Question: How many plants to feed a family?

nodwah

The gardening writer in the Glasgow Herald today said that to get enough mange tout for a decent amount for yer dinners you need 12 stands of 4-5 plants each. (or something like that)

How many plants of different veg do you peeps have on the go?

I've never really thought about it before but I usually have 2 or 3 varieties of courgette/squash maybe 6 plants, about 6 tomato plants loads of spuds but at least they keep and I make regular sowings of salady type things.

Now I've got more room with the lottie - how many parsnips will I grow :undecided

I was given 6 brussels sprouts plants last year and that was more than enough!

matt987106

i allways plant 24 sweetcorn plants

48 runner bean plants

40 odd french beans

6 - 10 courgette

going to add 10 butternut sqaush this year aswell

misskool

depends what you like to eat

we plant 200 peas (we like peas and the taste is incredible fresh)
40-50 tomatoes (freeze lots and use throughout the year, we just finished ours)
6-10 courgettes (I never have a glut, no idea why..)
and everything else is how ever many i can sow.

lots of spinach, salad leaves, carrots etc.

Lotus-eater

misskool wrote: »

6-10 courgettes (I never have a glut, no idea why..)

This year Rodney, this year. Millions of courgettes.

grrmich

I read somewhere that you should grow parsnips in rows, in stations 10cm apart, and put in three seeds per station, weeding out the weakest to leave the strongest. Yesterday I planted one row of 10 stations, which in theory should give me 10 parsnips, but I know I'll want more than that, so I'm looking at planting at least another 3 rows!

rabidbun

Probably around three tomatillo plants, three chard, six large tomato plants, 12 small bush/tumbling tomato plants, 100 to 150 pea plants, 60 bean plants (perhaps more if I find room), a container or two each of salad, spring onions and carrots, 150 onions, 150 garlic (thereabouts), two courgette plants, six melon plants, one cucumber plant. Probably.

And assorted sundries and weird veggies.

angelavdavis

I must admit, this is something that always stumps me too!

I never grow enough beetroot, spinach, salad leaves, peas or mange tout, but grow far too many tomatoes - 2 of about 12 different varieties! No problem as we love them, they are versatile and the chickens will eat them if its a real problem but we do get gluts. I am hoping to be more regular with the spinach, beetroot and salad sowings this year - I get lazy and don't regularly sow them!

I am not a great runner bean lover - so am planning on sowing 24 plants. I am also going to sow about 18 dwarf squeaky french bean plants.

I have planted far too much garlic this year on the allotment, but I guess that is because last year's crop was a disaster in the garden so I have made up for it I am also keen to see what varieties are the most successful and will only buy them next year.

I love courgettes and although we had a lot last year, I sauteed them with onions and froze them in packs ready for the bolognaise and we are almost finished with them. I also like growing lots of different shapes and sizes too, round ones, patty pans, etc as well as bog standard green ones.

I am trying to grow just enough potatoes - I figured that the best policy for me is to grow some early ones and salad ones. So, I have got 36 seed potatoes chitting including 8 which are already planted in pots in the greenhouse.

We now have a grand total of 30 strawberry plants - 8 of the originals plus 22 taken from runners! I hope that will be enough!

I am giving broad beans one last try this year - I have 16 plants in - if nobody eats them, then that is it for me - waste of time growing them!

I have got 8 broccoli plants and am waiting to see if that's enough.

We are trying carrots in sandy soil in huge tubs this year - I have had enough of obscenely shaped carrots from stoney border soil! I am going to grow 18 per tub which will be a total of 90 carrots at any one time growing. I haven't had any luck germinating any parsnips so far, so think I need to get some fresh seed.

I have sown enough for three cucumbers - including 1 pickling gerkin. Reading that rapidbun has planted 6 melon plants - I am wondering if I have planted enough.

I DON'T THINK MY GARDEN, ALLOTMENT PLOT AND GREENHOUSE IS BIG ENOUGH!!!

ab7167

Well, this is our first year of growing, and may have been a bit overambitious. I've got 40 broccoli and 40 cabbage in the greenhouse waiting to be planted out, but not nearly enough garlic I think. I planted about 24, but I can easily go through 2 bulbs a week so that ain't going to last long. Hoping to see what grows easily this year and then form a plan for next year!

oligeo

I too am an allotment newbie, so no idea if i'm growing enough or too much. I'm writing everything down, so hopefully next year I can learn from any mistakes!

One thing I'm wondering is how long produce can keep. Whats the best way of storing onions? I've planted lots, and garlic.

Sarah

nodwah

angelavdavis wrote: »

I have planted far too much garlic this year on the allotment, but I guess that is because last year's crop was a disaster in the garden so I have made up for it I am also keen to see what varieties are the most successful and will only buy them next year.

I always grow as much garlic as poss - I use millions of it!


We now have a grand total of 30 strawberry plants - 8 of the originals plus 22 taken from runners! I hope that will be enough!

Me too I haven't counted the number of strwab plants I've got but I can't enough of them

I am giving broad beans one last try this year - I have 16 plants in - if nobody eats them, then that is it for me - waste of time growing them!

I'm growing quite a few this year and am looking forward to trying Alys's falafel with them

I have got 8 broccoli plants and am waiting to see if that's enough.

We are trying carrots in sandy soil in huge tubs this year - I have had enough of obscenely shaped carrots from stoney border soil! I am going to grow 18 per tub which will be a total of 90 carrots at any one time growing. I haven't had any luck germinating any parsnips so far, so think I need to get some fresh seed.

have you looked at the flickr "carrot fun" group ?:rotfl:

I have sown enough for three cucumbers - including 1 pickling gerkin. Reading that rapidbun has planted 6 melon plants - I am wondering if I have planted enough.

I DON'T THINK MY GARDEN, ALLOTMENT PLOT AND GREENHOUSE IS BIG ENOUGH!!!

Ditto! :rotfl: :rotfl:

nodwah

I guess I'd better start keeping notes on what I grow for future reference!