House & Garden 
HOW MUCH SHALL YOU PLANT? 
Determining the Garden Space Required to Grow Vegetables for a Family of Five — 
Definite Figures on Seeds Sown and Grops Harvested 
WILLIAM C. McCOLLOM 
S OME idea of the 
productive value of 
the vegetables we in¬ 
tend to grow is essen¬ 
tial if we are to expect 
a well balanced garden. 
We know that if we 
plant one cabbage seed 
and it matures we will 
have but one head of 
cabbage; but if we 
plant one seed of a pea, 
how many pods will 
the vine bear and how 
many peas will be in 
a pod? 
The conditions gov¬ 
erning the growth are 
factors in production, 
but good ground will 
not make two heads of 
cabbage form from one 
seed. The head will be 
larger and in every way 
superior if the soil is 
right, but it will still 
be one head. That is 
why it is rather easy to 
form a good idea of the 
productive value of the various garden crops. 
The Productive Value of Different Vegetables 
You will find that practically all vegetables 
which produce themselves in one season and of 
which the seed pods contain the edible portion 
produce much more freely than other types. 
These we will call the embryo type of vegeta¬ 
tion, where the reproductive organisms are es¬ 
teemed for their food value. You will also 
discover that the embryo types are a much 
better standard of food, containing consider¬ 
ably more nutritive value than those vegetables 
that require two seasons to reproduce them¬ 
selves. This may be only an incident, but it 
is a curious one as it follows right through the 
vegetable kingdom. 
The embryo class of garden crops includes 
peas, beans, com, okra, tomato, egg-plant, pep¬ 
pers, pumpkin, squash, melons, cucumbers, etc. 
The true type of embryo vegetation is found in 
the grain crops, which are all noted for their 
food value. 
Nearly all vegetables that require two sea¬ 
sons to reproduce grow beneath the ground, 
such as turnips, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, pars¬ 
nip, onion, radish, etc. 
Those that grow above 
ground are cabbage, cauli¬ 
flower, kale, celery, etc. 
Last month we discussed 
the productive value of 
potatoes and beans, basing 
our calculations on a fam¬ 
ily of five. We will con¬ 
tinue on the same basis— 
in other words, the quan¬ 
tities will be gauged to 
meet the needs of a family 
of five persons. 
A row of carrots 50' 
long will require about 
one-quarter ounce of 
seed. This calculation 
is based on sowing 
moderately thick with 
the idea of thinning out 
when the plants are 
large enough to handle. 
The row should pro¬ 
duce about 600 carrots. 
If used at the proper 
stage of growth, when 
they are young and full 
of their good qualities 
and not when old and 
coarse, it will take 
thirty to fill a pint jar. 
This quantity might 
also be considered 
sufficient for a meal. 
Therefore, one row of 
carrots should yield 
twenty meals or that 
many jars for the pan¬ 
try shelf. The number 
of rows you must sow 
depends entirely upon 
how fond you are of 
carrots; for a perfect 
succession not less than 
four sowings will be necessary. If you can¬ 
not use four rows, make four sowings of a 
half row each time. 
Beets are very similar to carrots; in fact, 
they should be treated as companion crops. A 
row of SO' will require one-half ounce of seed 
and should produce about 400 to 500 beets of 
the proper size for table use. Eighteen beets 
of this size will fill a pint jar, so one row will 
give twenty-five pint jars for next winter’s use, 
or that number of meals if used fresh. 
Peas, Corn and Beans 
To me it always seemed a misdemeanor to 
call peas vegetables; surely they come from 
different social stock than cabbages or kale. 
But we are not revolutionists, so we will class 
them as others do. At all events, one pint of 
seed will sow 100' of single drill or half that 
distance of double drill. There is no denying 
the fact that our best peas require supporting, 
and it is just as easy to stake a double row as 
a single one. It is therefore better practice 
to sow in double rows. 
A good vine of peas should carry at least 
ten pods, and twelve or fourteen are quite 
common; the pod of real 
quality peas must contain 
not less than ten seeds. On 
this basis a row 50' long 
will produce a little more 
than two bushels of pods 
yielding thirty-six pints 
when shelled. This data 
is based on the large wrin¬ 
kled varieties; the round- 
seeded types are more pro¬ 
lific, but are inferior in 
quality, and there is no 
reason for growing them 
in home gardens. The 
number of rows to be sown 
Corn for canning must not be old. Strip¬ 
ping the ear will determine its condition 
A high quality 
wrinkled pea pod 
may be S" long 
and contain at 
least ten peas 
A 50' row of 
peas like these 
will yield about 
thirty - six pints 
when shelled 
A special space reservation in the garden for pumpkins and squash is not necessary. A 
few sown in the hills along with the corn will produce all you will need. These vegetables 
will keep until late winter without canning 
