Growing food in a home garden can help augment your food supply if you’re trying to save on groceries. Cultivating fruits and vegetables in your backyard also ensures that you can feed your family food that is free of any harmful pesticides.

If you want to learn how to grow food for your family, try following the garden plan explained in detail below.

Starting a home garden can help address problems caused by issues in the food supply chain. It can also help you become more self-sufficient and improve your family’s eating habits as you eat more fresh produce and less processed foods.

To start, you will need a plot measuring 40? x 60? for your low-maintenance raised row garden.

Start a home garden to grow organic food for the family

Starting an organic garden offers many benefits.

• It gives you access to healthy, nutritious food.
• It can help you save on groceries.
• If you have excess fruits and veggies, you can preserve them. Store and use them throughout the year.
• Gardening is also a great way to get the whole family to spend time outdoors.

How much food do you need for a family of four?

The answer will vary depending on how many people there are in your family, but the simple garden plan below can provide enough for a family of four.

Just add or delete rows if you have more or fewer family members. The plan below will also help you determine how many plants you need to have for a good supply of food.

This 26? x 40? plan is best used for raised row planting, but you can also go with a traditional garden setting.

The plan has a total of sixteen 18? wide x 20? long raised rows, but it is also a manageable garden, especially if you plant crops using raised rows. If you use raised rows in your home garden, leave at least 24 inches of space between rows.

How to plant crops in raised rows

With no-till raised rows, you can grow a lot of food in a small space. Use this technique if you are a beginner at home gardening.

Raised row gardening is a hybrid between traditional in-ground gardening and raised beds. It combines the simplicity of an in-ground bed with the better soil structure of a raised bed.

The method also cuts the time and effort it takes to maintain an in-ground bed and the cost of building a raised bed.

As the name suggests, a raised row refers to a raised area of soil and other organic materials like compost, shredded leaves, mulch, or straw formed into a row or hill.

You use the raised row to build up a mound of rich, healthy soil that continually breaks down and enhances your home garden.

Use the method to form rows on top of an existing garden bed, over a lawn, or another patch of earth. Use the raised row method if you have rocky, poor soil, or if you don’t have the time or materials to build a true raised bed.

Garden plan for the average family

The plan and suggested plant list below are suitable for beginners who want to grow crops with great yields and tons of flavor. When it’s time to harvest your crops, you will have enough food for fresh eating and extras for canning and preserving.

The selection of vegetables below can be used to create a variety of delicious and nutritious meals like fresh salads, salsa, sauces and hearty soups. If there are veggies that your family doesn’t like, replace them with others that they prefer.

Carrots, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach, spring onions (Double rows)

Use two rows to grow these carrots, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach, spring onion or “salad crops.”

Plant your choice of veggies in succession for continuous harvests from spring to fall. It’s best to plant carrots and spring onions on the outside edge of the rows so you can harvest them as needed throughout the year.

Green beans (Six plants)

You can harvest green beans for either fresh eating or home canning. Green beans produce high yields and you can replant them several times for multiple harvests each year.

Heirloom tomatoes (Six plants)

Heirloom tomatoes are full of flavor. You can eat them fresh, add them to hamburgers, or preserve them for future use when they aren’t in season.

Heirloom tomatoes can also be used to make refreshing summer salads, galettes, tomato tarts, fish tacos, pizzas, soups, pies, or sandwiches.

Onions (Double rows)

You’ll need a double row of onions in your home garden. Grow sweet onions and yellow onions that store well and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Plant onions in sets and buy them at local garden centers during spring.

Paste tomatoes (Six plants)

Grow six paste tomato plants so you have enough for canning and pasta sauce, fresh salsa, or soups. Paste tomatoes are also perfect for fresh eating or healthy salads.

Peas (Double rows)

Grow double rows of sugar snap peas or traditional green peas in early spring. Both are nutritious and versatile enough to be used in different dishes.

Peppers (12 Plants)

When following this garden plan, grow two rows of peppers: One with six large bell peppers plants and another for six smaller snacking peppers and hot peppers.

Use peppers for fresh eating, salads, soups or stuffing. If you want to have a variety of peppers in your home garden, grow three to six bell peppers, three snacking peppers and some hot varieties of peppers.

Potatoes (Double rows)

With 20? rows of potatoes, you will have enough for fresh eating and storing. Since potatoes store well in a cool, dark location, you can stock up on potatoes for the winter.

Sweet corn (Double rows) 

With double rows of sweet corn in your garden, you’ll have enough for fresh eating and storing.

Sweet corn is great for salads, soups, or baked goods. Alternatively, you can serve corn boiled, grilled, or steamed.

Zucchini and cucumbers (Three plants each)

Zucchini is a heavy producer and you can use them for veggie stir-fries. Cucumbers can be eaten fresh in salads or sandwiches, or you can use them for homemade pickles.

If you’re not sure where to start, use this simple garden plan as a guide. Start planning your home garden now so you can soon harvest fresh veggies right in your backyard.

Sources:

OldWorldGardenFarms.com

Almanac.com

TasteOfHome.com

TheSpruceEats.com