How much food can I grow in a small space?

[Rael]

I would like to start a garden but I have a small area to use. What things can I grow that would take up the least space and provide the most calories/nutrition?

 

[JoshLowry]

My uneducated guess says potatoes, beans, or rice.

 

[CaseyJones]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/732313/how_to_grow_rice_in_your_garden.html

 

[Acala]

Suggestion

A small garden is not going to provide you any meaningful quantity of basic nutrition: carbs, fat, or protein. So, rather than focusing your efforts on staple crops like corn and root crops, I suggest planting crops that will enhance the flavor and vitamin content of the staple food you are going to have to get elsewhere anyway. So plant herbs, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, greens etc.

 

[Working Poor]

plant some squash they are always prolific and some beans too. As well as what Alcala suggested. You can grow quite a lot in a small plot. Learn some way of preserving as well. Tomatoes are great sun dried or canned or frozen read up on these methods.

 

[paulim]

A small garden is not going to provide you any meaningful quantity of basic nutrition: carbs, fat, or protein. So, rather than focusing your efforts on staple crops like corn and root crops, I suggest planting crops that will enhance the flavor and vitamin content of the staple food you are going to have to get elsewhere anyway. So plant herbs, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, greens etc.

QFT. But if you are a beginner, theres nothing wrong with potatoes to get a feeling for gardening. They also enhance the condition of your soil.

 

[dannno]

I'm planning on buying or having all the rice and wholewheat flour to make bread that I'll ever need, so my vegetable garden will be more along the lines of spinach, collards, tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, broccoli, etc..

 

[paulim]

Maybe this can be a help for you:
Its a book around 1912, an appealing overview of gardening.
http://www.learnvegetablegardening.com/VegetableGardening.pdf

 

[Chester Copperpot]

I would like to start a garden but I have a small area to use. What things can I grow that would take up the least space and provide the most calories/nutrition?

There used to be an old show on TV called "Square Foot Gardening" and it specialized in just this sort of thing.. Showed you how you could basically plant anything in a square foot setting.. So people living in apartments in manhattan could have their own gardens... somethings you could only grow 1 to a foot but others you could grow alot more.

 

[NinjaPirate]

You can grow 16 crops in a 4x4 garden.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=184398

 

[LittleLightShining]

There used to be an old show on TV called "Square Foot Gardening" and it specialized in just this sort of thing.. Showed you how you could basically plant anything in a square foot setting.. So people living in apartments in manhattan could have their own gardens... somethings you could only grow 1 to a foot but others you could grow alot more.

There is a book, too.

Also, interplanting is a way to utilize more space. Plant a root crop with above ground crops-- for instance, kohl rabi and beets. Plant one type then the other= KBKBKB

You can also plant carrots with your tomatoes-- they are mutually beneficial. Radishes and carrots are a good combo, too, since radishes grow much faster than carrots and won't crowd the carrots when they really start to take off.

Here's a good link for intensive gardening. It covers many techniques.

I also highly recommend Carrots Love Tomatoes.

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

You can grow potato's in a trash can. Think about using vertical space, container gardening and your roof. Not too much on the roof though - most US roofs were not designed to support a lot of extra weight.

-t

 

[Original_Intent]

I'm planning on buying or having all the rice and wholewheat flour to make bread that I'll ever need, so my vegetable garden will be more along the lines of spinach, collards, tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, broccoli, etc..

Don't buy a lot of flour. Once it is ground, wheat loses most of it's nutritional value in 6 months to a year. Buy the wheat and a hand grinder, or an electric grinder if you have the money and expect to have power.

 

[Rael]

one thing I read that sounded like a good idea was growing the rice in a kiddie pool instead of a bucket, it can hold a whole lot more.