What size is a decent garden?
Generally speaking, 200 square feet of garden space per person will allow for a harvest that feeds everyone year-round. For an average family of four, plan for an 800 square-foot garden—a plot that's 20 feet by 40 feet in size should do the trick.
Size of Garden
If planting in the ground, a 10' x 10' garden (100 square feet) is a managable size. Pick 3 to 5 of your favorite vegetables and buy 3 to 5 plants of each one. If planting in a raised bed, a 4' x 4' or 4' x 8' is a good beginner size.
A good size for a beginner's vegetable garden is 6x6 feet. Select up to five types of vegetables to grow, and plant a few of each type. You'll get plenty of fresh produce for your summer meals, and it will be easy to keep up with the chores. Growing vegetables in containers is also a good way to start out.
200–400 Square Feet
This is a good size garden for the intermediate gardener with a hectic schedule. It will yield adequate fresh produce for one to four people throughout spring, summer, and fall, with some produce left for putting up.
In general, you'll need 150 to 200 square feet of garden space per person in order to feed everyone in your family year-round.
A general guideline for a summer vegetable garden is to plan on about 100 square feet per person. Advanced: If you're more ambitious and want year-round groceries, plan on about 200 square feet per person.
For a non-vegetarian individual, however, we'd estimate that you need about 200 square feet of garden space to allow for a harvest that feeds everyone year-round. So, for an average family of four, plan for an 800 square-foot garden—a plot that is 20 feet by 40 feet in size.
Average Size of Small Garden
Generally, anything that's less than 100 square meters can be said as a “small garden”, and most of us have gardens under this size. 50 to 100 square meters can be considered a good size for household gardens.
The most basic garden plan consists of a design with straight, long rows running north to south orientation. A north to south direction will ensure that the garden gets the best sun exposure and air circulation. A garden that runs east to west tends to get too shaded from the crops growing in the preceding row.
By one estimate, a gardener can produce enough food for one growing season by intensive cultivation of two raised beds, each of which is 4 feet square. Using that formula, it would take eight raised beds to produce enough food for a family of four for the growing season.
How much food will 100 square feet grow?
100 square feet per person is needed for a fresh eating garden, and about 200 square feet per person if you want to can food for year round use. For square foot gardening you need as little as 16 square feet per person for fresh eating and about 32 square feet per person to have enough for preserving!
| Plant | Number | Spacing in Rows |
|---|---|---|
| Eggplant | 2 | 1' 1" x 1' 5" |
| Kale | 4 | 1' 1" x 1' 5" |
| Onions (Green) | 16 | 3" x 3" |
| Peas | 14 | 3" x 7" |
- Locate the garden where it receives a minimum of six hours of sunlight; more is better. ...
- Measure the 12-by-12-foot plot by walking four strides in each direction or measuring it with a tape. ...
- Dig a trench that's about 12 inches wide starting at one end of the plot. ...
- Spread compost over the garden.
| Crop (number of plants per ft. of row) | Number of plants per person | Number of plants for a family of 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Squash (1 plant/6 ft. of row) | 1-2 plants | 3 plants |
| Tomato (1 plant/2 ft. of row) | 2-4 plants | 4-6 plants |
| Zucchini (1 plant/3 ft. of row) | 1-2 plants | 4 plants |
Growing a garden has the potential to reduce the amount of money spent on groceries. But this “potential” depends on the costs involved in growing the crops, types and amounts of vegetables grown, yields that are derived from the garden, and other factors.
Growing your own food is a healthy way to save money and enjoy fresh produce at home. When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant saving to the grocery budget.
| Plant | Number | Spacing in Rows |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce (Leaf) | 22 | 3" x 5" |
| Nasturtium | 3 | 11" x 11" |
| Peas | 23 | 3" x 7" |
| Potatoes (Maincrop) | 4 | 1' 1" x 2' 5" |
For most tillers, rows should be at least 36 inches wide. This way you can go back between the rows and lightly cultivate for weed control until the crop starts to fill in between the rows. For most crops such as beans, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, peas and squash, 36-inch row spacing would be the minimum.
These are my favourite medium sized garden ideas from two private gardens I've just visited. The sheltered terrace in Dale and Jon's 'Caelum' (top) and Nandi's pretty vegetable garden (above). Middle-sized gardens are often referred to as a 'small gardens' because 'proper gardens' are usually 5-10 acres or more.
They should have at least 8 inches of soil depth to accommodate the root systems of plants, because the majority of plant roots require 6 – 8 inches of soil for healthy root growth. A depth of 8 – 12 inches will suffice for most gardening situations.
How big of a raised garden do I need?
Width. One major goal of raised beds is to alleviate the need for gardeners to step into them. This means gardeners should be able to easily access the bed from all sides. Plan raised beds that are 3 feet wide for children and 4 feet wide for adults.
