How Much To Plant For A Family Of 4 To Be Self Sufficient (7 Factors That WILL Impact Garden Size)

[@barbdouglas3197]

I am a 72 year old woman, who used to plant a garden every year to feed my family of 5. I used the store to supplement my canned and frozen vegetables and fruits. I haven't done much gardening since my kids all grew up. However I am going to build a tiny house on my youngest daughters farm, and I know they garden, and it's pretty big, although I am not sure of the square footage. She told me I would have a nice sized garden by my little cabin too. So here we go, wish me a blessed retirement, please. I am excited to start this new period of life, after 32 years in God's service both here and on foreign soil. Thank you so very much for all of the great information. I will need it, even it my kids do know what they're doing!👵😇

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Blessings on your new journey. You can do it with the Lord's help.

[@barbdouglas3197]

@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you so much. God's blessings to you and yours also.👵😇

[@grantt6573]

Sounds great.! That's my dream too .

[@nadiar.7788]

You go, girl! All the best to you on this journey. God's blessing to you and your family.

[@joshknight8093]

Barbara Douglas Goodluck and enjoy you earned it!!!

[@abiyah3176]

It’s a reason the indigenous planted corn, beans and squash (3 sisters). High calorie easy to store foods. Amaranth would sometimes be added as a 4th sister. The entire plant is edible. Also, sweet potatoes, squash/pumpkin, okra & black eyed pea leaves are edible, and maximize the edible space. For example: growing squash over cucumber or growing sweet potatoes over white potatoes can definitely add more food to the garden without taking up more space.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great points. Thank you for sharing.

[@midnull6009]

Not only that, beans are nitrogen fixation plants so they are used to help the other 2 grow. I plant my peas or beans in between my heavy feeders like tomato's. + since peas are fast growers and if you have any pest or soil problems they're the first ones hit. So peas tell me more about the quality of my garden and most pets go after my peas and not my other plants. :)

[@Brenda0312F]

Indigenous? Adam and Eve planted all this for easy storage? Im not sure they “needed” to store food. They are the ONLY indigenous people I know of...🤷🏻‍♀️

[@midnull6009]

@@Brenda0312F ...we all know Adam and Eve were deep into incest. I wouldn't bring those two up if I were you.

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

Well the sisters are interesting- be sure to plant in stages or it’ll be a jumbled mess!!

[@kickassv8]

People really underestimate the amount of land they need. They also underestimate the amount of work it takes.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Absolutely correct on both points.

[@eanueklshos5225]

tbh if you are fully self sufficient it is basically a full time job

[@kickassv8]

@@eanueklshos5225 I farmed for 10 years. City folks have NO idea how much work it is. And it's even more if you want self sufficiency.

[@zackcamp1628]

@@eanueklshos5225 I feel like almost anything can be automated nowadays

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

I think you could manage on 1/2 acre. We grow on about 1 acre, we only have chickens- no large live stock at this time. But the urban homestead in Pasadena CA is on a city lot.

[@anitahamlin2411]

People under estimate how much land and work and potential failures. Growing is much harder than it appears. My Grandfather made it look so easy.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Absolutely. My dad made it look easy too.

[@Brenda0312F]

I disagree. Plants want to grow. We make it harder than it is. Yes. It takes work. And consistency. But I would not say it is hard. Unless being consistent is hard. 🤷

[@micahwhitehouse4742]

@@Brenda0312F boooooo

[@teedew6274]

Agree! I’ve been vegetable gardening for almost 10 years now. And it’s taken me this long to learn just the basics! This is my first year trying square foot gardening, hoping it is worth the hype!

[@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327]

We farm and garden. It's way easier to do a monoculture field, than to grow a garden. I think a garden is a labor of love.

[@mkp4681]

Check out the WWII recommendations, they gave good advice on maximising the variety, nutrition and space. Booklets with detailed guidance suggested options to use a space min two but sometimes three times. A note regarding the cucumbers, you need to rotate plants which are from the same family - knowledge from granny which I always keep. Therefore, you can mislead pests.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Those WWII charts were great. I have seen them. We always rotate.

[@NorthlandSLC]

On KZbin “the original victory garden” a restored 1940’s video shows almost step by step how much and what they grew to feed the whole year. Great eye opener.

[@k.p.1139]

Good information. It's now 2022 and there are a LOT of folks that are starting to garden, more than in 2020. I was reading comments about taxes and land size. One other thing to consider. Your county rules! We are on 3/4 of an acre. We live outside of town- ruralish. But, AFTER buying this place- and not thinking homework was needed, we found out- We may NOT put any permanent structure past 11 feet from the front door. We may have 5 chickens- no roosters. They MUST be kept in the back yard, but 20 feet from the property line. Well, guess what? My back yard is 30 feet from the neighbors. 90 % of our property is the front and side yards. We may not compost outside of one of those small H.D. turning compost bens. So- what's the problem? You don't need permanent structures to garden! Use the front yard!?! Oh, then there is is septic system- which MUST be in the front yards of this area. And you may NOT garden within 25 feet from the septic system. People are running for the hills. Just make sure you get to use that hill you want to buy!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thanks. Yes, always do your research for the property you want to buy.

[@Hertz2laugh]

Ignore the laws if your neighbor is fine with it. As long as you aren't selling to others, the government can f••k right off with their Karen-leve,l H.O.A.-style regulations. They're fine selling millions and millions of acres of farm land to a few oligarchs who are gonna' be dumping pesticides all over their products but they want to limit you to five birds? Outrageous.

