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tn_jed

how big is your garden

tn_jed
14 years ago

hello, im getting in t0 market gardening this is my second year and i know it varies from market to market im not asking about sales volume just tryin to see how big an average market gardeners patch is. i know sumone that has 19 acres of mixed veg. and sumone with 5 acres not sure how much of its planted but their land is simmilar to mine. at the moment i have patches that are about 200x100 and 200x60 which is planted in sweet corn, the other is mixed veg(okra,squash, zucchini,onions,tomatoes ,potatoes, potato pumpkins beans peas ect.) but it seams like everyone els has a lot to sell and im still lagging behind, an example would be, i have about 50- 70 squash plants ond 4 pieces of squash i guess what im asking is how much do you plant just to get an idea what others do not taking into account for customer volume. i go to market 3 times a week but could go to others and i may want to if things pick up a little, things are just commin on slow for me right now but what would i expect from a squash plant throught its life how can figure oout how much i need to plant if im not familiar with how much a plant will produce, . my main question still remains the same how big is your garden, and any other comments are welcome aswell

Comments (10)

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great question. My garden is between 1/3 and 1/2 an acre. I have 1800 square feet in high tunnels. I am trying really hard to double and triple crop my ground. This way I force myself to keep the weeds down.

    Size is relative. I say grow as much as you can handle. I do not have a tractor. I have a big tiller. I have many smaller plots that are spread out over our 5 acres of ground.

    I would encourage you to do multiple plantings of things. Plants dies, things happen. It is always nice to know you have more coming. Also, it is very rare that I will have the same squash, cucumbers, melons from the beginning to the end of the season.

    Good Luck

  • tn_jed
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    thank you for the reply, i am now relizing how horrible my spelling is as i sit here reading this. so i have been planting an early and late crop of things like summer squash and cucumbers and beans.... the things that won't last a full season. and your right things happen plants die think ive choped a few plants down hoeing and have had a few just sudenly wilt and die, maybe squash bugs or lack of rain i dont know but i learned alot thes year already and like last year im already planin for the 2010 garden, i see what i did wrong this year and i cant change it now so planin for next year is what i got, it amazes me how such a small thing can make a big differance im getting a pretty good system down now, at least i will next year... i should still do pretty well this year i hope

  • gardener1908
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I live on about 5 acres in a semi-rural area. I have a 32ft.x50ft. hoophouse. (2 more going up in the fall) Outside I have a 100ftx40ft.. both of these have tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash,eggplant,beans,and a few melons, corn & okra. Another area 15x40 has 8 varities of potatoes.I also have 16, 4ft.x 16ft. raise beds with tunnels that I used for early crops and onions, herbs and misc. . A small grennhouse 8ft.x14ft. for seed starting. I am doing the same as jrslick, as soon as something is done, I pull it and something new is going in. This is my first year growing for market & a learning curve. My biggest problem this year( so far ) was timimg with spring crops. Some due to poor planning on my part and most to Mother Nature. Good luck. Note to jrslick: I am growing on about the same amount of space as you, my question is I am having a heck of a time keeping up with everthing and try to keep up with other responsibilities,ie:family, house etc. How are you doing it , any tips?

  • bagardens (Ohio, Zone 5b)
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    gardener1908,
    I know exactly how you feel. I have the same problem. It is especially hard right now since most of what I have to sell is lettuce. Lettuce is so very time consuming to pick, wash and bag. Other summer crops are not so time consuming. Plus there is a lot of succession planting involved with growing greens, which is also very time consuming. I find myself spending almost all my available time outside in the gardens trying to keep up with weeding, pulling finished crops, planting new ones, and picking for market. It is tough. Last year was my first year selling for market and this year is my first year selling greens and salad mixes, and it is for sure killing me. Somehow I think I will make it.

    Anyhow to answer your question tn jed, I also have 1/3 to 1/2 an acre planted. We live on only 2 acres, although we hope to one move some place with more room, eventually. We have almost used up all of our growing space since our property also as a pond many many trees (although a lot are fruit trees, which is good). Then we also have a creek which likes to flood often, which makes things difficult. We usually have a hard time getting cold crops in soon enough because of our flooding problems, but this year we had a good year because we got almost everything in on time, which I was very excited about.

    I have a 30x63 garden for my eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, carrots, and some cucumbers. A 25x40 garden for just lettuce and greens. A area that is approximately 3,000 square feet vines, some greens and other various things. Then I have an area close to 4,000 square feet with corn and potatoes. There are a bunch of smaller areas scattered around with garlic, berries, grapevines, scallions, beans, basil, and some other things. Plus we have a bunch of fruit trees. Mostly pears, some apples and we just planted some cherry trees and plum trees a couple of years ago. I also planted a bunch of flowers hoping to be able to take some cut flowers to market. Boy do I wish I had more space. Oh, and I also have a small hoophouse for my seedlings. Many, many lights in the basement and even a small green house in the basement which helps bring up the temperature a lot for things that need to be started very early in our cold basement. We are also thinking about adding a high tunnel for next year (which I am very excited about).

    We do have a tractor, which we just got a tiller for this year. It was the greatest thing we could have purchased. I do not think we could have ever gotten every thing planted like we did without it. It also does the best job ever tilling the ground. I have never seen dirt chopped up so fine. It was great we were able to till an entire area in about 15 minutes which would normally take an entire day or two with the walk behind tiller. Then with the walk behind tiller we would spend so much time raking before planting, which was not necessary with the tractor. I knew it would make things a lot easier but I could not have imagined how much easier.

    One thing is for sure, I definitely did a better job keeping up with things so far compared to last year, even though it seems like I am always behind, things seem to be going pretty good. I have always had a hard time with cold weather crops and succession planting but I think I am finally getting better at it.

    One thing I would suggest is to keep record of when you planted things, when you first harvested them, and when you pulled them. It can be a big help in the future. Also make sure you plan ahead, because if you don't the time frame to plant something can pass you up very quickly. Besides when there is so so much to do it is very easy to forget about things that need to get done.

    So far we have just sold at one smaller market, but have plans to go to at least 1 or 2 more larger markets this year, which will be starting in about a month. I wish they started earlier, since I have a lot more than I can sell at the one market available now.

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gardner1908: Is this a hobby or fulltime job? This is both for me. It is my hobby and fulltime job during the summer. I am also a teacher and father of 4 girls under 7.

    How do I do it, first of all work smarter, not harder. If this is your first year, it will be a learning experience.

    Here are some things I have learned over the last 4-5 years.

    1) Buy/borrow a Earthway or some other planter. This is new to me this year. I use to spend hours planting seeds. Now I can plant a whole bean planting in 10 minutes or less. That planter has saved me tons! I know it is not perfect and I have to do some thinning, but I would rather thin while weeding than plant by hand.

    2) Find your limits! Don't over do it. I am still learning this.

    3) Set priorities! I use to think that every weed had to be gone all the time. Yes they do, but I learned that some need to be gone ASAP, crabgrass, bindweed. Other I can weed out while picking or thinning.

    4) Set a schedule, or to do list for each day. Mine is like this during harvest season. Pick stuff each day first, water while packing/storing stuff away in the house and fridges, then weed, plant or general scouting.

    5) Pick tomatoes when blushing and let ripen in the house. This way you will save you time and heartache. Also, if the weather is bad, you have can skip a day picking and you won't be hurt.

    6) Take a day off or almost off! Every Saturday afternoon, after market, I spend with my family and nap. On Sunday I do the bare minimum, pick okra, cucs and squash and spend with my family.

    7) Use soaker hoses or drip tape.

    8) Mulch, if you can.

    9) Don't do the same job twice. I pick my produce like cherry tomatoes and put them straight into my pint baskets I sell in them in. I make all culls on the spot. Also while picking, weed. Yes it takes longer to pick, but your weeding is also done!

    10) Find what you do the best and do more of it. For me, I grow really good potatoes, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and peppers. I am not so good at sweet corn. Also people in my area plant sweet corn with 6-12 row planters under a center pivot with field corn. I can not compete with that, so I don't!

    11) I don't have a tractor, but I wish I did. I have a neighbor who will plow up my garden areas for free! He has some antique tractors and just likes to use them to keep the running.

    Good luck!

  • gardener1908
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't want to take this post off topic but I quess also with how much space your growing comes some of these other issues.
    Bagardens - yes lettuces are time comsuming. I also had a tough time keeping the whole heads from wilting. Lot of work for $2.00

    jrslick. Hobby or full time job, bit of both. My husband is a laid off Auto-Exec. so we took some savings and started this up. He built the hoophouse and and mini's over the raised beds. Now he is spending time trying to replace his income, so it's mostly me working "the fields"LOL. Lot of work but I do enjoy it, esp. when you see the fruits of your labor. Thanks for all your advice.

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    About lettuce, I don't like head lettuce. It takes alot of time and is sooooo cheap in the stores. I prefer leaf lettuce. You can plant very think and get more pounds per row.

