How much time would you need to grow all your own produce?

Question

If one had a garden, then how many hours would you have to put into it, in terms of planting, watering, picking, etc. to grow enought of food for one person.

Answer 1

it depends on what type of garden ur talking about,how many different types of plants,the weather(u will have to water),soil quality(how much fertilizer) i usually plant ten acres which would be alot more than one person would need i dont know much about backyard gardens its pretty much just a hobby though i sell alot of my vegetables and can some also but u can pretty much buy vegetables at the grocery store for about the same price so if ur lookin to save money dont even bother but if ur looking for a new hobby then gardening is a good one to get into though it can be alot of work

Answer 2

Depends on the soil. When we moved into our house a few years ago, the soil was unusable, mostly clay, sand and gravel. over the last few years I have been mulching all my property's organic matter. Grass clippings, leaves, wood chips,etc.. you get the point. I even have my neighbors letting me take their leaves in the fall. They used to put them at the curb for pickup. Now my yard is so healthy, that I am amazed. This organic matter holds moisture well so less watering is needed, and weeds are fewer and eaier to pull. The stuff that grows best are fruit trees and shrubs, because they like the more acidic soil created by the mulch. we planted a peach tree seedling 3 years ago, and it is about 12 feet tall this year with hundres of peaches, and best yet, no maintenance.

If you grow other vegatables such as corn and potatoes, you will need to reduce the acid in the soil with some lime.... the plants will do better for it. many other vegatables will tolerate a more moderate range.

I am always surprized in the fall all the people who put the world's best fertilizers at the curb for waste pickup then run to Home Depot to buy commercial fertilizers for their garden.

Each year that goes by, the less I have to do to maintain my garden. I Think that I am pretty close to hands off and using organic mulch was the way I did it.

Answer 3

You will need some time before you plant just to kill all the weeds. If you don't do this before you till the ground you will be sorry. If you use something like Roundup to kill them it will take about a week, if you want to do it naturally, I guess you could cover it with black plastic and wait about a month for the weeds to die out before you plant. Then it will take the better part of a day to till and plant your garden. If you stay on top of them you can probably get away with 3-4 hours a week to weed. Weather conditions will determine how frequently you need to water. Water when the soil is dry, and not on a scheduled basis. After you harvest you will need some way to preserve your food. You might try a combination of drying, freezing and canning. Don't expect it to be easy, but it is very rewarding.

Answer 4

Hi. I have grown a garden for several years, and if done properly is quite a task. My garden normally consisted of yellow corn, white peas, okra, a good, red tomato, egg plant, whole beans, and squash. I would guess planting takes all of 10-12 hours...after you prepare the ground. Keeping the pests and deer away, caring for the plants, watering....many long hours! Harvesting, and then putting up the food in the freezer...probably 30-50 hours! But, it sure is fabulous eating during the rest of the year. It ain't easy friend, but is worth the effort if you enjoy vegetables as I do. Good luck.

Answer 5

I don't even count the time when gardening because it is peaceful and rewarding. It doesn't cost to much to have a garden. Just watering and weeding and pest control. My neighbor and I have one together and between the two of us it doesn't feel like I put in a lot of hours. It is fun for me. I don't think you'd be able to count the hours, not that it is time consuming but sometimes I walk out there just to look and I start doing something to help the garden.

Answer 6

Good answers already, but let me add food for thought lol. You can grow all the veggies you can eat and more, but you need to be able to preserve them, otherwise a lot will go to waste, or be given away. I both can and freeze. I have a chest freezer in the basement, so I do wind up with enough summer squash, beans and tomatoes to keep me until early spring. To freeze tomatoes, dip them in boiling water for a few seconds, cool, slip the skins off, cut into big chunks, stick in a bag and freeze. Only good for sauces, or stews.

Canning: I only do what can be done in a hot water canner. That means high acid or high sugar/salt stuff, like pickles, relishes, salsa, and jams/preserves. Check the USDA web site (I'm sure they have one) for instructions.

Answer 7

The amount of time it takes to garden for one and the amount of time it takes to garden for four is about the same...(not counting preschool age helpers, it takes more time, but it is fun!)
I don't know many friends with gardens that count the hours they are in the garden, it is a very healthy substitute for "happy pills" and a lot cheaper than booze or drugs.

Answer 8

It would be a full time job. It also depends on how much you wanted to "put up" for the winter. I began my days at 7am and ended around 9pm when I was gardening, canning and freezing produce from my gardens and fruit trees. and I had 3 kids plus my husband and myself

Answer 9

It really isn't any cheaper to grow for 1 person.But the veg.are much better grade.Depending on where you live always plant 3 times what you expect to harvest.1 for the critters/bugs(assuming no poisons used) 1 for the weather, and 1 for you.Seed is cheap (wholesale especially) weeding isn't,nor is watering.

Answer 10

a couple hours of tilling the soil and planting in the beginning....a couple hours every few days to pull weeds and water if rain isn't consistent....and a few hours pulling veggies and washing them....overall a 3 to 4 month process, but really not that hard...i am about to start to harvest my first veggie crops in a few weeks and i found it fun and easy.....but i don't think that the veggies are going to last more than a couple of weeks, feeding only one person is a big job