[@annalynn9325]

Who would think there would be so many weird rules??

[@joshrust7691]

Lol pretty free country huh

[@willbass2869]

Just badger the county for exemption. Go to their meetings, take a neighbor along. Protest. Hound them and if necessary call them out in public. What's the worst they can do, tell you can't have a rooster or perm structure?

[@kathrinekerns8398]

Grow what you can, where you are. I like the information. I wish I had the room to expand, but, only have a small backyard. Love gardening and canning and preserving my food. 🤲👍🤗thank you.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You are very welcome. Try some vertical gardening. It will really help free up some space and you can grow more. We grow our cucumbers up on a trellis to save space. Our video on that is here....kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6fFeXmKgc6Ah9E

[@scottm.franklinnc7942]

Also try raised beds..you can plant closer which allows you to plant more and as he said vertical gardening ..i planted my strawberries in an A frame trellis and used gutters as planters...i used the space under it to plant my cucumber and yellow squash with a wire trellis up the center .. My old garden was 40' x 60' I can plant double that in 2- 3ft H x 4ft W x 20ft L raised beds and container ..all my Tom's are planted in 5 gal buckets, peppers and okra in large flower pots

[@ferngulleyhomestead]

Thank you for sharing! I’ve been aiming towards self sufficiency in garden yields and have been appalled by the lies on the internet. I grew 180lbs of potatoes last year and my family of two will run out before I harvest again. It also depends on how often you like to eat certain veggies.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. I try to always be honest and accurate.

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

2 of you eat 180 pounds of potatoes in less than a year?? Lol

[@ferngulleyhomestead]

@@GlorifiedGremlin looks like we’ll be running out just in time for this year’s harvest so yes 180lbs in a year. We eat potatoes for one meal about twice a week. It’s not a huge serving either, there’s never any left overs.

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

@@ferngulleyhomestead Wow I didn't realize how fast they went. I was thinking you were eating potatoes every other day or something lol I'm assuming you know about the above ground method, where you grow potatoes in a wooden box? You can grow like 100 pounds of potatoes with just a few square feet, in a 5 ft tall box

[@ferngulleyhomestead]

@@GlorifiedGremlin not picking on you at all, but people now a days have no concept of how much food we eat. I didn’t either until I started trying to grow and store a year’s supply. It’s shocking. It’s scary how many people think you can survive economic collapse with just an emergency kit of seeds. I’ve heard about that method! I haven’t tried it though.

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

Our garden is 4500 actual growing sq foot ( NOT including walk paths..does not include all fruit trees and vines).. does it supply us? Yes..yes it does.. Looks like this- 40x220 victory garden 30x 75 raised bed garden, 15x 40 raised bed garden 24 fruit trees , Peaches, apple ,pear, plums, apricot trees-Various fruit and Vine. **Grapes, raspberry,black berry, kiwi , strawberry, gooseberry.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@Sandy-kd1zw]

Sounds amazing.

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

It’s a a lot of work

[@evoliveoil]

How many people is us? Do you grow and store your food when your garden is not in production?

[@sparkymikey25]

@@evoliveoil I'd love to know the same answers

[@imaniniles-perez8529]

I am young still in my teen yrs from Trinidad and Tobago with a very long growing season and I decide when I get a house and land I will grow staples like peppers tomatoes seasoning (herbs) lots of fruit trees, things that I have success planting now. Growing in pots is the best I can do right now.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Wonderful. Do the best you can now and have a goal to work toward.

[@hourglassrewrite]

This was articulate, informative, and very well thought out. Thanks so much, this was the best 10 minutes of content I've viewed this year

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you so much for the kind comment.

[@tinaholbrook9719]

We had bacterial wilt last year on our cucs, zucchini and melons. It was awful! Lost every one of them 😢 This video is spot on. I'm going into my 7th year of gardening with roughly 6,000 square feet. We've enlarged it each year. Every year has been different and brought different challenges. This video is full of so much truth. Thanks for sharing.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. I will keep adding size to ours as well. I appreciate the comment.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@soniabrannan412 I planted those this year.

[@redskin6146]

Is 6000 sq ft enough to sustain you? How large if your family? Thanks.

[@70washington]

I grew up gardening, I say 1/4 - 1/3 acre for a family of 4-5. You also need to factor in the space needed to save seed and putting food away for winter use. We grew all our basic food minus say wheat for flower. Milked our own goats, raised chickens for eggs and meat, a few hogs for meat, rabbits for meat, some fruit trees. For the rest we foraged what grew wild, try not to neglect your bitter fruiting plants like the Oregon Berry, wild herbs ect.

[@rubycampos7551]

200 people for 10 acres? that's 12800 people per sq mill. population density of Chicago is 11800 per sq mill. IMPOSIBLE. 2 acres for a family of 4. I can't believe less.

[@lukasjlanthier]

Personally I think 1 acre per person

[@matthewlarue1883]

1 to 1 1/2 acres are needed to fully feed a family of 4-5 people if you plan on having a varied diet, pest/disease, and to grow enough wheat to make breads, along with fruiting trees/bushes for fruit. That is what it takes to feed a family of 4-5 with a varied diet and have enough to be comfortable. Also need chickens or small mammals for meat. This is a more comfortable way of living with this much of a garden. But some can be compressed, although it increases disease and pests.

[@Anonymoose66G]

Sorry to bother you, any reply would br greatly appreciated. How big of a garden would you say one would need for growing enough food for 5 people with fruit trees? Also would you say you could make the space look very nice or would you divide a residential area and farming area?

