How Much Space Do I Need?

[AMKuska]

Right now I'm looking to put in enough raised garden beds so that I don't have to pick what vegetables I grow. This is what I'm interested in growing:

Peas (small amount)
Beans (small amount)
Carrots (small amount)
Cabbage (3-6 heads)
Broccoli (3-6 plants)
Tomatoes (14-28 plants)
Bell Peppers (14-28 plants)
Chili peppers (3-6 plants)
Super Hot Peppers (1-2 plants)
Pumpkins (1-2 plants)
Melons (1-2 plants)
Zucchini (1-2 plants)
Cucumbers (3-4 plants)
Lettuce (9-12 plants)
Onions (10-20 plants)

At this point I have a "big" garden of 10x20
A raised garden bed 6x4
A kiddy pool planter about 6x4

And about 10 container big enough for 1 plant each. It's not enough. My husband is going to build me a few more raised garden beds, but I'm wondering about how many more would get me closer to what I want to grow.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I sent a message.

 

[digitS']

Onions (10-20 plants), would require very little room and could be interplanted with your lettuce. "Small amounts?" Do you suppose that each one of these crops could occupy about the same amount of ground, AMK?

• Peas
• Beans
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Cabbage (3-6 heads)
• Broccoli (3-6 plants)

There is quite a bit of difference in total space requirements between 14 & 28 plants. Double .

• Tomatoes (14-28 plants)
• Bell Peppers (14-28 plants)

I would say that if peppers grow larger & better there than here (), you might think of there being the same requirements for the peppers and the tomatoes -- IF all the numbers are about the same and include these 2 with the Bells.

• Chili peppers (3-6 plants)
• Super Hot Peppers (1-2 plants)

This vine patch could probably be divided equally between the 3 crops.

• Pumpkins (1-2 plants)
• Melons (1-2 plants)
• Cucumbers (3-4 plants)

Zucchini (1-2 plants) would not require as much space as any except the cucumbers in the vine patch. They could be needing the same growing space as your cabbage & broccoli.

LINK - This is a very short pdf file from Purdue on "Intensive Gardening." This is square foot gardening in a modified way. I don't "buy" into the Mel Bartholomew ideas on spacing. It really seems like the gardener would be fighting with their plants continuously to keep them contained. That would take a lot of the enjoyment out of the experience for me. I'm not "buying" into the Purdue scheme either but they are talking about double or triple rows. How much space is left between these - is it 2 feet, 3 feet, more? Could the row of plants spill out and not cause problems for access?

Steve
who does go for the : · : · : · rather than : : : :

 

[AMKuska]

@Ridgerunner thank you!

@digitS' My plants confuse me. I got a tomato plant that produced a REDICULOUS amount of tomatoes, it just went crazy. I saved the seeds on it and hope they'll do the same. If I can get that much production from a tomato, I'll only need 14 plants. On the other hand, most of the time I don't get all that much off a tomato plant, doubling how many plants I need is likely what I'll have to do.

Bell peppers I can reliably get to produce 2-3 small peppers. I did a lot of research over the winter and I believe I can get production to increase, in which case I only need 14 plants. If I can't, I'll have to double up once again.

I realize there's a big difference, and I'm prepared to shrink down to 14 plants each if I can't make enough garden beds for all of them.

 

[seedcorn]

I know nothing about Washington growing conditions. (At this point move on to someone more knowledgeable)
Some concepts to think about.
1). Use hybrid seeds if available as they are bred for disease resistance and production.
2). Be ready to spoon feed crop. Study what/when they utilize fertilizer.
3). Water, water, water.
4.). Train plants that can go vertical to grow vertical.
5,). When a crop is over, pull it.

When I lived in town, I had a garden that was a 20’ oblong. Got a lot of main line vegetables out of it-peppers, tomatoes, etc but nothing like corn, okra, etc.

 

[ninnymary]

Perhaps you can start by adding 2 more beds to see how much more that gives you? Then increase again next year.

Mary

 

[digitS']

I put most of my 2020 tomato plants in a 4' by 45' bed.

There were 23 plants, if'n I remember right.

This was in a terrible sprawl, just like any year . One side had quite a bit of room for me to walk. It was more than a couple of feet. The other side had 2 feet. That was reserved as access for DW. In other words - I can't walk over there because vines are all over the path.

Steve

 

[AMKuska]

I know nothing about Washington growing conditions. (At this point move on to someone more knowledgeable)
Some concepts to think about.
1). Use hybrid seeds if available as they are bred for disease resistance and production.
2). Be ready to spoon feed crop. Study what/when they utilize fertilizer.
3). Water, water, water.
4.). Train plants that can go vertical to grow vertical.
5,). When a crop is over, pull it.

When I lived in town, I had a garden that was a 20’ oblong. Got a lot of main line vegetables out of it-peppers, tomatoes, etc but nothing like corn, okra, etc.

I'm actually very excited this year to be using powdery mildew resistant seeds! I can't wait to see how they perform.

 

[ducks4you]

I tried to imagine ALL of these plants in pots ready to transplant in MY garden, and this is what I came up with.
The cabbage and broccoli need a 3' x 12' bed.
Tomatoes need 12' x 12'
Bell peppers need 12' x 12'
Hot peppers need a 4' x 4' bed
Anything that vines can be trained to go vertical, so you don't need much space, just a building project.

 

[flowerbug]

14 tomato plants we usually grow pretty big plants by the end of the summer they are hard to get between and we usually plant them with about 4 feet between them. for 15 plants that's 20 feet by 12 feet. we never get pepper plants that big. we don't grow the kind that get that big i guess.

i try to grow about 48 onions, but the greenhouse went to a smaller number in their flats last year so it was 36. i think it turned out ok it was three rows with them spaced far enough apart to get the hoe between them (much easier to take care of more easily). i think it was about 10 x 10 feet for those. i much prefer more space for them than less.

peas, early enough to get going, i'd like to plant a lot more this season. the pods were so good and we both love the new fresh peas too. last year i planted about 12 x 12 feet of these, most ended up being ones i won't plant again, but i'll see how this year goes. i love what they do for the garden soil when i can harvest and bury the plants in the spaces in between the rows so the whole garden gets some roots or tops every foot or so and not too much digging. perfect, plus the flowers, pods and peas.

cabbage, not worth it here, just too much work and not happy with the results and didn't want to deal with netting or sprays to keep the bugs off. figure 4-6sq ft per plant.

beans, i put them in every place i can once we figure out where the main other warm weather crops are going and if i've not stuck peas in. fresh beans, shellies and dry beans, enough to keep us with a good supply. very happy when they do well. don't mind if some get missed so they can be seeds for the next years, or all the other fun of harvesting, shelling, sorting, seeing if new crosses have come about etc. the more seeds i can share with people the better. gives me some for the seed libraries or to send to people and of course anything that doesn't get traded or used for replanting usually will get eaten or fed to the worm farm so it isn't wasted.