Free Growli tool
How much to plant
— for the people you feed.
To work out how much to plant, multiply the recommended plants-per-person for each crop by your household size. For a family of 4 that is roughly 12 tomato plants, 20 lettuces, 8 cucumbers, and 120 carrots. Pick your crops below and this planner scales the plant counts, expected yields, and row length to the number of people you feed. No signup.
Pick the crops you want to grow
Plant counts are typical planning guidelines from US extension services and the Old Farmer's Almanac for fresh in-season eating. Grow extra for canning, freezing, or storage.
To feed 4 people, grow
208 plants
across 5 crops — about 95 ft of row in total.
| Crop | Plants to grow | Est. yield each | Row length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | 12 | 8–15 lb (4–7 kg) | 24 ft |
| Lettuce | 20 | 1 head | 17 ft |
| Cucumbers | 8 | 10–20 fruits | 8 ft |
| Bush beans | 48 | ~0.5 lb (225 g) of pods | 16 ft |
| Carrots | 120 | 1 root | 30 ft |
Notes per crop
- Tomatoes: Indeterminate types crop all season; grow extra if you want to can or freeze sauce.
- Lettuce: Succession-sow a few every 2 weeks rather than all at once.
- Cucumbers: Two vines per person covers fresh eating; double it for pickling.
- Bush beans: Succession-sow every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest.
- Carrots: Sow thickly and thin to 3 in; succession-sow for a steady supply.
Know your bed size? Use the raised bed soil calculator and plant spacing calculator to see what fits.
Plan the whole plot in Growli
The Growli app turns this list into a planting schedule for your climate — when to sow each crop, when to succession-plant, and reminders to keep the harvest coming all season.
Open Growli →How to plan a vegetable garden by household size
Start with how your household actually eats. A crop you eat every day (lettuce, tomatoes) needs more plants than one you eat occasionally. The per-person figures here assume fresh, in-season eating — so a family of four growing tomatoes plants about twelve, because each healthy plant yields 8 to 15 lb across the summer.
Succession sowing matters.For fast, all-at-once crops like lettuce, spinach, beans, and carrots, don't sow the whole amount on day one — split it into batches every 2 to 3 weeks so you harvest steadily instead of all at once.
Grow extra to preserve. If you plan to can, freeze, or store, roughly double the fresh-eating figure for crops like tomatoes, beans, and peppers, and grow more onions and potatoes, which keep for months once cured.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I plant to feed a family of 4?
As a planning guideline for fresh in-season eating, a family of 4 typically grows around 12 tomato plants, 8 pepper plants, 20 lettuces (sown in succession), 8 cucumber vines, 48 bean plants, and 120 carrots. Pick your own crop list above and the calculator scales every figure to your household size.
How many tomato plants do I need per person?
About 2 to 4 tomato plants per person for fresh eating, so roughly 3 is a good default. Each healthy indeterminate plant yields about 8 to 15 lb (4 to 7 kg) over the season. If you want to can or freeze sauce, double that — 5 to 6 plants per person.
How do you calculate how much to plant?
Multiply the recommended plants-per-person for each crop by the number of people you are feeding, then round up. To estimate space, multiply the plant count by the crop’s in-row spacing and divide by 12 to get row feet. This calculator does both automatically.
Should I grow extra for canning or freezing?
Yes. The default figures cover fresh eating in season. If you plan to preserve the harvest, grow roughly double for crops you will can or freeze (tomatoes, beans, peppers) and more for storage crops like onions and potatoes that keep for months once cured.
How accurate are these plant counts and yields?
They are typical ranges from US cooperative-extension garden-planning charts and the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Real yields vary with variety, climate, soil, and care, so treat them as a starting point. Grow a little extra in your first season, then adjust based on what your household actually eats.
How much garden space do I need?
The calculator estimates total row length from your crop list. As a rough rule, a well-tended 10 ft by 10 ft (3 m by 3 m) bed feeds one or two people a meaningful share of their summer vegetables. Use the row-length total here with the raised bed soil and plant spacing calculators to lay out beds.