants per person
Cauliflower: 3-5 plants per person
Celery: 3-5 plants per person
Chard: 3-5 plants per person
Collards: 5 plants per person
Corn: 15-25 plants per person
Cucumbers: 3-5 plants per person
Eggplant: 1-3 plants per person
Garlic: 15-20 plants per person
Greens/Lettuce: 5-6 plants per person
Melons: 2-3 plants per person
Onions: 15-20 plants per person
Peas: 10-20 plants per person
Peppers: 3-5 plants per person
Potatoes: 15-20 plants per person
Radishes: 20-30 plants per person
Squashes: 2-3 plants per person
Sweet Potatoes: 5-10 plants per person
Tomatoes: 3-5 plants per person
Turnips/Rutabagas: 10-20 plants per person
More Tips on How Much to Plant for Your Family
Since writing this post, I’ve thought and pondered even more about how to figure out how much to plant for feeding the family. Check out this video where I talk through an equation that helps me figure out how much to grow.
Other Spring Gardening Posts:
- How We Built Our Raised Beds
- 7 Ways to Improve Garden Soil
- Our DIY Seed Starting System
- Where to Buy Heirloom Seeds
- How to Test Seeds for Viability
- How to Disinfect Seed Trays
This is awesome! I was just sitting here wondering how many and of what I shouldn plant for us to eat in a 6 month to 1 year span. Since this is my first garden it’s a little confusing sometimes!
Thank you for the post!
Yay! Good timing!
Don’t forget to add more for the springtime when you can’t harvest yet.
Oh, when will your cookbook be out? I can’t wait to get my ya daddy on it!!
Spring 2019! Feels like an eternity, but it’ll go fast. 🙂
The post was nice .I enjoyed a lot by visiting this blog .Thank you for sharing.Looking forward for more post like this .
I know what you mean, I love my garden, but it can be so much work!
JILL, your blog is interesting, helpful, and well-written. I do not have any animals except dogs, but love animals and enjoy reading about your farm critters.
Thanks Barb– so glad you’re enjoying reading along. 🙂
Thank you! This is a huge help. I like to garden, but I don’t know the first thing about canning or freezing, and I don’t want extra.
Glad it was helpful Jeannette!
Now Jill, how did you know this was JUST what I was looking for? After not doing much gardening the past few years I am jumping back in. We will be empty nesters this year, so this is quite handy! Thanks!
Wahoo– love timing like that. 😉
Thanks. Interesting, we are doing grow boxes this year. Maybe go to raised beds next year. Montana is cold also. And I am not getting any younger!!
We’re really loving our boxes!
I’ve been looking for this kind of information for awhile, thank you!
Just need to figure out my perennials now. Rhubarb, Strawberries, berry bushes, fruit and nut trees. This is a great start!
Hope it’s helpful for you Karen! Sounds like you have a great perennial garden too!
Thank you! Great advice as I too struggle with this for just me. It’s time to think about long term storage.
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I think you have to check your diet and other eatery habits and then you can be able to calculate what is required and how much required.
good post.thank you
Sure, we’re all rarin’ to go for spring, but I’m with you on being OK with a little more time to prepare. Each season has its purpose, and this time of mud and ice is crucial for preparing for the whirlwind of chores and gardening that spring brings to us.
You’ve got it right, and don’t let anyone tell you you’re sacrilegious about enjoying the wait. All good things in their own time:)
Our seedlings are coming along nicely, and we have plenty of little homesteading projects going on in preparation as well. Building beehives for the new packages, spring cleaning, home improvement projects here and there to add some much needed storage space- it’s never ending, but then again, that’s why we do it. We love it!
Cheers for a great article, and enjoy these last few weeks of preparation:)
Thanks, thanks, thanks, Jill, for the portions chart. I was wondering why in the world you would germinate for 50 pepper plants for a 5-person family. For the 2 of us, we can use a pepper per week, that’s 50, or 52 for the year, but, 50 plants! I suppose you dehydrate, freeze, etc. But 50 plants? Thanks for all you do! Really!
I like your numbers and will use this as a starting point for our own garden. Does your list take into account succession planting? That is, is the number of plants for the entire season?
Thanks! Doug
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I wonder, do you also store grains? I think sometimes people think that this is all the food a family would need to eat for the year, so I’d love to see what this actually covers for you food-wise. Storing grains, even if you don’t eat them, is like food insurance to me. I’ve been really enjoying your youtube channel, I’m glad I found you.
If this is correct, I’m going to have several years’ worth of (pole) beans to can! I just put about 150 beans in the ground, and there are just two of us. LOL!
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Our seedlings are coming along nicely, and we have plenty of little homesteading projects going on in preparation as well. Building beehives for the new packages, spring cleaning, home improvement projects here and there to add some much needed storage space- it’s never ending, but then again, that’s why we do it. We love it!
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Thanks
I would rather plant too much than skimp on minimal planting. There are bugs and bunnies and crazy weather. Some years there is a bumper crop of something and the next year its rather bleak. So for example, I’m planting 30 tomatoes of 6 different varieties. Planning to can sauce, bbq, whole, ketchup and anything else I can think of. Two years ago I filled the pantry with tomato products. Last year everyone around here was hit with a tomato blight and it was bleak. Still eating those tomato products from two years ago and thankful we have them. It is always nice to have an abundance to bless others with also.