Row by Row Episode 127: What is the Perfect Vegetable Garden Size?
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What is the Best Vegetable Garden Size?
How much space do I need to grow a garden? What vegetable garden size will feed my family? What is the most manageable garden size? All of these questions are important when deciding what the ideal vegetable garden size you need for your homestead. Even if you have been gardening awhile sometimes you need to reevaluate and determine if your garden size is serving you well. There are a lot of opinions out there that mention a garden size for a family of four should be anywhere from 100 to 200 square feet. However, it's subjective to how intensely you're going to garden, how much time you are going to spend out there, what all you want to grow, and so on. With all this information Travis and Greg are going to lay down a guideline that can best fit you and if you need to alternate it a little bit you can.
Ideal Vegetable Garden Size Based on Row Lengths
So the first way to determine what size garden a family of four needs is to figure out the row length for every crop you plan on growing. For beans the suggested row length is a 40-foot row, Travis mentions that depending on which variety you grow that will be plenty of row length to eat some and store them. When it comes to broccoli a 30-foot row is recommended, but with broccoli, you harvest all at one time so you do need some type of preservation method for it when it comes out of the garden. On carrots, you can plant them on a single row which is a 40-foot row, or a double row which is a 20-foot row in the garden. Cauliflower is the same row length as broccoli, you just need to find a way to preserve them once you harvest them all. If you like corn like the guys, you should grow around 400-600 row feet of corn in square plots. The recommended row length for cucumbers is 20 feet, if you have a productive variety that should be plenty of length for a family of four. When it comes to lettuce, others suggest growing a 50-foot row which is a little too much for the guys. They usually have a row length of 20-30 foot row for lettuce and succession plant in the vegetable garden. For okra, the suggested was a 10-foot row which is really low considering how much Greg and Travis love their okra. The guys usually plant 20-30 foot row and have plenty to cook and eat. The row length for onions in the vegetable garden is a 40-foot row and if you have a place to store them in a dry/cool place you can easily do an 80-foot row. Depending on how many different varieties you plan to plant, peppers need around a 10-foot row. The recommended for summer squash is a 20-foot row, while winter squash is a 40-foot row just because they store so good once harvested. Typically Greg plants around a 50-foot row of tomatoes which is beyond plenty for a family of four.
Show and Tell Segment
On the show and tell segment this week, Greg and Travis have some satsumas from a local farm in South Georgia. Travis made some kale frittata using some kale that he harvested from the garden. What's happening in the garden right now? Travis mentions that his corn still has not made ears and has got him worried. With the cold weather and shorter day lengths, it could be messing up the growth of his corn in the garden. With the first frost approaching soon, the guys harvested their rattlesnake pole beans just in time. They mention that you always play a little gamble growing those beans near the first frost. Travis shares some new varieties this week -- such as PrizeWinner Giant Pumpkin, Orange You Sweet Pepper, Bristol Cucumber, Vulture Beet, and Tailgate Seedless Watermelon.
Travis's Kale Frittata Recipe
- Night Before: Cook bacon and wilt down kale, then place in the fridge
- Next Morning: 12 eggs, three tablespoons of heavy cream, kale, and tear bacon into small pieces, then mix together
- Then, mix in either fetta cheese or goat cheese
- Cook in the oven at 400 for around 15-20 minutes -- then it's ready to eat!
Viewer Questions
For the Q & A segment this week, the guys answer some viewer questions that were asked on last week’s show. The first step to taking care of a new garden soil area is to add a bunch of compost to fill that soil with nutrients. Make sure to get a soil test done to ensure you put enough pH down in the soil. The next question is asking how long do canary melons store once harvested. Typically canary melons store for a couple of months, but probably longer if you have a fall harvest.