Jeez! I hope you are staying warm. Let’s do some more on-paper and in-doors gardening this week! Last email when answering our 3 Big Questions we talked about the WHEN of planting. Today I want to help decide how MUCH to grow.

Think of your garden like a theater production. A director wouldn’t cast 20 Hamlets - nor would they attempt to stage a chorus line with just three dancers. In your garden, you need to know whether you’re producing an intimate one-act show with just enough runner beans for fresh eating, or a grand production with enough tomatoes for preserving all winter. It’s all about matching your cast size to the scale of your garden.

To that effect when assessing how much to grow, its worth looking at the meals you are cooking from your garden and use that as the basis for how much to grow. Take a moment to consider: how often do you want to eat this vegetable in a typical week? For instance, if you’re planning to grow carrots and your family enjoys them twice a week, work backwards:

• A typical family serving might be 6-8 medium carrots
• Two meals a week means 12-16 carrots
• For 5 weeks of harvest, you’d need about 60-80 plants or about a 3 foot by 4 foot area dedicated to them

At first, I often suggest what I call the “The Abundance Balance”:

1. Start with less than you think for Prolific Plants
   • Summer squash/zucchini (2-3 plants for a family)
   • Cherry tomatoes (2-3 plants can produce hundreds of fruits)
   • Slicing and Paste tomatoes (3-4 plants for most - maybe more if you plant to can a lot)
   • Pole beans (8-10 plants can produce for weeks)
   • Cucumber (2-3 plants for fresh eating)
   • Swiss chard (4-5 plants provide continuous harvest)
   • Kale (3-4 plants can feed a family all season)
   • Tomatillos (2 plants will provide more than enough)
2. Plant a little more than you think for Single-Harvest Crops (garlic, carrots, onions)
   • Garlic (25-30 bulbs)
   • Onions (30-40 plants for regular use)
   • Maincrop carrots (100+ for regular use)
   • Brussels sprouts (2-4 plants)
   • Beetroot (20-30 plants per harvest)
3. Succession plant little and often for Continuous Crops (lettuce, radishes, spinach)
   • Lettuce (5-10 plants every 2-3 weeks)
   • Radishes (15-20 seeds every 2 weeks)
   • Spinach (10-15 plants every 3 weeks)
   • Salad greens (2-3 square feet every 2 weeks)
   • Bush beans (10-15 plants every 3 weeks)
   • Baby carrots (20-30 seeds every 3 weeks)
   • Spring onions (15-20 every 3-4 weeks)

All of this would be a (very) big garden! Starting small is always smart. You can master growing a few things well and always expand next season. I have seen many eager gardeners get overwhelmed by August, trying to grow everything at once!

If you are ready to go you can find these and many other veggies available on the website now for pre-order. Just remember that the early season discount will go away on February 9th! So be sure to get your orders in soon!

All the best,

–Nick

P.S. Next week, we’ll tackle our final Big Question: WHERE to plant everything in your garden. You won’t want to miss it!