How Much Should You Plant In Your Garden To Provide A Year’s Worth Of Food?

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We have to open this up with a few caveats. not the least of which is the fact that you are going to supplement your diet with meat and carbs like rice. So, 100% of your diet is not going to come out of your backyard.

Image Credit: Jennifer C via Flickr

Unless you are raising meat birds and fishing a stocked pond. 

For the most part, the food you grow is going to play a large part of your calories in but it won’t be exclusive. Your garden can be a massive food-producing plot.  

What Foods Should You Grow? 

If you are limited by space you should look to grow foods that are very productive. Things like squash, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, melons, berries, and tree fruits go a long way. Greens go a long way also. 

Maximizing space and production is a huge part of what you are trying to do if you are attempting to feed your whole family. 

How Much of Each Plant?

So how much of each plant are you going to have to grow in order to deal with families’ needs? We have a selection of good plants and quantities down below.  

• Pole Beans 2-4 plants per person
• Collards 5 plants per person
• Cucumbers 3-6 plants per family
• Okra 3-4 plants per person
• Onions 12-15 plants per person
• Peppers 3-5 plants per person
• Tomatoes 20 plants per family

Other Foods to Consider

Add eggs to your backyard food production. They are cheap and easy. They go a long way and it only makes sense. You might consider slaughtering some rabbits for meat. Add some perennials to this backyard feast, too, so you have some food that comes back year over year. 

Another thing to consider is native plants and trees. In the south, you can plant Pawpaw trees which are an incredible fruit-bearing tree that does great with very little effort.