Gardening

Family Seed Planting Chart

What To Grow For A Family of 4
What a family of 4 needs to grow for a one year supply of food
The following chart is only an estimation.
Some would need more, others less. You must make your own adjustments.

Type of Vegetable/Fruit Amount of
Plants Needed		 Spacing (if row)
Apple 3 Trees
Apricot 2 Trees
Asparagus 30 plants
Beans 100′ row 6″
Beets 100′ row 6″
Broccoli 25 Plants
Cabbage 15 Plants
Carrots 200 plants
Cauliflower 15 Plants
Celery 20 Plants
Cherry 2 Trees
Corn 200′ row 12″
Cucumber 10 Plants
Eggplant 10 Plants
Kohlrabi 20′ Row
Lettuce 30 Heads
Mustard 5 Plants
Onions (Green) 15′ Row 2″
Onions (Bulb) 30′ Row 8-12″
Parsley 3 Plants
Peaches 2 Trees
Pear 2 Trees
Peas 130′ Row 5″
Peppers (Green) 10 Plants
Peppers (Hot) 5 Plants
Plums 2 Trees
Popcorn 30′ Row 12″
Potatoes 60′ Row 36″
Pumpkins 5 Plants
Radishes 30′ Row 6″
Raspberry 100′ Row 12″
Sage 2 Plants
Spinach 20 Plants
Squash 5 Plants
Strawberry 100′ Row 24″
Tomatoes (Slicing) 10 Plants
Tomatoes (Paste) 20 Plants
Tomatoes (Salsa) 5 Plants
Turnips 10′ Row 8″
Watermelon 6 Plants

Seed Planting Depth

Vegetable Depth to plant
Asparagus 1’”
Beans (bush & pole) 1”
Beans (lima) 1”
Beets 1”
Broccoli 1/2”
Brussels Sprouts 1/2”
Cabbage 1/2”
Cantaloupe 1”
Carrot 1/2”
Cauliflower 1/2”
Cucumber 1/2”
Eggplant 1/2”
Kale 1/2”`
Kohlrabi 1/2”
Lettuce 1/2”
Okra 1”
Onion (seed) 1/2”
Parsley 1/8”
Pepper 1/2”
Potato 1-2”
Radish 1/2”
Spinach 1/2”
Swiss Chard 1”
Tomato 1/2”

 

Ph Needs For Vegetables

Vegetable Optimal pH
Artichoke 5.6-6.6
Asparagus 6.0-7.0
Beans 6.0-7.0
Beet 5.6-6.6
Broccoli 6.0-7.5
Brussels Sprouts 6.0-7.0
Cabbage 5.6-7.0
Cantaloupe 6.0-7.0
Carrot 5.0-6.0
Catnip 5.0-6.0
Cauliflower 6.0-7.0
Celery 6.0-7.0
Chard 6.0-7.0
Chili Pepper 5.0-6.0
Chives 5.0-6.0
Cucumber 5.0-6.0
Dill 5.0-6.0
Eggplant 5.0-6.0
Garlic 5.0-6.0
Kiwi 5.0-7.0
Leek 5.0-6.0
Lettuce 6.0-7.0
Mint 6.0-7.0
Mushroom 7.0-8.0
Okra 6.0-8.0
Onion 5.0-7.0
Parsley 6.0-8.0
Parsnip 5.0-7.0
Peas 5.6-6.6
Peanuts 5.0-6.0
Peppers 6.0-8.0
Potatoes 5.8-6.5
Pumpkins 5.5-7.0
Radish 6.0-7.0
Raspberry 5.0-7.0
Rhubarb 5.0-7.0
Rutabaga 5.0-7.0
Shallots 5.0-7.0
Soybeans 5.5-7.5
Spinach 5.0-7.0
Squash 6.0-7.0
Strawberries 6.0-7.0
Sunflower 6.0-7.0
Sweet Corn 6.0-7.0
Sweet Potatoes 5.0-7.0
Swiss Chard 6.0-7.0
Tobacco 5.0-7.0
Tomatoes 5.0-7.0
Turnips 5.0-7.0
Yam 6.0-8.0
Zucchini 6.0-7.0

 

Seed Viability Chart

The following chart will give you a guideline to saving your seeds. Many factors will affect the viability such as, the seed’s age, humidity, temperature and light.
Also, these numbers are minimum years. If the seeds are kept in optimal conditions you could expect much longer storage times. The germination rates usually starts to decline after that. I will say however, that I’ve germinated tomato seeds 25 years old that were only stored in a closet. I’m not suggesting you will have to same results, but under proper conditions the list below should be more than accurate.

