Backyard Gardening Appeals — If You Have Enough Land, Time To Work It

ACROSS AMERICA — Many areas of the country are either nearing or past the last spring frost, which means eager gardeners can finally scratch that itch to start digging in the dirt.

But before you start tearing out the sod in the back yard or filling your balcony with containers of herbs and vegetables, be realistic about how much food you’ll be able to grow.

Estimates vary, but it’s not as much as some eager first-time gardeners may think. Melissa K. Norris blogs about such things from her family’s 15-acre homestead in the North Cascade mountain range. She grows all the beans, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes and sweet corn her family of four can eat in a year in 1,200-square-foot garden plots.

Per person, that translates to 15 to 20 bean plants, 15 to 20 potato plants, 15 garlic bulbs, five tomato plants and 15 corn plants.

How Big Should Your Garden Be?

The average U.S. lawn is about 10,871 square feet, but yard sizes vary by geography, according to Home Advisor. But many have enough space to grow at least some of the same vegetables as Norris'.

Some people plant gardens because they want control over how their food is grown. Others do it for the therapeutic value of gardening. Still others plan to plant gardens as a hedge against inflation.

Regarding the latter, it’s a good strategy — if done correctly, according to Iowa State University Extension Service. It points out “The $64 Tomato” is a cautionary tale about how quickly costs for tools and equipment, hoses and water, and pesticides and insecticides can add up, even with a small garden plot.

How Much Time Do You Have?

Gardening experts say it’s important to be realistic about how much work a garden can be.

If your schedule allows for regular weeding, watering and harvesting, backyard gardening could be the ticket to your happy space. If not, you may find yourself ridden with guilt over something you started and don’t have time to finish.

How much time you’ll need to spend depends on the size of your garden, Colin McCrate and Brad Halm wrote for Storey, which publishes practical advice books on everything from homesteading to natural health.

Beginning gardeners with small, 100- or 200-square-foot gardens that produce just enough crops to enjoy at harvest time can require minimal effort of about half an hour a week.

But the bigger the plot, the greater the time commitment.

For example, for an 800-1,500-square-foot garden that can feed a family of four to eight people during the growing season — and enough produce to supplement their diets through most of the winter — requires at least four to six hours a week in maintenance.

You should plan to weed your garden at least once a week. Get them when they’re young and pull out of the ground easily, before they go to seed.

If you’re still convinced you want a garden, The Old Farmer's Almanac growing guide offers advice on when to start planting specific vegetable crops.