Increased Yields

Obviously, with decreased space limitations, yields will increase. Just how much they increase depends upon who is consulted. My father has gardened in raised beds for over 20 years and has records for each year. He will tell you that you can expect at least double the yield of the same amount of space in a traditional type of garden (personal interview). Pete Lane asserts in an Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet that “In a traditional home garden, good management may yield about 0.6 pounds of vegetables per square foot. Records of production over three years in a raised bed at Dawes Arboretum near Newark, Ohio, indicate an average of 1.24 pounds per square foot, more than double the conventional yield”.

Dan Wallace, editor of Getting the Most from Your Garden, presents a table on page 7 that compares national average yields using the traditional method with the yields from John Jeavons’ experiments with raised beds at Ecology Action of the Mid-Peninsula in Palo Alto, California. That table is partially reproduced below.

Plant	Conventional Garden national average yield (lbs./100 ft.2)	Growing Bed Average (lbs./100 ft.)
		Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Bean, snap	8.2	30	72	108
Broccoli	17.4	39	72	108
Carrot	58.9	100	150	1,080
Corn	15.3	17	34	68
Lettuce, head	48.6	75	150	300
Lettuce, leaf	48.6	135	202	540
Onion	68.6	100	200	540
Pepper	18.8	36	83	131
Tomatoe	30.7	100	194	418

Offered by Roger.