I've been gardening as a hobby for a few years now, and I'm ready to step it up to lessen my grocery trips, especially with prices soaring and recalls happening. I'm figuring out how many of each plant I need to grow. I feel somewhat confident with my shishito peppers, but often miss the mark with other veggies. I either end up with too little to prepare a meal for my partner and me, or I have an overwhelming excess (looking at you, thyme). Space is tight, so it's crucial to get these quantities right. I'm curious how others handle this. Do you track your meals? Do you plant extra and give away what you can't use? Are you good at preserving? Is it just about experience? I know everyone's situation varies, but I'd love to hear your strategies!
For context, I'm planning to grow shishito and hot peppers, tomatoes, pattypan squash, cucumbers (tentative), lettuce, radishes, perpetual spinach, and sweet potatoes, along with whatever annual herbs I find at the farmer's market. Pole beans are also on the list, but they've never worked out for me, so they're a low priority.
1 Answer
I totally get what you're saying! I started gardening about three years ago, and honestly, the only crop I've consistently had enough of is tomatoes. I'm still figuring it out, mostly doing container gardening too. For your situation, I'd suggest looking at how much you typically eat and plan accordingly. Given your limited space, you might want to consider successional planting for things like lettuce and radishes, since they can be sensitive to heat. Perhaps two cucumber plants should be good since you enjoy them a lot. And for pattypans, I'd suggest growing three if that's what you're aiming for, but assess how much space they really take up. Fresh tomatoes are also a huge crowd-pleaser, so definitely don't skimp there!
Also, if you have surplus tomatoes, you can roast them with some olive oil and garlic to freeze for future meals. I usually end up needing way more than just a couple plants, so I’d recommend planting at least double if you can manage it!
Now I'm craving that roasted tomato dish too! I've only just started with pattypans, so I’ll stick with two and see how it goes. I'm in a hot area too, so I think my lettuce and radishes struggle in containers. I might try them in a shadier spot in my yard to see if they do better there!