Victory Garden
The [[Winter Garden]] experiment over the winter of 2021-22 in which I started growing potatoes in our Arizona room is slowly growing into a full fledge victory garden.
Goals
Explore gardening as a creative act. Make a space that is both utilitarian but also pleasing to engage.
First year goals would be to simply produce anything at all.
Long term goals: provide fresh and fermented vegetables for my household year round including winter greens, tubers, and sprouts. If possible, produce enough to donate to others in the community.
Planned Plants
Tubers
- Potatoes
- Beets
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Parsnips
- Onions
Veggies
- Arugula
- Orach
- Lamb's Quarter
- Cabbage
- Tomato
- Peppers
- Beans
Herb Garden
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Sprouts
Shrubs
- Blueberries
- Rasberries
- Fig Tree
How Many to Plant?
The Spruce recommends 200 square feet per person for in-season eating. 4,000 square feet per person for a year's worth of eating. Available space to garden in the yard is at most 4,200 square feet (space not covered by the house and the driveway = 60'x70').
Adjusted for two people.
| Plant | The Spruce | Garden Gate | Prairie Homestead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans | 10' | 60 plants | 30 plants |
| Beets | 15' | 30 plants | 60 plants |
| Cabbage | 5 plants | 8 plants | |
| Carrots | 10' | 100 plants | 60 plants |
| Collards/Kale | 5 plants | 10 plants | |
| Greens | 10' | 12 plants | |
| Onions | 5' | 40 plants | |
| Potato | 20 plants | 40 plants | |
| Peppers | 6 plants | 10 plants | 10 plants |
| Tomatoes | 5 plants | 8 plants | |
| Turnips | 10' | 40 plants |
I'm using the collards/kale category as a stand in for the orach and lamb's quarter. Assume parsnips need the same space and number as turnips.
Garden Gate further gives some idea of how much space per plant to assume:
| Plant | Space |
|---|---|
| Beets | 3 plants/ft |
| Beans | 2 plants/ft |
| Carrots | 12 plants/ft |
| Onions | 4 plants/ft |
| Peppers | 1 plant/ft |
| Tomatoes | 1 plant/2ft |
| Potato | 1 plant/ft |
Conclusions
Based on the above, I conclude the following.
| Plant | Number to Grow | Space Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 40 plants | 40' |
| Beet | 30 plants | 15' |
| Carrot | 60 plants | 10' |
| Turnip | 40 plants | 10' |
| Parsnip | 40 plants | 10' |
| Arugula | 40 plants | 10' |
| Onions | 40 plants | 10' |
| Orach | 10 plants | 10' |
| Lamb's Qtr | 10 plants | 10' |
| Cabbage | 8 plants | 16' |
| Tomato | 5 plants | 10' |
| Peppers | 10 plants | 10' |
| Beans | 30 plants | 15' |
| Totals | 363 plants | 176' |
There is roughly 100' of existing garden bedding at the cabin installed by the previous owners. An addition 70' of bedding would be needed. It might be possible to make this up using a combination of potted planting in the Arizona room or additional planters.
Herbs will be grown indoors in pots. Blueberries and raspberries already have their own designated spaces in the yard. The fig will grow in a large pot to be moved indoors during the winter.
Might want to consider a project to build additional beds in the spring; till the existing soil; and establish fencing to keep out the elk.
External References
- Iannotti, Marie. How Much to Plant Per Person in the Vegetable Garden. The Spruce. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- Ribbey, Sherri. Calculate How Many Vegetables to Plant. Garden Gate. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- Winger, Jill. How Much to Plant Per Person in the Garden. The Prairie Homestead. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- Japanese Natural Farming Guru Kawaguchi Yoshikazu. Nippon. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- Yhoshiyuki, Nagahata. “Satoyama”: Living Together with Nature. Nippon. Retrieved 2022-30-30.
- <https://www.permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/>