• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

  • Home
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Blog
    • Latest Posts
    • Start a Homestead
    • Cook From-Scratch
    • Do It Yourself
    • Grow Food
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner
    • The Prairie Homestead Cookbook
    • Heritage Cooking Crash Course
    • Canning Made Easy Course
    • Homestead Swag!
    • Homesteading Supplies
    • Homestead Mentorship

34 Comments | Jill Winger |    Last Updated: March 27, 2018

How Much to Plant Per Person in the Garden

homegrown garden albino heirloom beets

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!

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.

raised bed garden tour

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. 

raised bed garden tour

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

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

how much to plant in your garden per person to feed your family

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

34 Comments | Gardening

Your Garden's Best Kept Secret!

Cover crops are an incredibly underutilized, very affordable way to fertilize your soil, decrease erosion, and increase organic matter. Learn which crops are best for your garden, plus a step-by-step process so you know exactly WHEN and HOW to plant them! Grab the full-color cover crop PDF here (it includes my weekly Homestead Toolbox Newsletter, which gets rave reviews from busy homesteaders!)-->

You may also like these posts...

aminopyralid damaged tomato plantsI Think I Poisoned My GardenHow to Garden in a Cold ClimateHow to Grow Your Best Onion Crop Everraised bed garden tourGarden Tour: Early Summer 2017

Reader Interactions

34 Comments

  1. Mellyak says

    March 28, 2018 at 11:59 am

    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!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      Yay! Good timing!

      reply to comment
    • Encourager says

      April 24, 2018 at 2:32 pm

      Don’t forget to add more for the springtime when you can’t harvest yet.

      reply to comment
  2. Mellyak says

    March 28, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Oh, when will your cookbook be out? I can’t wait to get my ya daddy on it!!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      Spring 2019! Feels like an eternity, but it’ll go fast. 🙂

      reply to comment
  3. Robert Hook says

    March 30, 2018 at 4:50 am

    The post was nice .I enjoyed a lot by visiting this blog .Thank you for sharing.Looking forward for more post like this .

    reply to comment
  4. Liz (Eight Acres) says

    April 1, 2018 at 5:23 am

    I know what you mean, I love my garden, but it can be so much work!

    reply to comment
  5. Barb says

    April 4, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    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.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Thanks Barb– so glad you’re enjoying reading along. 🙂

      reply to comment
  6. Jeannette Shields says

    April 4, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    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.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      Glad it was helpful Jeannette!

      reply to comment
  7. Grammyprepper says

    April 4, 2018 at 10:12 pm

    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!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Wahoo– love timing like that. 😉

      reply to comment
  8. Terri says

    April 5, 2018 at 5:45 am

    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!!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      We’re really loving our boxes!

      reply to comment
  9. Karen says

    April 5, 2018 at 7:40 am

    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!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      April 5, 2018 at 1:57 pm

      Hope it’s helpful for you Karen! Sounds like you have a great perennial garden too!

      reply to comment
  10. thomas says

    April 6, 2018 at 3:21 am

    Thank you! Great advice as I too struggle with this for just me. It’s time to think about long term storage.

    reply to comment
  11. Verena says

    April 11, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    ? Fazer durante 5 minutos, não mas que isso. https://jutounet.com/conuthermcontato/perda-a-barriga-dormindo-missfit/

    reply to comment
  12. Bruce Deniger says

    April 24, 2018 at 11:54 pm

    nice post

    reply to comment
  13. www.localpestcontrolorlando.com says

    April 29, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    Youu might not exactly be capable of getting brand new appliaces all at oone time, so consider which appliiances are wasting probably the most energy and upgrade normally the onne at a time.
    Now beeswax can be acquired to use inn everything from lip balm, skincare products,
    hair pomade, cheese coatings, mustache wax, casting molds,
    aand surgicwl bone wax. If you hired somebody that doesn’t use a
    detailed pllan of treatment, you’ll be able to just supplment your problems.

    reply to comment
  14. Agnes says

    May 4, 2018 at 7:26 am

    Let’s think about a rarely mentioned method of helping the
    quantity of leads you obtain from each customer.
    You can do so using a blow dryer and jst aim the wazrm air directly
    at the lock. After all you shouldn’t work wigh a lock professional from Marlborough if you reside in Warminster.

    reply to comment
  15. indianapolis mouse in the house says

    May 7, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    They cann literally crawl from the smallest of cracks inside the concrete orr cement and definately wll carry on and build these tubes until they reach what they
    are looking for. Now beedwax is accessible for usage in sets from lip balm, skincare products, hair pomade, cheese coatings, mustache
    wax, casting molds, and surgical bone wax. Just as withh aany job, you can find qualified bed bug exterminators and charlatans who’ll not allow you to and can con youu out of trouble of greenbacks and
    time.

    reply to comment
  16. top assignment writing says

    May 28, 2018 at 5:16 am

    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.

    reply to comment
  17. foster says

    June 20, 2018 at 3:40 am

    good post.thank you

    reply to comment
  18. WT Abernathy says

    March 6, 2019 at 9:20 am

    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:)

    reply to comment
  19. Elizabeth L. Johnson says

    March 6, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    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!

    reply to comment
  20. Doug Powell says

    February 28, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    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

    reply to comment
  21. chrisgail says

    September 14, 2020 at 11:57 pm

    I am first time visiting here and now I like to read all about garden and plants growth, This is a very useful post for me because I belong to a farmer family. https://www.affordable-dissertation.co.uk/dissertation-writing-services-uk/

    reply to comment
  22. chrisgail says

    September 14, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    I am first time visiting here and now I like to read all about garden and plants growth, This is a very useful post for me because I belong to a farmer family.

    reply to comment
  23. Damil1966 says

    December 3, 2020 at 3:39 am

    Thanks a lot for this wonderful information. I wanted some business plans made for me when I found your post. It was really helpful.

    reply to comment
  24. Anita Belcher says

    December 3, 2020 at 3:39 am

    Thanks a lot for this wonderful information. I wanted some https://6dollaressay.com/ business plans made for me when I found your post. It was really helpful.

    reply to comment
  25. Wooten Huber says

    December 28, 2020 at 2:57 am

    Instagram engagement rate calculator can bring massive improvement to your Instagram profile if used properly. Now you are aware of all the important aspects that you should know about. You can now calculate your instagram story viewer disappeare engagement easily by yourself without much effort.

    reply to comment
  26. Sarah says

    February 14, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    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.

    reply to comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get the Ultimate Homestead Planner!

Look Inside!

Save time & money as you build your homestead with my FREE library of ebooks & resources!

— AS SEEN IN —

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Press & Media
  • Contact
  • Disclosure & Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Work with Me

Copyright © 2021 The Prairie Homestead  •  All rights reserved  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs