Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
windrider1967

Looking for feedback

windrider1967
13 years ago

I am in the process of setting up our garden co-op, it is myself and 2 other families. 4 adults and 6 kids. Wondering if the following planting should be adequate.

Not sure if there is any closer spacing that I can do with these or not. I have approx 1 ft set between each of the areas for walk room. total garden size is 40x50 including the walk areas. Sorry if this is in the wrong area, but I didn't see one for "critique my plan" lol

Planting list:

5x40 - 3 sisters - corn, zukes, pole beans (zukes at 5 ft spacing, corn and beans at 1 ft throughout)

1x40 - Peas 4 rows double trellis

1x20 - spinach 4 rows 3 in spacing

1x20 - onions 2 rows 6 in spacing

2x20 - head Lettuce 2 rows 12 in

2x20 cabbage 1 row center

2x20 leaf lettuce

2x20 collards

4x20 tomatoes 2 rows 2 ft spacing

4x20 peppers 2 rows 2 ft spacing

2x40 broccoli 1 row center 2 ft

3x40 cukes 1 row 3 ft spacing

5x40 butternut 1 row 5 ft spacing

3x40 honeydew 1 row 3 ft spacing

4x40 cantalope 1 row 4 ft spacing

5x40 watermelon 1 row 5 ft spacing

I also have 18 everbearing strawberries started, approx 40 garlic started and am planning a full herb garden.

Comments (2)

  • bsntech
    13 years ago

    That is quite the garden!

    Will it be enough to sustain 10 people? Definitely no. You'll have to expect to eat other foods except from the garden.

    I grow about 30 feet of peas and at five inch spacing (done two years ago; doing 2-inch spacing this year), we only got about 11 pounds of peas from 30 feet. But, you indicate you are doing 4 rows in a one-foot wide area - you'll need to think about how you are going to get down those four rows - and also think about sunlight. Doing two rows on either side of the foot wouldn't be bad - but four rows is a bit much.

    Your 1x20 area of onions will only be enough room for 80 onions total at your six inch spacing. If you eat a lot of onions, I'd consider adding more room for onions. I plant out at least 100 - because you also need to think that you will have some that will rot, others that will perish, and then some that won't produce much. Out of the 100 I planted last year, we got about 60 good ones that didn't rot.

    You are growing a huge abundance of lettuce. Will you be able to keep up with that much lettuce between 10 people? You are talking 40 things of head lettuce that will go bad within a few weeks of harvest. The leaf lettuce is ideal since you will have space for between 40 and 80 plants.

    You are going pretty heavy on tomatoes and peppers. Just as long as you will have a use for that. We usually plant only 5 tomatoes and we get about 60 - 70 pounds of tomatoes from just those five each year. Same with peppers; we plant eight pepper plants and have a yield of around 50 pounds.

    More than anything - just ensure that what you produce, you will eat - or choose things that freeze well. Most everything will freeze well except lettuce and other things should be canned - such as pickling cucumbers to make pickles.

    Regarding strawberries - you will definitely need a lot more! We have about 50 Tri-Star strawberries in our strawberry pyramids - and get about 11 - 13 pounds a year.

    Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

  • gardener_mary
    13 years ago

    I would give the spinach a bit more room, I space them at 4" and get a very full square. I would plant the onions closer, I use a 3" spacing. I also tuck onions in around crops like tomatoes and squash, just keep them away from peas and beans. If you are growing the cukes on a trellis you can plant much closer, I plant 2 to a square foot. I hope that helps, it's just what has worked for me.

    Good luck and good gardening, Mary

Sponsored
Grow Landscapes
Average rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Planning Your Outdoor Space in Loundon County?