How big should a vegetable patch be in the garden? I want to...

How big should a vegetable patch be in the garden? I want to be able to grow vegetables for my family but also to leave enough grass for a picnic - so what do you think? 3 beds of about 15x5 each?

It should have more to do with how much you can keep up with than with any sort of formula. If you think you have enough room remaining for a picnic, then you're good to go.

A great idea to grow vegetables for the family! You should be able to grow a good variety in that space. Tomatoes provide great return and demand little space. The same can be said for Cucumber plants and pepper.

Lettuce is very rewarding to grow and low maintenance, but takes up a little more room and also you have to go midnight hunting for the slugs!

I tend to agree with Labor of Love for this one. I have a tiny German Square Garden where I grow lettuce, carrots, onions, strawberries, green beans, peas, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and if I have the room whatever else takes my fancy or that I think my family will eat that season.

My garden is about 30 feet square with raised beds of 4 feet square with walking and sitting paths of about 2 feet wide inbetween.

I don't just use the raised beds. I also have 16 to 20" dia. pots sitting around where I also grow the veggies. I have lettuce and herbs in these and beleive me, it's nice. In the pots besides lettuce, I grow basil, oregano, lovage, fennel and any mint teas (don't put your mint teas in the garden. They will take over!!!!!)

Anything you can grow in the garden, you can also grow in pots. So if you don't have much room for a garden, place pots around with what you can't fit in the garden plot. The pots take a little more watering, but if you keep after them, your vegetables will produce just as nicely.

Hope this helps. Julie