Question: How many plants to feed a family?

nodwah
nodwah Posts: 1,742 Forumite
edited 20 March 2011 at 12:19AM in Gardening
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!
Just call me Nodwah the thread killer
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Comments

  • matt987106
    matt987106 Posts: 390 Forumite
    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
    misskool Posts: 12,832 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    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
    Lotus-eater Posts: 10,789 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    misskool wrote: »
    6-10 courgettes (I never have a glut, no idea why..)
    This year Rodney, this year. Millions of courgettes. :)
    Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
  • grrmich
    grrmich Posts: 118 Forumite
    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
    rabidbun Posts: 321 Forumite
    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
    angelavdavis Posts: 4,714 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    edited 20 March 2011 at 5:36PM
    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 :D 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!!!
    :D Thanks to MSE, I am mortgage free!:D
  • ab7167
    ab7167 Posts: 680 Forumite
    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!

    The people who mind don't matter, and the people who matter don't mind
    Getting married 19th August 2011 to a lovely, lovely man :-)
  • oligeo
    oligeo Posts: 263 Forumite
    100 Posts
    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
    nodwah Posts: 1,742 Forumite
    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 :D 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:
    Just call me Nodwah the thread killer
  • nodwah
    nodwah Posts: 1,742 Forumite
    I guess I'd better start keeping notes on what I grow for future reference!
    Just call me Nodwah the thread killer
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