[@70washington]

@@Anonymoose66G A great question! This really does depend on what land you can dedicate to growing & where-zone: say around structures-home-garage-barn ect. How close...typically a garden is close to the home. Quick easy access. The garden it's self- depending on location or grow zone has a lot of impact to what and how much room you need. For example, my zone 8-B..I would need about an acre..this gives plenty of room for produce for a family of 5. plus, you would have seed to save so you won't need to buy seed again and also surplus veggies can be traded, sold, given away/donated to a shelter or given to livestock to eat. Getting some books on square foot gardening would really come in handy as you can maximize your grow areas and possibly reduce the need more space. A good seed saver book so you can save your own seed is a must. An orchard can and actually works great on the boarder of the garden. The fruit trees get extra water from when you water the garden...Plus extra nutrients. I encourage you to look at Curtis Stone here on this site. He has now transformed from an urban market grower to homesteading. He lives up north in BC..On his channel you will or should still be able to find some good information. He did high rotation, and the same thing can be applied to a home garden, I honestly do not care if someone tell you otherwise...I did it myself. for years. . just don't have 2' walk ways..it is a waste of space. Fruit trees..it mostly depends on the types and how big they get..10 should be enough but if you have room for more go for it. Nut trees and berry bushes are a nice addition as well'.. a good seed saving book...Seed to Seed. Should be able to find it on Amazon! With very intensive gardening practices you could get away with 1/2 acre or lest, just nail down your rotations/successive plantings of any type of crop....Many blessings from my home to yours!

[@dimpletoadfoot8631]

I"m a positive person, so I keep thinking that my one seed will grow into the one plant that makes an insane amount of fruit... I"m learning! This year I tripled the amount of seeds I planted last year, and yes, there were one or two plants that failed. But luckily I have the others that made it :)

[@CountryLivingExperience]

There will always be a certain attrition rate with plants. There are so many things that like to kill them. Planting more is always the best route.

[@becomingtexian-ahomesteadj6316]

Assuming you expanded your 1300sqft garden (current size I think you said?) to 2600sqft and doubling the space, you'd only be using 0.06 of an acre of land. That's awesome and really puts things into perspective for me as I look for land. I've been hoping to find at least 5.5 acres (to ensure I have the possibility of agricultural use tax valuation), but if I don't worry to much about ag valuation I can rest assured that 2 acres would be enough space to have bees, chickens, and enough garden space (plus the house).

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It really does put it in perspective. People could feed themselves on just a little plot of land. I wrote an article a few years ago on our blog about homestead size and 2 acres is perfect. Anything above that is gravy. I thought that the Texas Ag tax break/exemption was above 10 acres. I have not been able to get any breaks on my 8 acres.

[@becomingtexian-ahomesteadj6316]

@@CountryLivingExperience Take a look at my video on Ag Valuation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqrLY4Whma6cn8k Although I talk about it from the perspective of Gillespie County, the whole state has a few uses at 5 acres and some counties have some as low as 3 acres. Bees in particular is one at 5 acres not including your home with between 3 and 6 hives depending on your county.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you for the heads up brother!

[@baconandeggs9113]

Especially if you grow vertically. I didn’t want to screw the whole thing on the side of the house so I just payed it vertically against the house. I would make wood pallets. (In a way) I would screw two by fours in a squares and then put two squares on top of each other with a thin and breathable mesh stretch and stapled on each square. And I would have it where the top would be a little opened so I can put dirt and mulch and everything in it. Then I would cut small or medium sized holes and put my germinated seeds in the holes. Then I let the squares sit for a week or too so everything can set. It’s really good for growing leafy veggies since they can take up a lot of space depending on what you get. Then I’ll have more room for more vines and trellises or root vegetables.

[@cm-xq5zj]

@@CountryLivingExperience yes...bees are the way to go for small homesteading ag exemptions in Texas. Each county has different acreage requirements for livestock. I was so disappointed when I found that out and did research and found beehives were the way to go. Thank God I wanted bees also!

[@beewagyu]

Live over in Grapeland, neighbor.... put in a 200x200’ garden every few years. Only because I was an airl8ne pilot, it was tough. I’m retired now, so we are getting serious about it. Love your channel. Thanks

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you neighbor. Congrats on your retirement! Have fun in your garden!

[@mathieubrault9775]

I got a good chuckled out of, " if you're way in the north, say, Idaho". Meanwhile in northern QC it freezes in June 😂

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I forgot about my Canadian brothers. (QC=Quebec?)

[@mathieubrault9775]

That's right !

[@andielliott2306]

And in Idaho we too have killing frost sometimes as late as July and then again in late August.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@andielliott2306 That is hard core.

[@sandrarichardson2713]

This is really great....your channel is one of the best for having done your homework and giving accurate information. Jesus bless you guys a double portion for all your help.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

God bless you as well. Glad it was helpful.

[@lifescansdarkly]

I've checked out that chart as well but I think it *vastly* underestimates the amount of food you need. For example, it says 8 lbs of onions are needed for one adult, when I've probably eaten that much in two weeks. But even conservatively, let's say you eat only a pound of onions a week; that's 50 lbs over the year, a far cry from 8lbs! I think the best way to figure this out is to weigh all the veggies you buy at the grocery store for a week (or a month, for more accuracy), and then multiply out to figure your needs for the year.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're right.

[@willbass2869]

Add 10%(?) for those of us in the 'Clydesdale' class. Takes more to fill up 6'3" frame....

[@j.m.1389]

This really complicates garden planning, but it is still better to learn it from here rather than the hard way. Great video, Thanks for all the work you put in it!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. It does complicate it at first but then you get used to it.

[@rachelclark6393]

We have a kitchen garden, as you called it in the video. We supplement our veggies all through summer and this last few years we've been doing good with maybe three different types of vegetables we've eaten off of all winter. The problem is that we last all winter but not through the spring until our first crop. And we're not yet consistent in growing things to the yield we want, and of course, may never be. But I've been grateful for the successes we have had. String beans, squash, tomatoes, strawberries... I personally have a lot to learn since I'm trying to take over the hard work from my grandma. So I'll be happy with just a little more consistency!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad you are working at it and continuing to persist.

[@susano2570]

Yeah, found someone gardening in zone 8B, too. Following!

[@o.o1163]

Thank you for sharing like you do☺. Im a mom of 4 and they're all adults now and 4 grandchildren and im learning so much about permiculture and gardening. My goal is to teach my kids and grandchildren how to be self-sufficient so they will know how to survive when im gone. Im 52 now and its now time for me to live my life and im so blessed to have my family. Honestly I really appreciate you💐☺. God bless you and your family🙏,, sincerely Lisa

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad we could help. God bless you too!

[@annatar2140]

Let me just right now I work from home on a computer screen all day and my goal is to get to the point where I have enough money such that I can garden/tend animals as much as I want, so glad I found your channel!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I hope and pray that you can start your homestead soon. Glad to have you here.

[@Digitalmanne]

Location, Nebraska.... As a young person, the family got most of its food from a garden that was about 7,700 sq ft. That garden fed my family of 4, and also fed a family of 5 for my grandparents.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome! Thank you

[@kendo2377]

I planted emerald green okra the first week in April and the plants stalled until close to the end of May. On the plus side, I was picking okra until Oct when I pulled the plants. On topic; I can feed myself on 100 sq ft if all I eat is turnips and their green and I keep it all on succession planting. I wouldn't stave, but I wouldn't be very happy either. :P

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Besides being unhappy eating so many turnips, your body needs other nutrition like protein, etc.

[@jhenrypaul]

Protein would be fine if you ate about 13 pounds a day.

[@thetamika-el7282]

Thank you for sharing what you have learned. 🙏 It’s good that people get a realistic view about self-sufficiency.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful.

[@judithstorck5195]

We are in SW Arizona so we can repeat sow and this year we got 6 cattle panels so we can do vertical gardening to make more room for those plants that do not climb. Oh, we also got 2 Birdie beds - Strawberries are in 1 & Sweet & White Potatoes in the other. Plus our 2 old well water tanks which were replaced (of course) my Husband cut them in half for me so we now have 4 large planters that are tall enough so the Bunnies & Ground Squirrels cannot eat our plants. We did have to surround our garden area with a metal garden shed that blew over in extreme winds - we took all the pieces & surrounded the garden - were even able to make 2 gates into the garden. Out here there are TOO MANY hungry critters who think we just grow gardens for them. Judi

[@Tony-hv6mo]

I’m just getting into this, researching and planning for my homestead/Ecovillage project. Can anyone cite me a good guide to Texas growing and sustenance that also includes proper nutrition considerations? I’m looking to gradually increase my usage of the garden/farm from supplementing (~40-50%) to near full dependency.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I don't have a book that is specific to Texas. Just feed your soil properly to grow the most nutrient dense food.

[@willbass2869]

Check out anything by John Dromgoole. He's out of Austin but his info applies to most of state I would think. He has a radio program, owned a large and well respected nursery. He's kinda the king of gardeners (organic & other) for a big swath of Texas

[@dtanner7]

10:01 was an adorable background surprise. God bless you and your family!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. God bless y'all as well.

[@elanasigrist5185]

I added 400sq ft. Of greenhouse space this year. Last year I lost so much to wind and rain.. Im planting in beds and putting grow bags where ever I can find a sunny spot. I also planned for a spring fall planting of my cold weather crops. People dont realize its a full time job just to take care of that much garden and putting it up with each harvest.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It certainly is a full time job. Glad you added more space.

[@joshcatanzaro6220]

I find this interesting being an urban grower in the North. We have many people with much smaller gardens that have to hand out what they grow because their yield is to much for one family. We as rely on each other for variety do to small space. Community is hey up here.

[@spacekimono]

I did redundancy in planting this year and I'm so thankful!!! Have hand over fist cucumbers.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@cpd833]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see the article you were going to post.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sorry. Here it is...www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Table%204.pdf

[@thefirstnoob5577]

I use to say I wanted a 365 quarts of whole tomatoes, green beans, greens and 365 of corn and field peas with snaps and less of like beets, carrots and other vegetables. I always wanted more so if extra people came over. We ate fresh as long as possible and then went to canned.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is a great goal.

[@krodkrod8132]

I used to do gardens but it was too much work. I still garden but the majority of the stuff i now grow is on bushes and trees. I have a 1 acre back yard with around 60 small trees in total and hundreds of bushes. I grow thousands of pounds of fruit and nuts a year and we have to give 90% of it away. With little to know maintenance. I do air layering instead of pruning on all my trees and usually end up with a thousand baby trees to sell a year. Now they is supposed to be a huge food shortage coming. I might have to make room for a garden again.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. We are building our orchards as well.

[@debbies6192]

Thank you. I'm in zone 8B too.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@anitaditzler7385]

My dad always had 3 big gardens and a salad patch. Some things need more space like watermelon or cantaloupe

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome

[@paulinehignett6557]

My grandad taught me a lot about growing. If i may share. He told me that potatoes,tomatoes and another veg?are all from the nightshade family. That we cannot grow the same veg in the same plot the next year. An example is if you grew potatoes in plot one,don't grow tomatoes or potatoes in that plot for at least a year,because it will help cut down on blight and disease. Any leaves with blight on have to be burnt.Apple cider vinegar sprayed on a diseases plant or with bugs on will get rid of them. Also try to pick up really old gardening books. They are a mine of Information. Ask the Amish for gardening tips. And check out the native American gardening site called three sisters. They grow corn, tomatoes and squash together,as each of these plants supports the other.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. I always rotate my crops. Three sisters is actually beans, corn, and squash. Been doing that one for years and it works great.

[@thisorthat7626]

Yes to old farming and gardening books for information that we have forgotten.

[@brothaman1571]

You can also use amaranth, and cucumbers together, bugs will go after the amaranth leaves and leave the cucumbers alone

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@brothaman1571 Thank you for that advice. I will give it a shot.

[@evoliveoil]

Other than the nightshades, what other plant families are there?

[@2DaysYouth]

That opener made me sub

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you.

[@Cordelia0704p]

Wow and I thought i was doing well this year lol I need more land

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I am sure you are doing great. Keep it up and keep adding on.

[@HomeCentsWithNell]

Me too!

[@childofgod94]

Me too. I was thrilled when I finally got another 300 sq foot to add to my 100 I already had but I know I need much more. We'll get there guys, hang in there and keep working toward your goals.

[@christines2787]

We are focused on succession planting of fast growing high yield varieties and also on vertical gardening. We have 2 acers and can grow year round. We also utilize hydroponics inside. It was expensive but we bought two 3 tiered attractive ones. We are self-sufficient for a family of 4 in several foods. Green beans, greens, herbs, some fruits, hot and bell peppers, sunflower seeds and squash. We still have to buy some canned tomatoes because we use so many. Same with potatoes and sweet potatoes, garlic and onions. We planted a hedge of tea bushes and will transition off coffee when those are ready to start harvesting from. Corn, wheat, oats, dried beans and rice are impractical to try and grow here. Sugar beets are a waste of space. I do have a few olive and nut trees that should start to produce when my as of yet unborn grandkids retire. I feel the same about my fruit trees. I got 1 apple last year. We have edible ornamental plants in the front yard that gives us tea, vitamins and an overlooked food source by foragers. I feel like I've reached all I can do here. It's a lot of work, there is no more space and I couldn't take proper care of more anyway.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sounds like you are doing well and providing a lot for your family.

[@christines2787]

@Country Living Experience: A Homesteading Journey - Thanks. We are a work in progress. I don't think that we will be 100% self sufficient ever, but we get a bit closer each year. We try to grow mostly heirlooms but in our location, hybrid is our best bet for large yield of good quality tomatoes. I have a few heirlooms and 2 wild current varieties as well, but the bug pressure here is insane. We just do what we can.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@christines2787 Awesome. You'll get there. Just keep doing what you can.

[@craigrittenhouse492]

I use 1400 square feet for myself and my wife. I'm retired so I have the time to make this garden successful. Time required for a successful garden is not mentioned by many channels. Time is also needed to can or freeze what you have grown.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great. I mention those other things you talk about in many of my other videos.

[@notsafeforchurch]

I appreciate your videos, they're very helpful. I know those seven factors will change the answer for everyone, and that even the answer will change from year to year as the factors also change, but can you estimate (maybe in percentages) of how close you were to being self sufficient with the 1200-1300 sq. feet garden? I've been doing research and I think around 3000 sq. feet should be in the ballpark for our family of 5 in growing season 8/9 (we're right on the line between both zones).

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. We were not close to self sufficiency because we ran into a lot of insect pressure. I would say your 3000sf should be closer to what would be necessary. Interestingly enough, if you want to grow your own grains, add another 20,000sf.

[@notsafeforchurch]

@@CountryLivingExperience Thanks for the response. Yes we'd certaintly leave grains alone. Best of luck to yall, hope your insect troubles get solved.

[@Howto-uy7vo]

Not an answer to your actual question, just wanted to mention that when I went keto and letting free, and OMAD, it really simplified my garden.

[@STxFisherman]

Great video. Thanks for sharing!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@w4447]

I had a 10x10 garden and grew all kinds of things all year around here in Florida. But I wouldn't even try to live off of it. I would have had to grow that plot by a factor of ten.

[@rosemariewhitakerreynolds2432]

Hi there just want to know what area are you in. I heard you said 8b. I am in Jacksonville Fl 8b-9a zone and trying to learn more about gardening. I have about 1000 sq ft area of vegetable garden. I love watching and learning from co gardeners.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Hello. We are in East Texas. Best of luck with your garden! We have a lot of gardening videos on our channel. Hopefully they can help you out.

[@Lulusnotreadyforthis]

I think the age of your kids is really important and people always underestimate it. I have 2 boys aged 10 and 8, both are going through growth spurts and starting to eat like teenagers. When they hit their teens, they'll eat more than me and my husband but on food storage or gardening calculators they're still classed as 'children'.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Bigger is always better.

[@reevesautomotivefarm9614]

Thank you so much. we are at 4500 square feet for a family and that is not enough.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome. I hear you

[@evoliveoil]

How big is your family?

