Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

I was just updating my inventory list on the number of heirloom seeds I've got stashed away in mason jars in a cool, dark, secure, undisclosed location with Dick Cheney and got to wondering...how many plants and/or actual tomatoes could I theoretically grow with 18,000 seeds, how many habaneros could I grow with 1,600 seeds, how many corn stalks could I grow with 14,000 kernels, etc., and hundreds of pounds of various beans I could sprout and grow, just to name a few? Just trying to figure out what my potential yields might be at this point.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Depends whether you bought good seeds or poor seeds.

High quality seed suppliers will indicate the % of germination on the packaging. This is usually guaranteed for 1 year, with the germination rate falling off after that.

Normally so called heirloom seeds come from small suppliers who often don't test germination rates, so the germination rate may/probably will be lower

Then typically 3 seeds are planted for every one plant wanted. If all 3 come up you keep the strongest one and thin the other two. This is a pretty good rule of thumb. I suppose one could stretch things further, but if you want the strongest plants for seeds later it is best to cull the less vigorous.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

If seeds are kept in an airtight (but not oxygen-free) container in a cool, dark place, will their germination rate deteriorate less than if they weren't sealed in an airtight container?

And what do you mean by "so called heirloom seeds"?

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

I believe air tight is better than non air tight, as I see some seed companies using foil packets advertised as the best way to maintain high germination rates.

Paraphrasing Steve Soloman, founder of Territorial seeds- Heirloom seeds are typically collected by amateurs, and the varieties become irregular, inbred, weak and degraded due to ignorance of proper growing, propogating, handling and storage techniques. Much of what passes for heirloom seeds today are former commercial varieties used before ww2, or modern commercial varieties that have been misnamed by unethical primary growers producing cheap garden seed.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Seed varieties aside, yields will vary incredibly depending on your climate, soil, irrigation, your skill as a grower and, of course, weather. Your only way to figure out how much you can grow (on your patch of dirt) is to go ahead and try growing some things and see how it goes. I always get high yields in my imagination, but reality can be a rude awakening.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Not trying to be a smart ass, but have you ever gardened before? It sounds like you are stocking up on seeds, but have never grown anything.

I wouldn't worry too much about the number of plants you can grow with what sounds to be thousands of seeds. Gardening is a difficult hobby to get right. Your biggest concern should be improving your soil. Get that right and you can grow anything suitable for your climate.

Go to www.soilminerals.com to get an idea of where you need to be with your soil.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Sources for this are online of course. This one wouldn't copy over nicely, so you'll have to go there.. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM819.pdf

I have a better planting guide in my hardcopy seed catalog:

Tomato: 1/2 oz seed per 100 foot row ; 35-65 plants
Pepper: 1/4 oz seed per 100 foot row ; 50-65 plants
Bean: 1 lb seed per 100 foot row ; 50-80 lbs yield
Corn: 4 oz seed per 100 foot row ; 8-12 lbs yield

I've been buying seed in bulk. Average price is ~3.50 / oz w/ qty discounts. Am thinking of growing starter plants this year for sale, and possibly repackaging any extra seed into smaller envelops for resale.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

My fiancee and her family all have green thumbs, I've just been jumping on the idea bandwagon and trying to think several steps ahead by collecting seeds until we are able to get a plot of land. This spring will be my first real chance to spend time in the garden with her.

Then again, I've been buying silver for years but haven't had a need to cash it in yet, but planning ahead is a good thing. ;)

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Planting big rows and thinning seems like a huge waste of seeds to me. To get 10 tomato plants, I need to plant 20 or 30 seeds. 10 tomato plants produces a LOT of tomatoes.

Beans I usually get over 90%. I plant a lot of beans and freeze them or can veg/meat based soups made with them. I planted 120 bean plants last yr.

Peppers about 50% but for me it didn't matter as I only had maybe 10 plants total.

I dont waste space on corn, except popcorn, which we just grow for fun

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Well with the amount of seeds you have, you can grow for the entire neighborhood! Just don't store them too long, or they will lose viability. Most small seeds are only good for 2-3 years. Happy gardening this year!

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Yeah, there is a lot of variety in soil.

I took a class in Composting on a lark at the local JC. definitely one of the most interesting classes i've ever taken. hands-on hot composting + hands-on vermiculture (worm composting).

one of things i learned last year was i waited WAY too long to plant. given that spring usually comes about March 1 where i live (persistent sun, temps rarely lower than 45 F), i chose to start seeds this year on Feb. 1 (indoors). so far i have about 120 vegetable babies either sprouted or sprouting. + seed potatoes (e.g. potatoes that start growing in the bag and continue slowly growing in the fridge), another 100+.

overall i put very little time into it -- the plants do most of the work.

but in order for that to happen, at times i have to get really busy. e.g. if i want the winter rains to keep a hot compost pile thoroughly wet, i have to assemble the pile early enough to take advantage of the rains.

i think Yield is a very good thing to keep an eye on, also time & $ invested.

it's amazing to me how cheap potatoes can be. it's a heck of a lot of work to grow. maybe there's an easier way, but last year i spent a few hours of digging to harvest at most 10 pounds of potatoes.

for people that just have poor-quality soil, e.g. sand, one point of reference for me is a community garden in SF. they started with sand dunes & ice-plant & built it up with compost over about 3 years in the 70's to get it started. now they have snails & earthworms helping out too and their soil is fantastic.

Re: Plant/fruit yield per seed for different crops
 

Just anecdotal evidence, but I've found markedly better yields when planting shorter rows (i.e. 4/25ft. rows instead of 1/100ft. row), especially in corn varieties. Better pollination. Also plant some flowers close by. Brings the bees in.

I'm by no means an expert. Just my own observations.


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