If you are supplementing your diet with meats, store-bought grains, or dairy, you probably won’t need quite that much space. Creating a vegetable garden for your family is an excellent way to improve health, reduce your food expenses and enjoy a much … Create a list of plants, and ... it doesn’t have to be about being totally self-sufficient. But it can be done. Eat According to the Season. If you keep grocery receipts or just have a good memory, you can use this as a guide for how much of a given item your family eats in a week or month. ‘Nuf said.

Consider how much of each vegetable you like to use at a time. I plant 80 plants total and end up with about 80,000 calories from … The next factor is how you are going to preserve the food you grow beyond daily use. If you are going to can, you need plenty of shelf space for all the jars. You generally get more yield in a small space if you garden in wide rows.In “How To Grow More Vegetables”, intensive gardening guru, John Jeavons, says you’ll need about 200 sq.ft. The average American, according to the USDA, eats over 800 pounds of food a year, over a quarter of which is comprised of fruits and vegetables.

For example, buy a 5-pound bag of onions every couple of weeks. Planning Your Land Use By carefully choosing crops that will do well in your climate, as well as adding nutrients to the soil through the application of compost and manures, you can raise abundant crops on a … You don’t need to live in the country to be more self-sufficient. The Dervaes family, who live on a small city lot smack-dab in the middle of Pasadena, are leaders in sustainability and self-reliance. Vegetable Garden Size for a Family of Three. Plus, all you need is a few seeds and a little knowledge, and you are on your way to growing as much food as your space will allow. Self-sufficiency also could mean that you get away from the grocery store as much as possible. These ideas work for city-folk too. Share this post on; Digg; Del.icio.us; Technorati; Twitter; 02-02-2014, 06:37 PM #2. noviceveggrower. Food Self-Sufficiency: Top Crops for Homegrown Food Year-Round. Which would be my advice to you if you decide that you need some more land to do what you feel like is your self-sufficient goal. You don’t actually … Whether you grow as much of your food as you can or you source it from local producers, the guidelines here will help you decide how much to produce or purchase.
The average amounts you’ll find listed below in this post are assuming your soil condition is good, average weather, and low pest or disease damage. How much to plant per person for a year’s worth of food. That means you will need to grow at least 360 pounds of fruits and vegetables per person. per person to grow enough vegetables and soft fruits for the growing season at intermediate yields. How much of each vegetable to plant also depends on the size and layout of your garden. Your grocery bills or a trip to a local farmer’s market are good places to start working out how much you need to grow. We live on 2 acres and have an orchard, large garden, berry patches, grape vines, a herb garden, and … Having the skills to be able to preserve what you produce is imperative for a families long term self sufficiency. It is possible to create some type of homestead right where you are. Its hard to grow food — other than livestock and hay — in a growing season that’s shortened by intermittent summer frost. Here are 26 steps to self sufficiency that anyone can do with not too much effort; just make sure you have a well thought out plan so that you do not become overwhelmed.. 1. Land in these areas is cheaper, too. All these techniques can significantly increase the amount of food you can grow. Preserve the harvest. We own 56 acres of land, yet we are not entirely self-sufficient and do have to leave in order to meet some of our needs. If you are in an apartment and have a balcony, you can grow something. The reason is because food can be grown in the ground or in containers. PUBLISHED: August 8, 2019 BY: Danielle McCoy DISCLOSURE: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you make a purchase. You’ll need to grow this amount at least, plus a little more to make up for any lost to disease, pests and other problems. Thanks for your time, Samuel. Be smart and avoid debt where possible. Also, if you live on a few acres (like I do now), you can grow enough food to feed your family.