[@reevesautomotivefarm9614]

@@evoliveoil we were a family of six at that point. We had to scale back a lot and just use $1,500 ft² currently but only for things we prefer fresh and eat a lot of. There's only three of us now

[@Caesar-Cincinnatus-Americanus]

Where I live we have a lot of wild berries on our land as well and I’ve utilized boxed beds where I can use them where I can put netting or a plastic top or trellises depending on time of year and what I’m growing to protect and maximize my crop each box is homemade under $200 easily so I build them a little at a time and I incorporate green houses, railroad ties raised beds for larger gardens and utilize different wild plants that will distract or act as a natural repellent to bugs. Worm tea and farming in a shed helps with the soil as I have excess run off from a retainer pond slowly trickle to my gardens and utilize an orchid on the top of the hill and edges to prevent erosion . I raise meat and eggs as well and plan on using aquaculture in ponds and in aquaponic greenhouses to raise more fish. I think I’ll raise black soldier fly larvae as a compost maker and as a feed so I can attempt to raise blue gill as they like live moving prey making it hard to raise for aquaculture.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome.

[@TruthAndLight4995]

Try planting cucamelons. They don’t attract as many pests and will produce until a hard frost kills them. They make great pickles, too.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I'll give those a try.

[@linannebice6280]

A plus of growing in zone 4..I have only slugs as a pest...beer traps help alot....lily Beatles strip the lilies but better than my tomatoes

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You are lucky for sure. Bug pressure is an issue down here in TX.

[@sobova1703]

Merci beaucoup pour vos conseils. (Thanks a lot for your wise advices.)

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@JCC_1975]

Think vertical people. 💜

[@achselstollen3078]

Thank you very much for your advice. I have about 3500 squarefoot with about a 650 squarefoot poly tunnel for my family, two adults, 3 children under 5. This will be my first serious attempt to produce a lot of food for us.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful.

[@achselstollen3078]

@@CountryLivingExperience Hey man, thank you for answering, ill subscribe to your channel and keep you updated on how it is gowing. God bless you

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@achselstollen3078 Wonderful. God bless!

[@pedropereira8924]

Thanks for sharing, excellent information 👍🏼

[@CountryLivingExperience]

My pleasure!

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

Guys the absolute easiest way to start a garden! Get a 40x50 foot tarp, put it over a pretty level area that you mowed. Add compost and wood chip mulch or straw. You can cover crop half the section. Work on broad-forking the other section. Make your rows about 3 feet wide. There you are growing food on a pretty good scale there. That whole bed with paths is about 1000 square feet growing area. Use the tarp to make new areas as you will need several but that’s how you get started and the rest is just keeping up a repetitive pattern. Water, add organic mater, compost, fertilize, keep the ground covered, work in perennials, plant things for the bees!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I have shown people how to do that same method for years.

[@loubzac3]

Great information! Never understood how the videos and tv shows think they can grow everything in such small spaces. I would say you may need even more garden space when it comes down to 100% depending on it. Some years just don’t yield as well even when all the conditions are right

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you! You are correct. We will be adding more space for large crops like upland rice and wheat this year hopefully.

[@iamhis5580]

How can you garden and feed your soil without any box stores? How did people garden for years without commercial fertilizer? I just started thinking about this with supply chain issues and financial issues. What if there were no stores to go too? Also that would apply to pest control.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Many ways. Making compost is extremely important. We have a lot of videos on that. We also did one recently on nitrogen sources here.....kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnvUnIuBaM2nr7s

[@jamesfoster4291]

I'm growing 3 Acers of veggies!! 5th year, Michigander here so kinda limited on grow season! Organic no pesticides!! Study study study! I use plants and flowers to control the pest! Control not eliminate

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@simplethymes1202]

It also depends on your growing seasons. We have 3 seasons here in zone 9.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

True

[@arielkozak]

I like to cover my soil with dry grass make it a semi deep mulch garden. Keeps weeds out reduces pest because it promotes predatory organisms. And I make it so birds are heavily in my garden. So far I am 99% pest free

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@jasonlawson1015]

Crop rotation helps with pests.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Absolutely!

[@judyandfriends123]

Everytime I harvest, I wish I had planted more

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I hear that.

[@africanpagan6338]

Great Table of production, thanks

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@jackihattle5855]

Very informative. Thanks for this.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

My pleasure!

[@hopeisorange]

Also factor in perennial plants and trees. Nuts and berries and fruits all add to your calories. They take some time to produce but it is well worth the wait for the effort.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great point!

[@jonathansanantonio2402]

Great info. Thanks!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gardnep]

We grow and dry tomatoes and about 40 kgs fresh will last the season until spring. My advice is check out what you normally eat and only grow those and use disease resistant varieties.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Of course. That is my advice too.

[@mountainman2434]

I have a 3000 square foot gardens and I can assure you it ain't enough to feed just the 2 of us. Granted I have red clay soil am really looking at the soil and making it better but I figure where I live it takes 3000 square feet per person

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I hope you can get that soil amended. If you do, it will produce much more in that space.

[@kodiakriver6297]

suggestions, worms, variety of composting, mixtures

[@lindafoster8182]

I agree your numbers are totally right. I also know at the age of 69 was a horrible arthritis I’m not gonna be able to get that kind of garden. It’s rather discouraging.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sorry. I don't know how to help you.

