Plenty of Vegetables for the Family Table
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Posted by Jacqueline Cross Apr 15, 2009 |
In the article “Expected Food Harvest,” I provided a list of seeds to plant for a garden patch to feed a family of five. This list comes from experience in my own gardens and also by speaking to other gardeners to find out about their experiences.
In my family, vegetables such as field peas, squash, tomatoes, lettuce and most of all beans are very popular. This leads me to plant more of these types of vegetables not only for the table but also to put up for the winter. For instance, I might plant 1000 peas, 500 or more mixed beans and 50 tomato and cucumber plants in order to have plenty for winter storage. I also set out plants for collection of seeds at the end of the season thereby providing for the next seasons’ garden. These are heirloom seeds, of course.
Allowing for a percentage of seed failure by planting extra is always a good idea. It is inevitable that some seeds will fail or be taken out by garden pests.
Limited Space for Vegetable Gardening
If you’d like to plant enough vegetables to not only feed the family but also put some up for the off-season, try some of the tips found in the article; “Vegetable Gardening on Limited Ground” for growing vegetables in places not typically seen as food gardening space. When it comes to the health benefits of eating fresh produce and the money that is saved from growing your own, it is well worth giving up a few feet of patio or flower gardening space.
A Closer Look
I’d like to invite you to have a closer look around here at Suite101. There are many great articles covering all types of gardening. It seems that the vegetable gardening section here at Suite is being updated daily with new articles by many great writers. Ornamental gardening is very popular and there is an article to cover any sort of flower, bush or tree you can think of. Spend some time with us and see what our writers have to share with the world.