Garden planning

How much to plant per person

How many tomato plants does a family need? How long a row of carrots? This planning chart gives the amount to grow per person for fresh eating and for preserving, using figures from university extension services, then works out a family-of-four example and the harvest you can expect.

Vegetables and herbs: amount per person

Amounts are per person for one season. "Row" means a single row at the spacing in each crop's guide. Expected harvests use typical yields from our yield chart, so treat them as rough estimates.

Amount to plant per person and for a family of four
Crop	Per person, fresh	Per person, to preserve	Family of 4, fresh	Expected harvest (4 people)
Beet	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	3–6.1 m (10–20 ft) of row	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 9–18 kg (20–40 lb)
Bell pepper	2–3 plants	—	8–12 plants	≈ 2–3 kg (5–8 lb)
Broccoli	5–10 plants	5–10 plants	20–40 plants	≈ 13–25 kg (28–56 lb)
Cabbage	3–5 plants	3–5 plants	12–20 plants	≈ 9–15 kg (19–32 lb)
Carrot	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 9–18 kg (20–40 lb)
Cauliflower	3–5 plants	5–10 plants	12–20 plants	≈ 9–15 kg (19–32 lb)
Cherry tomato	3–5 plants	5–10 plants	12–20 plants	—
Chili pepper	2–3 plants	—	8–12 plants	—
Cucumber	2–3 hills	3–5 hills	8–12 hills	—
Eggplant	2–3 plants	2–3 plants	8–12 plants	≈ 4–6 kg (9–13 lb)
Green beans	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	6.1–9.1 m (20–30 ft) of row	12–18 m (40–60 ft) of row	≈ 15–41 kg (32–90 lb)
Kale	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 6–13 kg (14–28 lb)
Lettuce	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	—	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 5–9 kg (10–20 lb)
Onion	7.6–15.2 m (25–50 ft) of row	—	30–61 m (100–200 ft) of row	≈ 45–91 kg (100–200 lb)
Peas	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	7.6–9.1 m (25–30 ft) of row	12–18 m (40–60 ft) of row	≈ 4–5 kg (8–12 lb)
Potato	15.2–30.5 m (50–100 ft) of row	—	61–122 m (200–400 ft) of row	≈ 136–272 kg (300–600 lb)
Radish	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	—	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 20–40 bunches
Spinach	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 6–13 kg (14–28 lb)
Sweet corn	4.6–7.6 m (15–25 ft) of row	9.1–15.2 m (30–50 ft) of row	18–30 m (60–100 ft) of row	≈ 60–100 ears
Swiss chard	1.5–3 m (5–10 ft) of row	3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row	6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row	≈ 7–14 kg (15–30 lb)
Tomato	3–5 plants	5–10 plants	12–20 plants	≈ 20–34 kg (45–75 lb)
Winter squash	3–5 hills	—	12–20 hills	—
Zucchini	2–3 hills	—	8–12 hills	—

Per-person amounts: University of Missouri Extension. Expected harvests multiply those amounts by the typical yields in each crop guide. Some per-person figures cover a whole crop group, for example peppers or tomatoes in general.

Berries: plants for a family

Fruit	Plants for 4 people	Expected harvest	First crop
Blackberry	About 6 erect plants, or 2 semi-trailing plants, for a family of four.	4–54 kg (8–120 lb) a year once plants are mature	Bears from about the second year. Plants stay productive for 5–20 years depending on type.
Blueberry	About 6 highbush plants for a family of four.	14–30 kg (30–66 lb) a year once plants are mature	Starts bearing about three years after planting and can live 20–30 years.
Raspberry	About 6 plants for a family of four.	5–11 kg (12–24 lb) a year once plants are mature	Bears from about the second year and stays productive for 5–10 years.
Strawberry	About 50 plants for a family of four.	7–11 kg (17–25 lb) a year once plants are mature	Fruits within about 13 months of planting and crops well for up to four years.

Plant counts and bearing ages: NC State Extension Gardener Handbook and University of Missouri Extension.

How to use these numbers

List what you actually eat. A big row of a crop nobody likes is wasted space, however well it yields.
Decide fresh or preserve. Freezing, canning or storing roughly doubles the space for many crops.
Multiply by your household. For example, for four people that's 12–20 plants of tomatoes, which should give roughly 20–34 kg (45–75 lb) over the season.
Stagger quick crops. Radishes, lettuce and spinach are better sown in small batches every few weeks than all at once, so the harvest doesn't arrive in one glut.
Check your timing. The harvest calendar shows when each crop comes in.

We couldn't find reliable per-person figures for basil, garlic, pumpkin, so they're left out rather than guessed.

Adjust after your first season

Planning charts are a starting point. After one season of writing down what you pick, you'll know whether four zucchini plants were two too many. Our guide on tracking your garden harvest shows simple ways to keep that record.

Track it

Plan next year from this year's harvest

Harvest Journal adds up every picking per crop, so next spring you'll know exactly how much to plant.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Garden planning FAQ

How many tomato plants do I need per person?

University of Missouri Extension suggests 3 to 5 tomato plants per person for fresh eating, and 5 to 10 if you also want to can or freeze tomatoes.

How big a garden do I need to feed a family of four?

It depends on what you grow and whether you want to preserve food. Add up the row lengths and plant counts in the table for the crops you eat most. Start with a few crops you love rather than trying to grow everything in the first year.

What is a hill in a planting guide?

A hill is a single spot where a small group of plants is grown together, rather than a straight row. Extension guides use it for sprawling crops like cucumbers, squash and melons.

How many strawberry plants do I need for a family?

NC State Extension suggests about 50 plants for four people. University of Missouri Extension suggests 25 to 50 for fresh eating, plus more if you want to freeze berries.

Sources

Per-person amounts and yields come from these publications.