Building a Garden

How many raised beds would it take to grow enough food for my family?

The amount of square footage needed to feed a family depends on a variety of factors, including crop viability as it pertains to your climate region, how much work can be put into the garden, the diet of your family and, of course, how large your family is. 

One conservative estimate suggests that is takes about 200 square feet of raised bed garden to provide a season's worth of fresh produce for a single person. 

Gardens up to 2500 square feet would yield more than enough fruits and vegetables for a family of 4 if you plan to can, freeze and dry your harvests.   A garden of 4000 square feet or more per person is necessary to provide all of the protein and nutrition needed for self-sufficiency, but could require the addition of animals such as chickens, fish, or a milk goat, in addition to close attention to crop rotations.  For vegans and vegetarians, the attention to crop rotations and diet details would be even more intensified.

Some crops like potatoes, tomatoes, and squash take up a lot of space and take a long time to mature, but are more generous in weight per square foot.  Short season and slender crops like green onions, radishes, lettuce and salad greens can be harvested more quickly and take up less space, but despite their high nutrition do not weigh very much. When planning to supplement your family's diet with home grown foods, consider which crops your family eats most often, which are the most expensive to buy, and which items from the grocery store are least desirable.  Grow a generous mix of the most consumed items as a healthy and frugal foundation to your family meal planning.

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