[@stoptrudeau42]

Use cbd creams thank me later ;) also stinging nettle tea is good 👍

[@jeffccr3620]

Solid advice

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful

[@margaretd3710]

Could you please provide the link to the article showing the amounts of veggies needed for an individual or family? Thanks!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes. Sorry. Give me a few hours as I am outside in the garden.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Here you go...www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Table%204.pdf

[@margaretd3710]

@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you so very much! This is very helpful.

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you

[@barrycottle8282]

I agree with you but it is more than even tripling. Insects, disease, animals, theft in difficult times, and the unknowns will take more than you think. My 2000 square foot garden in zone 8b is a full time job. Jars to can what you raise are a huge cost. Availability of seeds and amendments must also be considered. Assuming the worst will inevitably happen you must plant and store beyond next season. Double your most conservative estimate then add 10 percent. I also have 33 fruit trees and 7 grape vines plus 10 berry plants. Still go to the store for meat and things that we cannot grow. It has taken years to get to this level but still have many failures. Consider doing it without electricity and the collapse of everything. It is overwhelming to think on those terms. Keep up the good work. We all need to get closer to God and pray for His favor.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Amen. More is certainly better.

[@steveo_o6707]

I have a pool, big waste and 4 dogs that don't respect garden space... I would add those as factors as well

[@SearchFT]

Thanks for this video

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@commonsgiant]

Another great vid brother!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Appreciate it!

[@Blakehart-wk7bp]

You could utilize the space so much more

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Our plants have the proper spacing and I indicated that I was only giving you the actual planted space.

[@Doc1855]

We live in north central WA state so our growing season is short.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I used to live in Michigan. I understand the pain of a short season.

[@Hyberlol]

So years ago I was tasked with cleaning up an old farm house that was built in the early 1900s. They had 2 massive gardens. I would estimate each harden to be about 2500 square feet. One garden was dedicated to nothing but potatoes and the other was everything else. This was Canada so only one crop per year. They literally had to live off what they grew back then. So we are talking about 5000 square feet of garden to support 5 people.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That sounds about right.

[@rebekahleskiw7879]

Lol thought it was funny you say way up north idaho. We live 12-18 hrs north of that. And honestly have only one growing season may- sept. Grow everything. My greenhouse is 600 sq ft and garden is actually 5 x that size. Still no where’s near enough tongrow enough.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is far North for sure.

[@queenSummerKeli]

Goid info..thanks much

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lakereflection7386]

I think those 100 feet estimates are taking in compacting methods like going vertical or extremely intentional interplanting

[@vince-f4l]

please show us how to plant and harvest a garden around 30 ft. by 80 ft, for just meaty vegetables for this world that is colapsing fast, I need to can can and more canning for all winter storage for 5 people I know its probably not a big enough lot, but please show us how grow plant and fertilize just meaty veggies row after row ive got 300 mason jars and still buying I want to preserve. thank you your great shows , 👍 love your methods desperately waiting Vincent A. 🇺🇸 👍

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I have many videos on gardening. A lot for you to watch.

[@homesteadgal4143]

Growing a substantial amount of food is not an endeavor for the inexperienced person. Gardening takes time, energy, money, and experience. I shake my head at those who buy the 'survival seeds' with their dreams of actually living off the land. One point: Colder zones can actually extend their growing season by using grow tunnels, or even growing in high tunnels. Refer to Eliot Coleman for eye-opening cold-weather growing. Soil health is a huge factor in garden productivity. There are a number of ways to improve soil health and it starts by remembering that soil is a living entity that must be 'fed' well. The healthier the soil, the more productive the garden and the more closely/intensively you can plant veggies. Trying to grow heat-loving veggies in cooler weather is difficult, at best. Consider using black plastic to cover soil so it will heat up quicker and 'fool' seeds/seedlings. There are other tricks to provide heat to those veggies too -- using temporary plastic jugs or walls around each plant, or planting this type of veggie next to a stone wall (see how some gardeners in the UK do this). One caution on soil -- remember that some mulches contain herbicides (ie Grazon) and it can seriously alter the garden's soil and productivity. Be as picky about your soil's food as you are your own food. And don't forget that you might add coldframes, high tunnels, or a greenhouse to extend the growing season. We're in Zone 6b/7a and the only veggie we have successfully been able to grow in our greenhouse during cold Winter (when we turn the greenhouse heater off) is our wintered-over Kale. It does grow for us to harvest, and we've had to learn the tricks of when to water or not. This year, we will fall-plant some cabbages and we'll hopefully have success with them. We are seasoned organic gardeners, feeding just the 2 of us now. We have 3 large gardens, 40 18-gal containers for growing, a small fruit and nut orchard, several berry bushes, 1 polycarb greenhouse, and a large rainwater cachement system (1,300 gal). We do very well but still not 100% self-sufficient -- we don't grow grains, or any sugar-product, nor do we process seeds for oils.

[@sanjalugarov7391]

Helou i am from Croatia and i have two gardens...one is for plants who need watering every day like tomatoes papers cucambers and this garden is 200m² not foot 😊 other garden is for potatoes been squash beet rooth onion garlic carots for winter cabidge coliflower brocula and that garden is 500m² and that is enought for my family of four members😊you say that your garden is 1300foot cca 120m² i have three sisters on 120m² ....my row for pinto beens is 20m long and i have 6 row sory for my english i am little rusty in writing

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sounds like you have a nice garden. Thank you for watching.

