How much land is needed to feed two adults for the year?

[Sally PB]

His question though is if he puts down plastic this fall, then in the spring, no weeds will come up, but wouldn't those weed seeds just be dormant and come up as soon as we pull the plastic off? I'm not so sure that's going to do any good.

Keep in mind that plastic degrades in sunlight. It may be in tatters when you try to remove it. That would be a real mess.

 

[Sally PB]

Another way to look at it is from the "endpoint" of having stored food. I'll use my tomatoes as an example.

We use a quart of canned tomatoes just about every week. So I need 52 quarts of tomatoes. Add in extra just because I might find another favorite recipe that uses canned tomatoes, plus the salsa I make.

How many quarts can I get from a bushel of tomatoes? Roughly 21. Somewhere else I read "figure 1-2 quarts' worth of tomatoes per plant." As @nao57 said, figure in extra for "failure rate."

I like to eat them fresh, and I like cherry tomatoes in salads and am going to dry some. I also try new varieties every year. I have faithful producers and some new ones that might be great, might be losers, or anywhere in between.

I have 74 tomato plants in my garden this year. Because air circulation around the plant helps mitigate disease issues, I space them about 3 feet apart.

 

[paintedChix]

I like to eat them fresh, and I like cherry tomatoes in salads and am going to dry some. I also try new varieties every year. I have faithful producers and some new ones that might be great, might be losers, or anywhere in bebetween

Have you tried tomato fruit leather?

I didnt get summer veg planted due to hospital & rehab stay w/ broke/dislocated ankle. But I am getting tomatoes from farm markets & will be trying some this year w/ my dehydrator...

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Second planning for pests, and also consider sectioning off part of your plantings for seed production depending on what you’re growing. If you’re ripping out your lettuce as soon as it starts bolting you can replace it with something that will give you more food, but if you do that you won’t get seeds for next year out of it. Obviously this is less of an issue for dried beans or potatoes where the thing you eat is also the thing you plant, but something to keep in mind: if things get so bad you have to grow all your own food you might not be able to buy replacement seeds, and if they don’t get that bad you’re still saving money on seed packets every year. It’s useful either way.

 

[nao57]

Have you tried tomato fruit leather?

I didnt get summer veg planted due to hospital & rehab stay w/ broke/dislocated ankle. But I am getting tomatoes from farm markets & will be trying some this year w/ my dehydrator...

This is an interesting idea. I want to encourage you to do your best and try it. Although I have to caution you that you lose a LOT of volume in your fruit when you dehydrate them. If possible you could do some canned, and what you can't can to do dehydrating.

But people I know love to do dried fruit for certain things like trips. Good luck.

 

[paintedChix]

This is an interesting idea. I want to encourage you to do your best and try it. Although I have to caution you that you lose a LOT of volume in your fruit when you dehydrate them. If possible you could do some canned, and what you can't can to do dehydrating.

But people I know love to do dried fruit for certain things like trips. Good luck.

What are trips?

 

[nao57]

What are trips?

Sorry, should have been more specific. I meant family vacations, trips. Although these days people can't afford stuff like that.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! The weeds are already becoming an issue and I refuse to put plastic down everywhere.

There are other ways to kill weeds.

My favorite ones:

--A pen of chickens or pigs, or practically any other animal. Eating the weeds, trampling on them, and pooping on them, will kill quite a few things in time.

--Cover the area with something that is not plastic. I like thick layers of paper and/or cardboard, because they kill the weeds, keep new ones from sprouting for a while, and then decompose to fertilize the soil. To keep them from blowing away, put something on top: wood chips or tree branches or rocks or bricks or even weeds that were pulled out of other areas (weeds on top of cardboard will often die, rather than establishing new roots and growing some more.)

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I’ve heard pouring boiling water on weeds works but have not tried it myself.

--Cover the area with something that is not plastic. I like thick layers of paper and/or cardboard, because they kill the weeds, keep new ones from sprouting for a while, and then decompose to fertilize the soil. To keep them from blowing away, put something on top: wood chips or tree branches or rocks or bricks or even weeds that were pulled out of other areas (weeds on top of cardboard will often die, rather than establishing new roots and growing some more.)

Tangent, but I used this trick to get rid of grass growing up through mulch. Faster (from a pure aesthetics perspective) than poison, easier than pulling it.

 

[Sally PB]

Re: Cardboard to block weeds.

This can work very well. I use piles of autumn leaves to hold the pieces down. Use the biggest pieces you can find. You need to overlap pieces to block out light from the edges, and that means you need more cardboard to cover the space.

The edges tend to curl up, so be sure to cover those well. A good wind can come along and lift the pieces and blow them all over. Ask me how I know this!

I rake up piles of leaves or mowed grass with this use in mind. If you leave the cardboard in place to decompose over the winter, as I often do, know that it probably won't disintegrate in one season. It will also keep the ground from warming up as fast in the spring.