Vegetable Yield Calculator
Estimate your garden harvest from 22 common vegetables — per-plant yield ranges, bed-size planning, and totals in lb & kg.
1. Enter your plants
Worked example
A 4x8 ft bed (32 sq ft) of tomatoes at 24x36 in spacing fits 5 plants, estimating 40.0-60.0 lb (18.1-27.2 kg) for the season.
2. Vegetable yield per plant chart
Typical home-garden ranges. Spacing is in-row × between-row; days are to first harvest.
| Vegetable | Yield / plant | Spacing | Days to harvest | Succession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato Indeterminate, staked; full season | 8.0–12.0 lb | 24×36 in | 70–90 | — |
| Bell pepper Marketable fruit; Penn State avg 3.9 lb | 2.0–6.0 lb | 18×24 in | 60–90 | — |
| Cucumber Vining; trellis saves space | 4.0–12.0 lb | 12×36 in | 50–70 | Yes |
| Zucchini Summer squash; harvest small, often | 5.0–10.0 lb | 36×48 in | 50–60 | Yes |
| Butternut squash Winter squash; Penn State avg 15.9 lb | 10.0–25.0 lb | 36×60 in | 85–100 | — |
| Pumpkin Needs the most space of all | 20.0–60.0 lb | 48×72 in | 75–100 | — |
| Eggplant Heat lover; 2-3 plants feed a family | 3.0–6.0 lb | 24×36 in | 80–90 | — |
| Broccoli Main head + side shoots | 1.0–1.5 lb | 18×24 in | 60–80 | — |
| Cabbage One head per plant | 1.5–3.0 lb | 18×24 in | 60–90 | — |
| Cauliflower One head per plant | 1.0–2.0 lb | 18×24 in | 70–90 | — |
| Carrot Dense sowing; thin to 2 in | 0.05–0.10 lb | 2×12 in | 70–80 | Yes |
| Onion (bulb) Cure before storing | 0.25–0.50 lb | 4×12 in | 80–120 | — |
| Potato Hill soil as vines grow | 1.5–2.5 lb | 12×24 in | 75–100 | — |
| Sweet potato Long, hot season needed | 1.5–3.0 lb | 12×36 in | 100–130 | — |
| Lettuce Cut-and-come-again leaf types | 0.25–0.50 lb | 8×12 in | 40–60 | Yes |
| Spinach Sow every 2-3 weeks in cool weather | 0.06–0.12 lb | 3×12 in | 40–60 | Yes |
| Kale Continuous leaf harvest | 1.0–2.5 lb | 12×18 in | 50–80 | Yes |
| Bush bean Succession sow for steady picking | 0.15–0.35 lb | 3×18 in | 45–60 | Yes |
| Pole bean Needs trellis; outyields bush type | 0.30–0.60 lb | 6×24 in | 60–70 | Yes |
| Pea Cool-season; pods weighed | 0.10–0.25 lb | 2×24 in | 55–90 | Yes |
| Radish Fastest crop; sow every 2 weeks | 0.03–0.06 lb | 2×6 in | 25–40 | Yes |
| Garlic Plant cloves in fall | 0.08–0.15 lb | 4×12 in | 140–150 | — |
3. Succession planting guide
Sow a new batch every 2–4 weeks for a non-stop harvest. Best candidates: radish (every 2 weeks, ready in 25–40 days), lettuce & spinach (every 2–3 weeks in cool weather), bush beans & peas (repeat sowings), carrots, kale (continuous leaf picking), cucumbers & zucchini. Skip succession for one-shot or space-hungry crops: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, garlic, sweet potato.
What this tool is (and isn't)
- This tool: home vegetable-garden harvest estimates — pounds per plant across 22 vegetables, bed spacing, seasonal ranges.
- Corn Yield Calculator: grain-field agronomy — bushels per acre, grain moisture shrink, test weight. Different crop, different math.
- Mushroom Yield Estimator: fungi cultivation — biological efficiency and flush-by-flush yields, not garden vegetables.