    With a small garden, I try to grow high value crops. Corn is one of those I don't even try! It is a water and space hog. If you have both of those available, then go for it!

    I prefer tomatoes, beans, beets, potatoes, peppers, okra, squash, cucumbers and sweet potatoes. I also grow lots of varieties of each. 25 types of tomatoes, 20+ types of peppers, 12 varieties of squash, 9 types of cucs.

    It makes for a more appealing display.

  • sueloring
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So we have just under 5 acres of which only about 2 acres is garden. Out of that we try and get in at least 1500 hills of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. We have found many great bush varieties so we can concentrate lots of plants in areas.
    One smaller bed we put in this year added an extra 90 hills of pie pumpkins and also we expanded the edges of our bigger garden that added space for 178 more hills. We also have lots of fences(old hog panels) and run most of the gourds upward to get them off ground and to save space.

    We have a vegetable garden that is about 40 feet by 20 feet w/22 tomato plants,8 peppers, radish, zucchini and also LOTS of flowers for cutting. This bed we expanded last year and put 15 foot area of strawberries which is doing really good this summer.

    My husband and I work full time at other jobs put in a lot of hours after work and weekends.
    We have a John Deer mower that has rear rototiller. We got it used and it's the best thing we ever bought.
    Besides using it all summer... in the fall when we are harvesting pumpkins we hook up big sled to it use it to haul pumpkins up to our pumpkin stand.

  • hanselmanfarms
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Tip for the lettuces. I don't grow much anymore, just not worth the time/energy. For me, when I was growing it, I would cut the lettuce (loose-leaf) with grass shears, then put the cuttings in a SOFT mesh bag. When full, NOT PACKED, take the bag to a barrel/tub of water, dunk the bag several times. After dunking the bag, spin the bag around til most of the water out. After spinning I would hang the bag, still dripping. Before I would put the bag into my vehicle, I would fluff/shake the bag. I sold the lettuces per pound and NOT pre-bagged. Take a spray bottle with ice water with you to mist your display lettuces.

  • nancyofnc
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have 23 acres to play in. My time and energy really only allows me to plant a single acre but that allows the rest to be wild forest (native walnut, hickory, pecan trees and elderberries). In my zone I've found that there is more money and less time involved in growing perennial things that people want freshly picked: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, figs, horseradish, garlic, peaches, some early apples, grapes, native nuts, Asian pears, plums, and cherries. I also grow 150 heirloom tomato plants to sell as patio plants, to make my jam, dried tomatoes, and spiced tomato juice, and for my own personal plate, and then there is the fun of growing peanuts. I gave up on onions (really cheap in 50# sacks locally) and cucumbers for pickles (those %^$ beetles) so I now buy them from an organic farmer in bulk from a county over who is without that pest. I buy a variety of apples from our NC mountain farms to make apple butter and apple pie jam, canned apple pie, and dried apples. It did not make sense for me to grow them here in the down country. I grow herbs for fresh and for dried. They have few pests and replicate themselves easily, i.e., dill and mint. There was still a lot of land left for me to work in on that 1 acre so I grow several kinds of lilies, peonies, black-eyed Susan's, and those dependable chives and daylilies for their edible buds, plus an assortment of cut flowers from seeds that are whatever my whim. Bulbs and perennials are easy to grow and make a big impact on my sale table. I let the "real" farmers grow the melons and pumpkins that the opossums and raccoons take first, the lettuce that gets shot holes so easily, the sweet potatoes that have to be "cured", and the sweet corn that only makes sense if you have 5 acres of it and enough to share with every other living thing that also likes it. I have an 8' fence around the garden with hog wire fencing at the base and "L" shaped chicken wire buried at the bottom. A few critters still get in but not many, but next year it will be electrified also. At least now the deer are stymied and I don't have to deal with that problem any longer. Squirrels used to be a problem until I bought a shotgun. Birds pecking at fruit was solved by getting a few "garden" cats.

    I grow what I know and don't try to outdo the other farmers who have a gazillion acres to play in and may have to use chemicals to control what does. I still have a good market share and am happy that I don't have to spend nearly the time I used to before I figured out what I was good at. The only other thing I went to was building raised beds for my beloved carrots. In our clay soil, it was the only way to go and other farmers lamented incessantly that that was one thing they couldn't manage. Ta-Dah! Grow what you know. If you don't know and have to work at it to make it right - please, let someone else do it.

    Nancy the nancedar

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