Plant Years of Viability
Artichokes 5
Arugula 3
Asparagus 3
Basil 5
Beans (Bush & Pole) 3
Beets 2
Broccoli 3
Brussels Sprouts 4
Cabbage 4
Carrots 3
Cauliflower 4
Celery & Celeriac 3
Chard 4
Chicory 4
Chives 2
Cilantro 5
Collards 4
Corn 2-3
Cucumber 5
Dill 5
Eggplant 4
Endive 5
Fennel 4
Kale 4
Kohlrabi 5
Leeks 2
Lettuce 3
Marjoram 1
Muskmelon 5
Mustard 3
Okra 2
Onions (green & bulb) 1
Oregano 1
Parsley 2
Parsnip 1
Peas 3
Peppers (hot & sweet) 2
Pumpkins 4
Radishes 4
Rutabaga 5
Sage 2
Salsify 1
Sorghum 4
Soybean 2
Spinach 3
Squash 4
Strawberry 2
Sunflower 5
Tomatillo 3
Tomatoes 5
Turnips 4
Watercress 5
Watermelon 5

The Windowbox Roma Project

 

Why Growing Medium Does Make A Difference

windowboxroma

May 15
I started Windowbox Roma from Seed. Both seeds were started in a general potting soil mix purchased from a local store.
However, 4 weeks later and both were still only about 1″ tall and looking very frail.

June 15th
I repotted the seedling on the right into a new mix of:
1 part peat moss
1 part perlite
1 part potting mix

2 weeks later, you can tell a major difference. The repotted plant has taken off. It is lush, green and healthy, putting out many new leaves.
As the one on the left that was kept in the pure potting soil has only grown about 1/2″ and has not put out any new leaves.

Notes:
The seedling will still have to be replanted into a better mix. There are just not enough nutrients in the mix to provide adequate food for the plant to survive.
I will be replanting it into a mix of mostly compost, potting soil and a small amount of perlite.

As with all potted plants, they will need continual care as far as nutrients go. I will be watering with compost tea weekly.

The conclusion:
Growing medium plays a significant role in the health of the plant. Do not skimp on the medium.

Update 07-13

In just 3 weeks, a noticeable difference in the two.

The replanted one on the left is now about 10″ tall. The one left in pure potting soil has not grown at all.

windowboxroma2

So it’s clear. The type of medium in regards to density DOES make a difference.

How To Save Cherry Tomato Seeds

Saving cherry tomato seeds is easy. Every grower should learn. I’m saving seeds from a hybrid I’m trying to stabilize. This will be the second year saving them

Growing Green Onions For Free From Store Bought

Growing green onions over and over for an endless supply.
Don’t throw away store bought green onions. Cut the roots off and plant them. You’ll have more green onions than you know what to do with.

 

Saving Tomato Seeds

Start with a healthy tomato from a healthy plant. Free of disease with characteristics you desire.

01

 

Cut around the circumference splitting the tomato into two halves.

02

Squeeze the seeds and pulp out, either directly into a jar or onto a plate.

03

Put all the pulp into a jar. I use Mason jars. Add clean tap water, about 1/2 again the amount of pulp you have. If you add too much water, the mold will not form as well.

04

Cover with plastic like a glad bag. Secure with a rubber band.
Poke a few holes in the plastic for air circulation.
Set on a window sill out of direct sunlight.

05

After a few days, mold should start to grow. Within about a week, your juice should look something like the picture below.

06

Pour the liquid into a sieve. Rinse them thoroughly.

07

Pour the seeds back into the jar. Fill the jar about half full with fresh clean water.
All of the viable seeds will fall to the bottom. The bad seeds will float to the top (as shown in the photo).

08

Scoop off the bad seeds and throw away. Dump the good ones back into the sieve for another rinse.

Spread the seeds out on a paper towel on a window out of direct sunlight to dry.

09

Leave for about a week. Then gather the seeds up, put them into an envelope, mark them and store in a cool dark place for planting next year.

Make Your Own Seed Envelopes For Cheap

In this video, I will show you how I make quick and easy seed envelopes to use if you’re out and about and need to store your seeds. They are also good for giving to others.