Plot enough for 2

Grouchy

Hello, hope I am posting this in the right place. I have done a search but no luck so hope this has not been asked millions of times before.

I'm aiming to be as self sustaining as possible for veg, I currently have some raised beds and room to expand possibly. What I plant now is concentrated around toms, squash and onions with a bit of salady stuff. What I can't figure out for when I expand things is just how much room I will need for enough veg for two adults. I know this is a bit how long is a piece of string depending on veg liked and quantities eaten etc. but was wondering if anyone has any experience to share of doing this. Or point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for any help.

valk_scot

The so called standard allotment plot is supposed to be the size required for a family of four to be mostly self sufficient in veg and some fruit, while still being small enough for one man (!) to work in his spare time. So that's 10 rods in old money, or 300 square yards or 250 square metres approx.

That's a big plot though! My plot measures 80 feet by 40 feet so that's a standard plot more or less. I've got a lot of paths, a shed, several compost bins, a pond and two "working" areas for storage and barrels of comfrey on it though so I reckon only about half of it is under actual cultivation, and some of that includes permenant plantings like fruit trees and bushes. The rest consists of 26 raised beds, four feet wide and ranging from four feet to twenty feet in length. That's enough for this one woman to manage belive me, but our family of four is not self sufficient by a long way.

But roughly, to be mostly self sufficient for two people you'd probably be looking at the 250sq m standard plot, yes. That would allow you to grow basic crops like spuds and onions for storage, a good range of seasonal crops and quite a bit of fruit.

Foxy0810

My plot is about 20ft x 100ft although only had since 1st April not got all under control yet though as was real mess when took it on, it's also a bad year for growing so couldn't say whether could be fully self sufficient but think not. although being fully self sufficient was never my intention I wanted to grow my own veg etc to use when in seasoning new to this maybe when I get my plot under control next year I may have a better idea

culpepper

if you have raised beds,you can expect about 4 times the yield of non raised beds due to the greater depth of soil and closer planting.
Some things can be grown in pots too under cover which will extend the season .
Its worth thinking about storage,how will you keep your produce?
We dry quite a lot of fruit and veg which is cheaper than freezing everything (one time layout for a dehydrator rather than constant electricity for freezing).

Grouchy

Thanks all for the info, that certainly gives me a good idea of the basics.
I have put myself down for a local allotment, but after going to check out an average sized plot I must admit was intimidated by how big it seemed. Not sure if I could keep up with the work to keep it under control let alone producing constantly
Will have to take a bit more time to think things through.
Cheers

RAS

Read John Jeavons "How to grow more food than you ever thought in less space..."

You need to bear in mind that his annual plans assume a much longer growing season.

The other goodies are Joy Larkcom, Mel Bartholomew and Charlkes Dowling all of whom are good at intensive growing.

valk_scot

Grouchy wrote: »

Not sure if I could keep up with the work to keep it under control let alone producing constantly

When I took my plot on I was told that I would need to put in around 10 hours a week to keep it under control. That's half a day at the weekend and a couple of hours in the evening, twice a week for one person, though if there's two of you to split it that's better. Less to zero in deep winter. My OH doesn't garden so I do it alone and though it seems a lot of time at first you do get into the swing of it after a while and it just becomes part of the routine. I remember digging up the spuds when I was eight months pregnant!

If you're doubtful of the time commitment, go for a half allotment and use it to grow low maintainence crops like spuds, onions and brassicas and save the fiddly stuff for the home beds.