If you grow $100 worth of vegetables per bed, you're starting to make a dent in your budget. If you can harvest $160 worth of vegetables per bed, and you have six small beds, then you're talking serious money – as much as $800 a year, after the prorated expenses needed to build the beds.
The average recommendation is 5 tomato plants per person.
For those of us planning on growing enough tomatoes for a year, that means we'll be preserving them, and when you're preserving, paste tomatoes are the name of the game.
A six-bedroom rural house should have an acre of garden, a five-bedroom house should have three quarters of an acre, and a four-bedroom house should have half an acre.
The garden is moving from the outdoors, indoors. Smaller houses, alongside an increased renting population, has meant that part of a garden, or all of it, has become a feature within the home itself.
UK garden size statistics
The median UK garden size is 188 square metres but this varies considerably depending on where in the country you live. In central London, a garden might be an average of 16 square metres whereas Scotland is home to gardens of over 700 square metres in size.
How to Plan a Vegetable Garden: Design Your Best Garden Layout
- Beans and Onions.
- Tomatoes and Corn.
- Potatoes and Sunflowers.
- Asparagus and Garlic.
- Celery and Carrots.
- Eggplant and Fennel.
- Cucumber and Rosemary.
- Lettuce and Garlic.
UK garden size statistics
The median UK garden size is 188 square metres but this varies considerably depending on where in the country you live. In central London, a garden might be an average of 16 square metres whereas Scotland is home to gardens of over 700 square metres in size.
Middle-sized gardens are often referred to as a 'small gardens' because 'proper gardens' are usually 5-10 acres or more. But, for us amateurs, a 'small garden' is a tiny courtyard space. A large garden is an acre or more. Everything in between is a medium sized – or middle-sized – garden.
How wide is an average garden?
Normally, a garden of about 10 feet by 10 feet (3 x 3 m.) is considered to be manageable, provided your landscape permits the space. You should try sketching out a small diagram noting the area of each vegetable to be planted. If something a little less is preferred, try working vegetables within smaller sized plots.
A six-bedroom rural house should have an acre of garden, a five-bedroom house should have three quarters of an acre, and a four-bedroom house should have half an acre.
Research has shown that a well-kept garden can add as much as 20% to the value of your property. Plus, having a garden can make your home attractive to a wider pool of buyers, such as young professionals who like to entertain, families, pet owners and retirees.
Average Size of Small Garden
Generally, anything that's less than 100 square meters can be said as a “small garden”, and most of us have gardens under this size. 50 to 100 square meters can be considered a good size for household gardens.
A TYPICAL British garden is 50ft long, has ten types of flowers – and a single garden gnome. Research also revealed it will be home to a set of garden furniture, a BBQ and a water feature. A shed, greenhouse and vegetable patch are also now commonplace in the nation's back gardens.
We classify 'small lawns' as those with an area of grass up to 150m2. But what does that mean? In the context of a tennis court, that equates to roughly the size of a quarter of the court including the space up to the boundary fence.
For the purpose of this review a small lawn is any area up to around half a tennis court or so in size whilst a medium sized lawn will be viewed as a lawn between around one half and 2 tennis courts in size. Large sized lawns are considered to be between 2-4 tennis courts in size.
The median garden size for a house in London is 140 square metres, just over half the size of a tennis court. This compares with 188 square metres across Great Britain and 226 square metres in Scotland (the largest).
For most tillers, rows should be at least 36 inches wide. This way you can go back between the rows and lightly cultivate for weed control until the crop starts to fill in between the rows. For most crops such as beans, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, peas and squash, 36-inch row spacing would be the minimum.
When it comes to garden spaces in 2017, one thing is clear, they are getting smaller. Between 1982 and 2013, the average British garden shrunk from 168 m2 to 163.2 m2. It is also estimated that two million homes in Britain don't have a garden, and by 2020, some 10.5 per cent of all homes will not have a garden at all.
How big is the average London garden?
| City | Average garden size per property (m2) | Number of Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 121 | 133,970 |
| Liverpool | 111 | 229,550 |
| Brighton and Hove | 111 | 130,210 |
| Greater London | 100 | 3,642,640 |
- A lack of kerb appeal. ...
- Poor decor. ...
- Your neighbour's property. ...
- Poor schools. ...
- Poor cleanliness and smells. ...
- Bad energy efficiency. ...
- Traffic and noise pollution. ...
- Economic changes and legislation.
The bigger your garden, the more value it's likely to add to your home. Just as more square footage can add value to a home's interior, more garden space generally adds value, too.
Does a Garden add Value to a Property? According to PropertyPriceAdvice, the potential value of a garden on property value can be up to 10%. Whether your property has a garden, decking or just a patio, with some simple maintenance you can transform your outdoor space into an asset for your property.
