Food needs and yields

1. Backyard Homesteading, Week 4, June 8 2016,Backyard Homesteading, Week 4, June 8 2016,
By Gloria Fortin

2. Summary
 The calculations I am presenting would be for feeding
all the persons living on the homestead, which is two
families (eight persons).
 The calculation is done with normal portions, even if
there are young kids (eating less)

3. Choice of crops
 I chose crops that I know are very reliable and adapted
to our place, growing well and also keeping well, or
that are easily processed for keeping.
 In theory, the chart represents what we would need to
be able to have enough food to be self-sufficient all
year round, provided that we adapt our diet.year round, provided that we adapt our diet.

4. Crop Servings/year Pounds/year
Nb of 100
square ft bed
Vegetable
Carrot 1664 594.29 7.50
Onion 1664 237.71 2.50
Parsnip 1248 312.00 4.00
Cabbage 1248 445.71 5.00
Tomato 1664 723.48 11.00
Winter squash 1248 499.20 10.00
Cucumber 1248 283.64 6.00
Food needs and space for eight persons in one year
Green bean 832 189.09 10.00
Beet 1248 445.71 8.00
Lettuce 1664 252.12 5.00
TOTAL 69.00
Fruit
Apple 2080 742.86 15.00
Pear 1664 489.41 8.00
Currants (Ribes spp.) 1248 312.00 3.00
Honeyberries 1248 312.00 3.00
Juneberry (Amelanchier spp.) 1248 312.00 3.00
TOTAL 32.00

5. Crop Servings/year Pounds/year
Nb of 100
square ft bed
Calorie Crops
Potato 8320 2971.43 41.00
Corn 6240 390.00 22.00
Rye 4992 312.00 78.00
Food needs and space for eight persons in one year
(continued)
Note: For crops that
were not in the
calculation tables of “A
plan for Food Self-
Sufficiency” (parsnips,
currants, juneberry,TOTAL 141.00
Protein
Fava bean 2496 147.69 30.00
Dried bean (Kidney) 2496 193.49 48.00
Nut (hazelnut) 2496 416.00 24.00
TOTAL 102.00
GRAND TOTAL 344.00
currants, juneberry,
honeyberries and
hazelnut), I did
research through
nurseries and seed
suppliers, mainly in
Quebec, to get the
closest to my reality
approximations.

6. Reflections about space needs:
To my utter surprise, I found out that we would need a little
bit less than one acre to grow all our food, which is far less
than what I originally thought.
Well planned, I am persuaded we could grow all of that food on less space,
using bio-intensive methods (for annuals), which would also help to
concentrate my energies in a smaller land to take care. I was particularly
impressed by how there are techniques to do as little efforts as possible,
with better results (John Jeavons, video Garden bed and soil, time 1:50)

7. Reflection about animals:
 I checked up what it would imply to have chicken
layers... The fact is that even if 10 chickens would
have been good, the space to grow their feed
(grains) was gigantic, in addition that our region
is not ideal for grains. I decided it was way easier
to eat the plants! In fact, I still believe it would beto eat the plants! In fact, I still believe it would be
great to get some animals in my system, but
simply guess it would be a secondary addition.
One idea to reduce the space needs associated with
raising chickens would be to have worms in a
vermicompost system, so it will produce great quality
fertilizer for the plants that I grow, but it could also
serve as feed for the chickens, just like it is proposed
in the article “Vermiculture Basics” by Larry Yarger. I
will definitely do that if we add chickens!

8. As I read in the Permaculture Handbook, tillage is very
damaging to the soil life, which is the one supposed to feed the
plants that will then nourish us (Peter Bane, whole Chapter
11), but by implementing a more perennial, and no-till system,
I could be able to feed ourselves while being more respectful to
the soil.
This permanent systemMy idea would be to set
the perennials (all fruits +
nuts) in a forest garden,
so it will sustain itself
better in terms of fertility
and pest management
and will help restore a
better environment while
producing food.
This permanent system
could be subsequently
implemented with more
fruits, mushrooms and all
to take more the lead of our
food supply, relying less on
annual plants implanted at
the beginning to feed us
the first years (get a yield
principle, Peter Bane, page
31).