[@Doc1855]

Our garden is 1500 sq ft. Next year we will increase our garden area

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@JoshOntko]

How does growing Hydroponically or Aquaponically? For example, duck pond to tilapia to water beds?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I have never tried both. I have (seen at a friends house) and read that the amount of input for the fish didn't work out financially. Not to mention needing electricity for the pumps, etc. Although the amount of food is a higher per sq. ft. you'll still need a large operation to feed a family of 4.

[@shelliecummins5972]

I had problems with okra last yr.. zone 6a/6b

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I had the same problem here last year.

[@smb123211]

I was a farmer! And the answer to how much is a hell of a lot. The only way it works is if you get enough water, sun, avoid pests, can store massive amounts, concentrate on high volume produce and have sufficient help in planting, picking and storing food. Sounds like a lot and it is - which is why it's are and why we purchase crackers, peanut butter, eggs, cheese, concentrates, fruit, sugar, salt, pepper, ice cream, flour, butter, oil, etc Division of labor is extremely efficient compared to doing it all yourself. It's the difference between modern society and those where folks had to do it all. Those who grow apples, oranges, corn, flour or make wine, bread or cheese or build houses do it far cheaper and better.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yep. Essentially what I said. It is so much more than regular people think it is.

[@601salsa]

I had planned for 5,000 Square feet market garden, rotational cropping. (100×50 ft) 15x50 chicken coup and run + 4ft wide chicken tunnel 15x50 duck coup and run 5,000 Square feet Berry orchards Half acre fruit and nut tree orchard

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Perfect!

[@601salsa]

@@CountryLivingExperience trying to figure out how to make portable vertical v supports for vining plants eg cucumbers, tomatoes etc. I was thinking of using recycled plastic lumber as it would be lighter to move around and you can make old fashioned joints on it so it would need little hardware making it even easier to dismantle and set up again. It is uv resistant for 40 years and won't rust, no maintenance. The other option was to us scaffolding metal poles but they can be heavy. I have permernnt damage from a spine injury so I need to be careful of how I do things. I am just 1 year post op and I can only now sit in a chair for 4 hours without being in agony. I have a lot of muscle strength to get back, but if I can plan things to make it very simple and easy on my back eg extra long handle tools. No dig, using chickens to turn compost piles (that's one of the reason for the coup run being so long). I was planning a combo of permaculture and market gardening to really minimise the amount of bending I would need to do. Even down to getting getting a couple of sheep to mow the tree orchard for me

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Why the mobile trellises? I totally understand about the back injury. I had compression fractures of T2 and L6 when I was 18. Took me a while to get back on the horse.

[@601salsa]

@@CountryLivingExperience crop rotation, so I can move them over a row each year so I don't grow anything in the same spot twice. Try to cut down on pests. I like the v frames method so it's easy to identify the harvest, easy to reach and pick the harvest. Eg beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, aubergine hang down away from the foliage. I was thinking 10ft sections along a 40ft long market garden bed. I might have a poly tunnel for the tomatoes, peppers and aubergine if I can afford it but I would use the same system. I plan on using the chicken tunnel for growing melons, pumpkins, squash and gourds. I dislocated my pelvis from my spine and it was undiagnosed for 7 years. I have permernant damage to the discs vertebrae end plates, both sijs and nerves from the tests and scans done last year. Currently I have extreme muscle wastage in my lower back and all 3 glute types so am in pain from muscle weakness adding pressure on the joints. I am trying to minimise/ future proof things..... so even when I am 90 I can still do it all by myself.

[@601salsa]

@@CountryLivingExperience from experience once i have subluxation or dislocated something it is much easier to do it again. So things like using chickens to turn over the compost piles for me makes sense. Not having to twist and reach into a bed to try and harvest hanging fruits and veggies makes it easier.

[@timhaggas4207]

Do a geodesic dome and be done.

[@anitaditzler7385]

I have a large garden (5000).square ft but it gets dry here in summer so I can’t grow much in July/August

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I am going to be doing a video on shading in the summer heat. It will help a lot with summer growth.

[@randykrause8592]

I take some of my seedlings n put them in a large pot n grow them in case some of my plants die for some reason I have other plants the same size to replace what has died.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I do the same. Holding back some seedlings is a great way to increase your production.

[@katebloodworth6763]

Where is the link to the paper at the Agricultural Institute - have looked all over for it and would really like to find it.

[@kymberlieporter3269]

Any tips on blight? I got blight in my tomatoes last year 😥 and I'm afraid it might be in my soil... looking to do everything naturally

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Best thing for blight is to rotate crops and not plant tomatoes there for a while.

[@hotpawvlog9408]

Hi there, I came across this video by accident but watched it completely - and am so thankful for your informations you shared ! I want to move to Bosnia and start a self sufficent garden combined with food forest and permaculture garden and these factors came the right time over my way! But I still have a question and hope you can answer it: in a lot of videos everyone talks about the growing zones - how can I find out mine? Where can I get this information? Thanks for your answer in advance ! Regards from your new subscriber from Germany

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Guten Tag! Glad our video was helpful. The US Department of Agriculture publishes our growing zone data. I am not sure how to find it for other countries. Sorry.

[@hotpawvlog9408]

@@CountryLivingExperience Ok, thanks for your answer !

[@TheMysticBohemian]

Happy accident... I rotate my beds. One year I put my cucks in where I had dill the year before. It wasn't long before last years dill seeds started to pop up. Harvested cucks all summer into the Fall. To grow organic cucks In NC we have to reseed every 3 weeks... but not when I plant them with dill.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. We rotate too.