[green_fingered_ash]

I have gotten an allotment(5 rods) about a month ago and have cleared about 15% of it so far  (mulched with 2/3 layers of cardboard)

however im wondering how many of each vegetable to grow per person (family of 5)
im thinking 6 potatoes/tomatoes/chilli's/aubergines plants but this is just a stab in the dark

could you tell me how many roughly you plant per year

[PAULW]

I have a bit more than you about 16 rod, for 2 people last year I put in 200 spuds these did last untill April on 5 rod I would be more inclined to just grow first early's  and a few salad spuds maim crop are in the ground a long time ,about 35 tomato plants in the greenhouse and in pots around home, I make my own pasta sauce and chutneys I picked about 60 lb of peas (pod weight not shelled) to many runner beans but its suprising how many friends you have when you have spare veg, main thing is to grow what you eat.

[DD.]

6 potato plants is way short of the mark.

If each plant averaged, say 3 lb of spuds, that's only 18 lb per person per year.

I don't know what your average portion is, but say you're not eating spuds each day and get through 2lb per person per week, that's 100 lb in a year, therefore needing 33 plants each per year, or about 100 for the whole family.

You seriously need to consider what space you have, what vegetables you like and what can be bought reasonably cheaply in the shops. I would suggest spuds is one of those and just grow a few roots for "new spuds" if space is limited.

Also consider what plants are productive. 18 aubergines will take a lot of space for not a lot of return.

Runner beans on the other hand cost a packet in the shops and give heavy yields.

[Christo]

Nicely worked-out advice DD. I was going to start potatoes next year for the first time on 5 rods. Might reconsider now.

[DD.]

I like doing sums, me!

[Christine]

First decide what you like to eat. Then decide what is expensive in the shops from your list. Also ensure that you have a deep freeze because you will find that you do get gluts and the pleasure of an allotment is having a full store at the end of the season.

I'd also go with the advice that spuds are reasonably cheap to buy considering that they are a space hog. I'd be one for using the space for strawberries and raspberries which are expensive to buy as fruit. Once you have a few strawberry plants you can encourage runners for self propagation to increase your stock. Also if you use a lot of herbs in your cooking, then a good herb patch is a great investment as these too are expensive.

But your first starting point - your list of what you usually buy and eat. At that point you should borrow or buy a book that tells you the simple things about growing each of your chosen crops (down our garden association hut we always tell people to start by reading D.G. Hessayon's Vegetable and Herb Expert because it's so nicely basic, has pictures and simple instructions. It has taught many people the basics - but other people have other favourites).

You should also see what other people grow on the plots near you as this will give you an idea of what grows well locally.

Don't expect to be able to support your family completely the first year either.  Work towards self sufficiency as you gain experience. As one of my friends said to me when I started - some the first year, a little more the second and by year 4 or 5 you will be surprised at how much you manage. How right she has proved to be.

[Zippy]

Potatoes may well be a space and nutrient (manure) hog, but such flavour you will never find in Tesco; worth planting a few favourite new potatoes I think,  plus (if they are earlies) you can always follow up with some late planted Courgettes or even late Runners in the same year so not a complete waste of space.

[fatbelly]

I like doing sums, me!

Okay DD, work this one out for me. Mrs FB never has anything to wear but she has three wardrobes to keep it in 

[Springlands]

DD cannot work that one out - there is no answer.    Well just one that we girls understand and were not telling. 

[rainbow1]

Seems to me from my site that there are two schools of thought. One is grow a lot of a few things and the other is to grow very small quantities of lots of different things. (I'm in the latter camp!) Like others have said, it does depend on what you like to eat but I would also say it depends on how much time you have as some things require more care than others. A large-ish area of spuds, some runner beans, a row or two of carrots and parsnips, a couple of courgettes and a few squash plants will take less time to look after than a more intricate tapestry of different crops.

I agree with Christine’s idea about soft fruit. I have a strawberry bed and I’m going to put up a fruit cage very soon.

This site http://organicgarden.org.uk/gardening/vegetables/how-much-veg-to-plant has some indications of yields per plants.

Post some ideas of what you’d like to grow and I’m sure folks will tell you how many they plant. As far as chillies, I grew two plants this year and had plenty. Last year my two aubergine plants were plenty for the two of us but this year I’ve had hardly any from two plants.

Good luck!

[solway cropper]

Lots of different ideas and all right. Isn't life confusing 

When I started I tried to grow as many things as possible but have now limited myself to what the family actually eats. Not sure how big 5 rods is but I have a fairly small plot and always grow early spuds which are followed by leeks. I now have one area devoted to block planting and that works well for those veg that you don't need large quantities of. I also have wigwams for climbing beans in the flower borders. They don't take up much space and give high yields.

[michellela]

This site http://organicgarden.org.uk/gardening/vegetables/how-much-veg-to-plant has some indications of yields per plants.

rainbow1 that's a very useful page, thanks for sharing the link.  It's making me rethink my plan for next year so that I'm able to try a few more crops.

[DD.]

DD cannot work that one out - there is no answer.    Well just one that we girls understand and were not telling. 

Quite so. Sums involve arithmetic with logic. That question defies logic.

[Pip Judgeford]

Garlic is the only thing I have done the numbers on.  For a moderate garlic eater (in something 3-4 times a week plus chutneys plus roasting whole bulbs from time to time) I bank on 20 bulbs per person ...plus put in some extras to save as "seed" for next year...plus some extras to give away.  They go in at an odd time, so you can get two crops per 12 months from the same bed ie garlic and then late beans (ie legumes following roots)

Pip

[Springlands]

DD cannot work that one out - there is no answer.    Well just one that we girls understand and were not telling. 

Quite so. Sums involve arithmetic with logic. That question defies logic.

Ouch