- Cheese Yield Calculator: dairy processing — milk-to-cheese yield (Van Slyke), not plants at all.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this vegetable yield calculator?
It gives an estimate range, not a promise. Yields move with variety, climate, soil, watering, pests and how long you keep harvesting. The ranges come from US university extension publications (LSU AgCenter, Texas A&M AgriLife, Penn State) and reflect typical home gardens with decent care. Treat the low end as a cautious plan and the high end as a good season.
What does yield per plant mean here?
Pounds of marketable harvest one plant produces across a full growing season, with repeated pickings where the crop allows (tomatoes, cucumbers, beans). One-time crops like cabbage or cauliflower count a single head. The worked example: a 4x8 ft bed of tomatoes fits 5 plants and estimates 40.0-60.0 lb (18.1-27.2 kg) for the season.
How is the plant count from bed size calculated?
Bed area in square feet is converted to square inches (x144) and divided by the rectangle each plant needs (in-row spacing x between-row spacing), rounded down. A 4x8 ft bed is 32 sq ft = 4608 sq in; at 24x36 in spacing each tomato needs 864 sq in, so 4608/864 = 5.33 rounds down to 5 plants.
What is succession planting, and which vegetables suit it?
Succession planting means sowing a new batch every 2-4 weeks so harvest never stops. It suits fast or repeat crops: lettuce, spinach, radish, carrots, bush beans, pole beans, peas, kale, cucumbers and zucchini. One-time or space-hungry crops (cabbage, pumpkin, garlic, sweet potato) do not. The chart marks succession-friendly vegetables.
Why does the tool show a range instead of one number?
Because real harvests vary. A tomato plant can give 8 lb in a tough year and 12 lb in a good one; the published extension data itself reports ranges (for example bell pepper 1.3-6.3 lb per plant at Penn State). A single number would look precise while being wrong; the range is the honest answer.
Can I see the result in kilograms?
Yes. Toggle lb/kg above the results; every figure converts at 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. The per-plant chart stays in lb per plant with kg in the totals.
How many tomato plants does a family need?
Texas A&M AgriLife suggests 3-5 tomato plants per person for fresh eating (5-10 for canning). At 8-12 lb per plant, 4 plants estimate 32-48 lb a season - usually plenty for a family of four eating fresh.
How is this different from the corn yield calculator?
The corn yield calculator is agronomy for grain fields: bushels per acre, grain moisture shrink and test weight. This tool is for home vegetable gardens: pounds per plant, bed spacing and seasonal harvest estimates across 22 common vegetables.
Where does the yield data come from?
US university extension services: LSU AgCenter expected garden yields per 100-ft row, Texas A&M AgriLife E-502 home vegetable guide, Penn State Extension per-plant crop yield estimates, and Mississippi State Extension for tomato ceilings. See the sources section below for the exact publications.
Should I weigh my harvest to check the estimate?
Weighing a few pickings with a kitchen scale is the best calibration you can do - keep a simple log for one season and compare. Your garden's own history beats any published average, and you can then use your numbers instead of these ranges.
Data sources
- LSU AgCenter — "Expected Vegetable Garden Yields": yield per 100-ft row for Southern home gardens (beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, okra, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radish, spinach, squash). Used to derive per-plant ranges at standard spacing.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — E-502 Home Vegetable Guide: yield per 100 ft, days to harvest, and planting-per-person figures (tomato 100 lb/100 ft; 3–5 plants/person fresh).
- Penn State Extension — "Crop Yield Estimates for Vegetables": per-plant marketable yield averages and ranges (bell pepper avg 3.9 lb, range 1.3–6.3; butternut avg 15.9, range 9.9–28.7; pumpkin avg 38.5, range 21.8–61.0).
- Mississippi State Extension — "How much yield can I expect per plant?" (tomatoes): 30–35 lb/plant for managed growers; noted as a ceiling, not the home-garden range used here.
All figures converted to typical home-garden per-plant ranges and always presented as low–high estimates. Your garden's own weighed history beats any published average.
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