Vegetable Planting and Yield Guide

[Harvest to Table]

Artichoke. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 12 buds per plant after the first year. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart.
Arugula. Grow 5 plants per person. Space plants 6 inches apart.
Asparagus. Grow 30 to 50 roots for a household of 2 to 4 people. Yield 3 to 4 pounds of spears per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart.
Bean, Dried. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield in pounds varies per variety. Space plants 1 to 3 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Bean, Fava. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Space plants 4 to 5 inches apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart.
Bean, Garbanzo, Chickpea. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart.
Bean, Lima. Grow 4 to 8 per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space bush lima beans 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart; increase distance for pole limas.
Beans, Snap. Grow 4 to 8 plants total of each variety or several varieties per person. Yield 3 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 to 3 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Beans, Soy. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Beets. Grow 5 to 10 mature plants per person. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 inches apart for roots–1 inch apart for greens.
Broccoli. Grow 2 to 4 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
Brussels sprouts. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 3 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart.
Cabbage. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 10 to 25 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart.
Carrots. Grow 30 plants per person. Yield 7 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Thin plants to 1½ to 2 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.
Cauliflower. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
Celery. Grow 5 plants per person. Yield 6 to 8 stalks per plant. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.
Chayote. Grow 1 vine for 1 to 4 people. Set vining plants 10 feet apart and train to a sturdy trellis or wire support.
Chicory. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Space plants 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Chinese Cabbage. Grow 6 to 8 heads per person. Space plants 4 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart.
Collards. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 15 to 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
Corn. Grow 12 to 20 plants per person. Yield 1 to 2 ears per plants, 10 to 12 ears per 10-foot row. Space plant 4 to 6 inches apart in rows2 to 3 feet apart.
Cucumber. Grow 6 plants per person. Grow 3 to 4 plants per quart for pickling. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 to 3 feet apart in rows 3 to 6 feet apart.
Eggplant. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 8 fruits per Italian oval varieties; yield 10 to 15 fruits per Asian varieties. Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
Endive and Escarole. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 3 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Garlic. Grow 12 to 16 plants per person. Yield 10 to 30 bulbs per 10-foot row. Space cloves 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 15 inches apart.
Horseradish. Grow 1 plant per person. Space plants 30 to 36 inches apart.
Jicama. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 1 to 6 pound tuber per plant. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart.
Kale. Grow 4 to 5 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.
Kohlrabi. Grow 4 to 5 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.
Leeks. Grow 12 to 15 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 inches apart.
Lettuce. Grow 6 to 10 plants per person; plant succession crops with each harvest. Yield 4 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space looseleaf lettuce 4 inches apart and all other types 12 inches apart in rows 16 to 24 inches apart.
Melon. Grow 2 to plants per person. Yield 2 to 3 melons per vine. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart in rows 3 feet wide.
Mustard. Grow 6 to 10 plants per person. Yield 3 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plant 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 15 to 30 inches apart.
Okra. Grow 6 plants per person. Yield 5 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows 2½ to 4 feet apart.
Onion, Bulb. Yield 7 to 10 pounds of bulbs per 10-foot row. Space onion sets or transplants 4 to 5 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.
Parsnip. Grow 10 plants per person. Yield 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart.
Peas. Grow 30 plants per person. Yield 2 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 inches apart in rows2 feet apart for bush peas, 5 feet apart for vining peas.
Pepper. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 5 to 18 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 28 to 36 inches apart.
Potato. Grow 1 plant to yield 5 to 10 potatoes. Yield 10 to 20 pounds per 10-foot row. Space seed potatoes 10 to 14 inches apart in trenches 24 to 34 inches apart.
Pumpkin. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 10 to 20 pounds per 10-foot row. Space bush pumpkins 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Set 2 to 3 vining pumpkins on hills spaced 6 to 8 feet apart.
Radicchio. Grow 5 to 6 plants per person. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.
Radish. Grow 15 plants per person. Yield 2 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart.
Rhubarb. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 1 to 5 pounds per plant. Set plants 3 to 6 feet apart.
Rutabaga. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Yield 8 to 30 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 15 to 36 inches apart.
Salsify. Grow 10 plants per person. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 20 to 30 inches apart.
Scallions. Yield 1½ pounds per 10-foot row. Spaces onion sets or plants 2 inches apart for scallions or green onions.
Shallot. Yield 2 to 12 cloves per plant. Space plants 5 to 8 inches apart in rows 2 to 4 feet apart.
Sorrel. Grow 3 plants per person. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.
Spinach. Grow 15 plants per person. Yield 4 to 7 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 1 to 2 feet apart.
Squash, Summer. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 10 to 80 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 feet apart in rows 5 feet apart.
Squash, Winter. Grow 1 plant per person. Space plants feet apart.
Sunchokes. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows 36 to 40 inches apart.
Sunflower. Grow 1 plant per person. Yield 1 to 2½ pounds of seed per flower. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 30to 36 inches apart.
Sweet Potato. Grow 5 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
Swiss Chard. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart.
Tomatillo. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 1 to 2 pounds per plant. Space plants 10 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.
Tomato, Cherry. Grow 1 to 4 plants per person. Space plants 3 feet apart in rows 35 to 45 inches apart.
Tomato, Cooking. Grow 3 to 6 plants of each variety; this will yield 8 to 10 quarts. Space plants 42 inches apart in rows 40 to 50 inches apart.
Tomato, Slicing. Grow 1 to 4 plants per person. Space plants 42 inches apart in rows 40 to 50 inches apart.
Turnip. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 5 to 8 inches apart in rows in rows 15 to 24 inches apart.
Watermelon. Grow 2 plants per person. Yield 8 to 40 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 feet apart in rows 4 feet wide and 8 feet apart.

