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This year we have 600 sqft of growing space at our local community garden. When I was first starting to garden, I wondered what are typical yields of a home gardener? Not yields for an experience commercial farmer with tons of pesticides, but the common man's yields.
Sadly gardening season is over now but here are the highlights:
- Zucchini and peppers did terribly! They died early or were slow to grow and produce. Not a great year for them.
- Tomatillos did amazing! Having never grown these before, I didn't know what to expect. They grew well without support, and were a solid producer over the season.
- Long Island Cheese Heirloom Pumpkins are amazing. Smaller and creamy colored pumpkins, these did great despite some squash bugs and powdery mildew.
- Mustard greens, carrots, peas, bush beans, tomatoes were all solid producers I could count on, without too much weeding effort or pests.
- Boston Marrow squashes were ok. Some rotted before ripening, but I got one good one.
- Acorn and butternuts did well considering hard squashes aren't my strong point. But they grew the best I have ever grown them, which isn't saying much.
- Onions. This was my first year growing onions (from seed no less) and they did fairly well. I am proud of my meager harvest, and will plant way more next year.
Garden Yields
| Plant | # of Plants | Yield (lbs) |
| Mustard Greens | 10 | 3.25 lbs |
| Zucchini | 1 | 2.5 lbs |
| Tomatillos | 5 | 25.75 lbs |
| Tomato | 20 | 168 lbs |
| Peas | 6’x4’ | 7 lbs |
| Green beans | 5’x4’ | 15 lbs |
| Green peppers | 6 | ¾ lb |
| Jalapenos | 3 | 1/3 lb |
| Carrots | 5’x4’ (x2) | 20 lbs |
| Long Island Cheese | 3 | 18 lbs |
| Acorn | 2 | 1.3 lbs |
| Yellow squash | 2 | 1 lb |
| Butternut | 2 | 5.5 lbs |
| Boston Marrow | 3 | 2.25 lbs |
| Onions | ~20 | 7 lbs |
So what did I do with all this produce? First off, we ate some of it fresh and delicious from the garden. I froze the green peppers, jalapenos, grated zucchini/yellow squash, and some green beans. The hard squashes and onions are sitting out. The tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and tomatillos were all canned.
Canning Record
| Tomato Sauce/Salsa | 32 pints |
| Diced Tomatoes | 32 pints |
| Tomatillo Puree | 25 pints |
| Green Beans | 13 pints |
| Carrots | 18 pints |
| Peas | 5 half pints |
What it means for us:
- Tomatoes/Tomatillos: What I canned should last Tim and I the whole year, based on last year's consumption.
- Green beans/Peas: I was hoping for 26 pints of green beans and actually canned about half that. I was aiming for 26 half pints of peas, and got 5...so not even close. There is always next year.
- Carrots: I dreamed about 52 pints, not knowing where I was to store them. But I canned 18 pints. Not even close, but my dream was unrealistic. (As I don't have a root cellar in my urban apartment, I can't store root crops without canning or taking up fridge space.)
Conclusion
Made it to the bottom of this article? Thanks for sticking with me. I record these yields to help me plan for next year and understand my family's food needs. I hope they give you an example for what might work for your family.
Here is what my garden looked like: My Community Garden Layout for Summer Success
How did your garden turn out this summer? Let us know in the comments below.
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