[kingdhesiii]

I have just sown a few seeds of peppers, chillis, aubergine and courgette but was just thinking what quantities of seed will you need to sow for the general houshold of these crops.


Many thanks John.

[peapod]

How many live in your house?
How often do you eat the things you've sown?
How much of the veg do you eat?
How many seeds have you sown?
How are you going to look after your seeds?
Where are they growing?


Thats the million dollar question that you asked there  

Except courgettes...1 plant will give enough for one meal a week for at least four, but my word you will be sick of courgettes

[kingdhesiii]

Hmmm Never grown any of them b4. I  have sown about 6 each of the 3 varieties of peppers/chillis. 8 each of the 2 varieties of aubergines and 6 courgettes.

If I have grown too many then ill just pass some on to other allotment members. I was just looking for a rough amount thats all. we ( 3 of us) will eat plenty of what we grow. It was more of a case of I dont wish to grow silly amounts that we or a normal familly wouldnt get through.

[robbodaveuk]

      There is nothing like giving excess crops to neighbours and family. Helps them to appreciate the difference between supermarket food and real food, also good for building neighbourly relationships. I have got a lot of people asking me already, when will my strawberries and sweetcorn be ready.
     A couple of weeks ago my mother bought a punnet of strawberries from Morrison's, I took a bite from one of them and my mother tried one, the lot went straight in the bin. Rock hard and completely tasteless, never again.

  Robbo.

[Kristen]

I grow 6 chilli plants (small pod type), dry them in the Autumn and they comfortable last the whole year. I expect we use about 1 pod per day average. I grew several long pod type chillies last year and we barely used any ... so I've just grown a couple of plants this year in order to have "some".

I grow about 8 plants each of Aubergine and Sweet pepper and although we have the occasional glut, and occasional "lean spell", that takes care of use too.

Those are all in a cold greenhouse - productivity will be lower, and season shorter, if grown outside.

I grow 4 courgette plants. We have way too many courgettes ... but it does ensure that when we are having a Sunday party we can make a big pot of Ratatouille.

[TTG]

I think courgettes are a good crop for most people. I know my parents learnt the hard way to not put too many courgette plants in. All I can say they were glad the slugs got one or two of them before fruiting. They also had a habit of going on holiday when the courgette plants are in full swing. Whilst they really like courgettes with every meal I didn't plus I would go over to pick them (some for me some in their fridge for them) and after a few days of rain and not visiting them I would find that flower was now an overgrown courgette threatening to rot on the plant or being eaten by slugs.

With courgettes I think it is a case of just keep picking. I think I will only have one or two plants of them near my rhubarb as there is a good little spot out of the way there.

I do agree with you that learning the number of plants to grow is difficult. Its my first full year so I'll be learning the hard way. Gluts and lean crops no doubt.

[HugglescoteGrower]

I do agree with you that learning the number of plants to grow is difficult. Its my first full year so I'll be learning the hard way. Gluts and lean crops no doubt.

Same here too, so I sat down and planned what, and haw many to grow based on what we buy each week from the Supermarket. Take into account whats in season when, planned different types and varieties of things like cabbage and cauliflower to give me the longest harvest season possible then looked at how much and how long I can store things ......

Then decide my allotment is far to big and I'm not going to sow half a packet of seeds, so in reality I will probably end up growing far too much, but surplus can be frozen, jarred, chutnied, clamped, given away or simply boost the compost heap.

So for me, the decision came back to what to grow, and how much? that will take care of itself based on seed quantity etc

[Kristen]

If you are in to planning and recording in detail (not everyone's cup-of-tea, I realise!) then I have a spreadsheet that may help - see this thread

[kermit]

Re courgettes - are you not a bit early sowing them?  Also, everyone goes on about how prolific they are.  Last year, based on such advice, I only planted 3 plants, expecting huge gluts but didnt get enough for my liking (although we like our courgettes in our house - especially young ones, nothing like the supermarket monstrosities!)

[Kristen]

I sow my courgettes a month before last frost - they are very susceptible to cold.