[KezMez]

Hello!

First post.... new to the forum, not to veg growing but haven't done it on any grand scale and have often had help of a dubious sort from goats/hens/ducks/horses. This time my fence is concreted in!

Just wondering what everyone does with regard to how much you plant? I've no prob with a glut as fully intend to blanch and chuck in the freezer/save for seeds etc but would be good to have a rough idea of how how much will feed x people and leave a little over.

Perhaps I'm overthinking and should just try it and see?!

Kerry

[RJR_38]

I would say plant as many as your beds/space allows and go from there. No more than 2 or 3 courgette plants though!

[mumofstig]

This chart shows no of plants  and the yield/servings for various crops
http://www.growingvegetablegardens.com/planHowMany.html
(sorry it's in pounds )

Only you know how much of each you eat, so you need to work out how much to sow of each 

[sunshineband]

You might find a sudden urge to make chutney, jam and pickles comes upon you too!

[Robster]

I try to grow as much as I can and preserve store or freeze as much as I can as well. Always stuff to give away though. Things that don't store to well such as courgettes for example I tend to have two or thee sowings have some in bags to extend the season as much as possible. Have recently got into bean drying. Remarkable how much you can produce.

[victoria park]

Wastage can be a problem without thinking it through.
Crops can go over before you've had time to eat them all fresh, and preparing for freezing can take a surprising amount of time/organisation without experience.  I still haven't got round to rhubarb wine yet, even though I have hugely productive plants. There's only so much rhubarb we can eat.  And a big mistake of course is growing food you don't really want to eat in bulk, courgettes being the classic one.

As Robster has said, drying de-podded beans are an excellent storage solution, after you've had your fill of the better tasting fresh ones. And potatoes and onions are the big bulk easy storers.
Red and black currants freeze brilliantly, and defrost perfectly in 15 minutes for adding to ice creams or salads.
What you will find is your diet changes, and changes for the better I might add. New interests and tastes will spring up from nowhere. I have noticed over the last ten years how much more I enjoy the seasonality of diet, it's a treat in itself, and a much more local diet of roots rather than rices. 

If you find after a year you really have got into the growing, that will be the time to seriously plan ahead what crops and when. Experiment a bit and expect the odd crop to fail or disappoint.

[Enfield Glen]

Things that grow quickly and soon go to seed need to be sown in short rows and over a period of weeks. I have made a specific bed to ensure the rows are less than a metre. I still end up with more radishes than can possibly be eaten but its much better than when I first started and sowed a whole packet in one go.

[Mr Dog]

I'm with RJR in growing as much as your space allows, with the proviso that you grow (mainly) what you know you and your family like to eat with a small area set aside for things you've not tried before. Also try different varieties of a particular veg; taste differences are often subtle but sometimes they're not and you'll find that some varieties may well perform better (or worse) than others depending on the vagaries of the weather. Freeze, preserve, swap or give away (it will almost certainly be appreciated by the receiver) any excess.

[oldgrunge]

I would just grow what, and how much you think best. Over a few seasons you will work it out. Even then, it can change, I had it sorted, then our sons left home. Back to the drawing board!

[solway cropper]

Unless you have a field you'll probably not be able to grow as many spuds as you need. Certainly not if you get through them like we do. I only grow earlies and get the mains from local farms. Even then I need to plant 60-80 seed spuds which keep us going till about October. Like many others I sow little and often so there is always a supply of fresh veg through the season. Any excess is stored or preserved.

[mjg000]

Enjoy the seeds, enjoy the sowing, enjoy the potting on.... and then enjoy having far too many of any one thing you thought you loved enough to grow!

Friends and family look the other way in times of glut, but always welcome the first tomatoes/ courgettes / beans and potatoes.
 
Only grow what YOU want to eat and enjoy the process as much as the result. 

One year is never the same as the next so don't assume you can grow courgettes with your eyes closed - I didn't manage a single one last year!   But I had as many cauliflower as I could manage without really trying...