Planning the vegetable garden: what, how much and where

In short

• An adult eats roughly 120 kg of vegetables and 80 kg of potatoes a year (about 265 lb and 175 lb), including stored and preserved food.
• That's about 45 m² of beds, or about 56 m² of garden with paths (roughly 600 sq ft) per adult equivalent (AE), plus about 32 m² for potatoes. Beginners should count 1.5× (about 85 m²).
• The garden needs at least 6 hours of direct sun and water less than 30 m (100 ft) away.
• Beds 1.2 m (4 ft) wide with paths of 40–50 cm: you never step on soil where things grow.
• In the first year, start with a third of the plan. 50 m² of tidy garden beats 300 m² of weeds.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Family first, then the garden
2. How many m² for which vegetable
3. What to grow: choosing crops
4. Where: the site for the garden
5. Beds: shape and size
6. Layout: four groups for rotation
7. Succession: one bed, two or three harvests
8. The first year: start small
9. Seed, transplants and costs
10. The plan on paper: how to fill in the appendices
11. Common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Area calculator
• Plant number calculator
• Bed plan
• A year of garden planning
• Seed and supplies list
• Harvest log