- http://www.harvesttotable.com/2011/06/vegetable_crop_yields_plants_p/

Survival Foods - Country of Origin

[A Question of Quality]

In my pantry there are a wide variety of food items: canned fish, legumes, pastas, rice, fruit, meat all in just about every color of the rainbow. After some serious consideration I am now narrowing down my food-search going forward based on the product's country of origin. With some items I feel as though it really matters where the food comes from. Now down the line in a SHTF scenario I probably won't care what country produced and packaged my food as long as it gives me sustenance, but for now I'd like to stay as healthy as possible.

You'll find that some items are very hard to find outside of certain countries depending on where you are in North America or elsewhere. In New England I find it is hard to get certain fruits and vegetables that aren't from Mexico or South America. For example: one of my favorites is avocado, but they are more often from Chile rather than domestic.

Fish products from Southeast Asia and the EU

Basic rule of thumb is try to stick to US and EU foods as they are subject to a much higher standard of quality, especially Europe. Many pesticides and preservatives approved by the FDA in the United States are outlawed in most of Europe, meaning that their food and drink industry meet a higher set of standards. So if I'm getting canned fish from say Denmark or Germany you can bet your bottom dollar it's at the very least as good, if not better than what you can get from the U.S. or even Canada. I've personally eaten in Denmark and Germany and can say firsthand that the quality of food - especially with fish and livestock is very noticeable over what you can find in a U.S. grocery store.

With Chinese distributed foods I feel a bit of unease. China is still a developing superpower - and by that I mean the infrastructure is still evolving and the government still has many holes in it. My main concern is the unknown and very unbalanced set of standards for quality of foods. Not only that, but the prevalent and ever-increasing levels of pollution as well. There's a laundry list of food safety incidents that are worth looking at just for China. With something like canned or packaged tuna from China - pollution and improper handling should immediately come to mind.

Thai Iced Tea bought locally

 
Obviously the same can go for fish from Japan, not that Japan really ever had issues with food quality, but after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 all fish should be avoided from Japan and surrounding areas. It may seem obvious, but people still make sushi from fish around Japan that are most likely irradiated. Never underestimate the power of ignorance.

Travel farther south to a country like Thailand and I feel slightly more comfortable about the food. Little has been criticized from Southeast Asia in terms of food quality so it seems to be a safer nook - for now at least. Although in comparison to China quite a few countries look pretty good.

The best thing to do is to learn a bit about different countries and their food standards before buying certain products.

Survival Foods - Let Down

Saw this in the store the other day and thought, "Alright! I totally want to do a review on that!" Unfortunately my paranoia about ingredients kept me from buying it. One of the things I avoid more than anything else is MSG and let me tell you it's getting harder and harder to do so. Most often labeled by its full name: Monosodium Glutamate, it's a "flavor enhancer" and thickening agent. But it's also incredibly bad for you. Then again what isn't bad for you in the everyday U.S. diet?
Anyway, it was just a bummer and let down because I was actually kind of excited about this because it looked pretty good and a little different from the usual canned stuff I see.

Well... back to the search I suppose...

(Also see: Food Storage - Purchasing Habits)

"Survival Foods"

Blog Additions
Food

A new addition to the Broadminded Survival page has come! Combining my interest for "survivalism" and my never-ending interest and knowledge in food has birthed a new aspect to this blog: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews. It's a simple concept where I give brief reviews and descriptions of good, storable foods that anybody can buy on a budget all for your knowledge. Yep. Just for you.

I look at all aspects of my bizarre collection of pantry items as well as going out and trying new things when I find them and review them based on 6 basic ratings: Price, Shelf Life, Transportability, Nutritional Value, Taste and finally my Overall score and thoughts.

