Small gardens set natural limits on the size of the vegetable patch, because there should still be enough area left for the ornamental garden. If you have plenty of space, you can become self-sufficient with a generous vegetable patch and harvest so much that vegetables, potatoes and herbs can be stored and preserved for the winter.
How big should a vegetable patch be?
To determine the optimal size of a vegetable patch, you should plan at least 20 square meters for a family of four. For self-caterers, an area of 40 square meters per person is recommended. Please note the space required by different types of vegetables and the working time that the bed requires.
how much bed space is required?
A vegetable bed should cover at least twenty square meters, divided into four to eight segments. This allows you to sow in a colorful and varied manner, following the methods of crop rotation and mixed culture. The yield is then just enough to supplement the diet of a family of four. Although you won't harvest much surplus, you won't have to worry about preserving vegetables for a longer period of time.
If you want to become self-sufficient and store fruit and vegetables for the cold season, the vegetable patch should be at least forty square meters per person. Try to make the beds as long as possible so that you can place a sufficient number of plants in a row. A bed width of 1.50 meters has proven to be effective; the width of the path between the individual segments should not be less than thirty centimeters. For this you need to plan around twenty percent of the bed area.
The cultivation planning
On average, you can harvest around three kilograms from one square meter of the vegetable patch. However, the different types of vegetables vary greatly in their space requirements, so this information can only be used as a rough guide to the size of the vegetable patch. In addition, this harvest quantity can only be achieved if at least half of the bed is used several times, for example by planting lettuce on the harvested radish bed. A planting plan is important for this.
The following table shows the harvest quantities of different types of vegetables in comparison:
| Art | Expected crop yields per square meter |
|---|---|
| Bush beans | 2kg |
| pole beans | 2, 5 to 4 kg |
| Peas | 1, 5kg |
| Pumpkin | up to 30 kg |
| Zucchini | 3 – 4 kg |
| Lettuce | 15 pieces |
| Sugar Loaf Mountain | 10 pieces |
| Spinach | 1, 5kg |
| Carrots | 3kg |
| Onions | 2, 5 – 4 kg |
| Shallots | 1, 5kg |
| Kale | 2kg |
| Kohlrabi | 2, 5kg |
| Potatoes | 3, 5kg |
Tip
When you plan the size of the vegetable patch, you should keep in mind that a small garden like this takes a lot of work. For every ten square meters you will spend about half an hour a week watering, hoeing or weeding. What initially seems relaxing can quickly turn from a fun hobby into a chore. Therefore, think carefully about how much time you actually want to invest.