Sure I talk about a lot of things, but we all still need to eat, right?

Check it out here: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews

Food Storage (Purchasing Habits)

Now is the time to start storing more. 

I have a habit of stocking up at a quickened pace in the months leading up to the winter and it's not a bad idea. Last year we had a rather subdued winter overall, but had a major snowstorm just prior to Halloween that was so bad that local trick or treating was delayed a couple of days and most lost power anywhere from a day to a whole week. I'd rather have some stored foods just in case. And having a gas stove means I can continue to cook my cache of food even during a prolonged power outage.

Very small example of stored foods

I have also decided to spend more time looking at and purchasing foods for storage. For me there's a couple of factors:
1.) Content and Ingredients
2.) Shelf Life
3.) Price
4.) Preservatives and/or additives

I like to think that what I am buying will benefit my family and I if things start to look bad outside our windows. I make sure it is something everyone can and will eat. In order to purchase it has to be something that will have a high caloric value combined with some form of nutrition that will help sustain the eater when food isn't plentiful or easily obtained anymore.

It also has to have a decent shelf life. Most canned items have anywhere from a 1-3 year lifespan depending on the item.

I'd hate to put a price on my family's future well-being, but being broke doesn't help my family either. Finding a good balance of all these factors helps in the long run.

Most long-lasting canned foods have preservatives and additives, there isn't really a way around that, but I do choose to actively avoid some. You can look up related health concerns and common side effects as there's often too many to list.

For example:

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)  - Used for its flavor enhancing and thickening properties
Sodium Nitrate - Added to cured meats as a preservative and color fixative
High Fructose Syrup - Sweetener

Pricing

Some of the items I buy still contain some of these less-than-pleasant ingredients, but if it's really cheap or if it's lasts a little longer I'll bite the bullet and get it anyway. Remember - it's all about moderation. Don't eat too much crap and you should be okay. Eat nothing but crap and you may be in trouble.

In a world where's there no food having something with preservatives is the least of your troubles.

Regardless, it is nice to know I have an ever-growing comfort bubble when it comes to having a store of food in case getting to a grocery store becomes dangerous or downright impossible.

Food Fortification (and why it is important)

Food fortification or enrichment is a process where food items that don't normally have certain nutrients or vitamins have them implanted in or placed in through a number of different processes.

 

For example: milk naturally contains Calcium, but doesn't contain Vitamin D, which is a rather rare naturally occurring vitamin in edible items (i.e. meats, vegetables, etc.). Vitamin D is proven to help with the absorption of Calcium into bone so it only made sense to fortify milk (rich in Calcium) with Vitamin D. 

The same ideology works with a lot of other foods too where certain Nutrients and Vitamins positively interact with each other for the consumer's benefit.

There are drawbacks of course with changing how natural foods are, there always is. Like genetically modified corn - it's only been around for a short span of time and as a whole people don't know what kinds of affects it'll have on the human body over a long period of time.

You just have to pick and choose items, not everything has to be fortified - and partially it's for marketing purposes aimed at costing you more money for things you don't need. If you drink milk or eat cheese you probably don't need to buy orange juice that has been fortified with extra Calcium.

One of the main reasons fortifying has become so popular among the food industry, especially in the U.S. is to allow for some semblance of dietary equilibrium among a wide variety of socio-economic groups. Not everyone can afford to have a balanced meal, but they have access to fortified cheeses, juices and other items that can offer some of the balance their diet needs in terms of Nutritional requirements.

*Now the real meat and potatoes (no puns intended) part of this post is for stocking up on important items that can offer you a balanced day to day existence without having a lot of extra "stuff" taking up room.

For example:

Pop-Tarts - I know they're not exactly the staple of healthy foods, but they can act as a good supplementary item if you don't have the ability to sit down and eat a full meal. In terms of fortification they have 10% of each of the following: Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron and Vitamin B6.
Cambell's Low Sodium Chunky Vegetable Beef Soup - Good to have canned soups in stock this specific one has less of a variety of nutrients, but a lot of some: Vitamin A (80%), Calcium (4%) and Iron (4%).

What it comes down to is stock up on items you wouldn't mind eating a lot of while also giving yourself Nutrients and Vitamins that you would only get properly from fresh or refrigerated food stuffs that may not be available in the future. Things like SPAM are good backups, but they don't really offer much in the way any nutritional value, just sustenance to keep you going. Learn to read the Nutritional Facts on the backs of foods in the grocery store and you'll be much better off than most people.

There is a lot of literature out there on the pros and cons of fortified foods vs natural foods vs vitamin supplements or even a moderated combination of all of them.

My opinion is that moderation of all three is the best, nothing in excess, but find a balance of different food types that contain different things that your body needs.