CaloriesPerPound
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A horizontal bar chart of rough calories per pound, rounded from USDA FoodData Central, raw or dry. Lettuce 70. Tomatoes 80. Cabbage 110. Winter squash 200. Potatoes 350. Eggs 650. Dry beans 1,500. Wheat or dry corn 1,500 to 1,650. Cooking oil 4,000. The first four are marked as low-calorie vegetables; the rest are staples, eggs and fats. A note says that 2,000 calories is about 28 pounds of lettuce, under 6 pounds of potatoes, or about 1.3 pounds of dry beans.
CaloriesPerSqFt
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Left: range bars of rough calories per square foot per season, our own illustration from typical yields and USDA calorie values, not published figures. Potatoes 100 to 250. Grain, such as wheat, 80 to 125, often less for home growers. Dry beans 35 to 75. Lettuce 20 to 50. Right: two squares drawn to the same scale show the area one person would need to live on 2,000 calories a day from potatoes alone: about 3,000 square feet (280 square meters) at the high yield, and about 7,000 square feet (650 square meters) at the low yield, for a year. A real diet also needs protein, fat and variety, which take more land.
CanningMethods
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A decision diagram. It starts with one question: how acidic is the food? High-acid foods, such as most fruits, jams, and pickles with enough vinegar, can be processed in a boiling-water canner. Low-acid foods, such as most vegetables, beans and meats, must be processed in a pressure canner, the only method that gets hot enough to destroy the spores of the germ that causes botulism. Both paths lead to the same rule: use only a tested recipe from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, or your extension office, and follow its jar size, method and altitude adjustment exactly. The diagram gives no processing times.
FlockLoop
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A flow diagram. On the left are the inputs to a flock of laying hens: layer feed, the main running cost; clean, unfrozen water every day; kitchen scraps and forage, a treat and not the whole diet; a dry, ventilated, predator-proof coop; and daily care in every season. They all point to the flock in the center. On the right are the outputs: eggs, about 70 calories each; manure, rich in nitrogen; and pest and scrap work, with a note to keep hens off seedlings. Manure goes to the compost pile, covered in lesson 41, because fresh manure can burn plants and carry germs. Finished compost feeds the garden beds, and scraps and greens from the garden go back to the hens.
FoodForestLayers
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A section through a food forest, with north on the left and the sun to the south on the right. Seven layers are numbered. 1, canopy: a tall nut or large fruit tree on the north side. 2, small trees: a dwarf fruit tree. 3, shrubs such as currants, blueberries and hazelnuts. 4, the herbaceous layer of non-woody plants such as rhubarb, herbs and comfrey. 5, ground cover such as strawberries or clover, spreading low. 6, vines such as grapes or hardy kiwi on a trellis. 7, roots such as Jerusalem artichokes, growing underground. Heights are not to scale.
GardenYear
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A timeline from early spring to fall, with two marked dates: the last spring frost and the first fall frost. The frost-free season lies between them. Cool-season crops, such as lettuce, peas, spinach, kale and radishes, are planted a few weeks before the last frost and grow into early summer, then are planted again in late summer and grow past the first fall frost, since they handle light frost. Warm-season crops, such as tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers and corn, are planted after the last frost and are killed by the first fall frost. A succession row shows small sowings of lettuce every two to three weeks from early spring to fall, for a steady supply. A season extension row shows row cover, cold frames or a tunnel stretching the season a few weeks earlier in spring and later in fall.
GrowLightShelf
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A side view of a two-level shelf for seed starting and greens. On each level an LED grow light hangs close above a tray of seedlings, shining straight down. The lights plug into a timer set for about 12 to 16 hours of light a day, which draws electricity mostly in winter, when solar output is lowest, so the lights belong on the load list. A small fan beside the shelf keeps air moving. Moisture rises from the plants into the room, so watch humidity and condensation on windows to avoid mold.
HydroAquaLoops
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Two simplified loop diagrams side by side. Left, hydroponics: a pump lifts water with dissolved nutrients from a reservoir up to a grow tray, where plant roots sit in the water or in an inert material such as gravel or coconut fiber, and the water drains back to the reservoir. Right, aquaponics: a pump lifts water from a fish tank up to a grow bed. The fish waste in the water feeds the plants, and the plants help clean the water, which flows back to the fish. In both, the pump needs steady electricity, the water needs testing, and a pump failure can harm plants or fish within hours. A note says full tracks on both are in Sprout and Fin, the sibling course.
KitchenGardenPlan
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A plan view, seen from above, with north at the top. The house is at the top, with the kitchen door on its south side. A short path leads from the door through a gate into a fenced garden. Inside are four raised beds, each 4 by 8 feet (1.2 by 2.4 meters), with 3-foot paths between them, for about 128 square feet (12 square meters) of beds, inside the 100 to 300 square foot first-year range. A rain tank by the house corner and a hose reach the beds. The fence keeps out deer, rabbits and hens. The garden is open to the south for at least 6 hours of direct sun. A large tree stands well away to the northeast so its shade and roots stay clear of the beds.
StorageZones
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A chart with storage temperature from 30 to 60 °F across the bottom and humidity bands from very high at the top to dry at the bottom. Carrots, beets and cabbage keep best at about 32 to 35 °F (0 to 2 °C) with very high humidity, about 95% or more. Potatoes prefer about 40 °F (4 °C) with 90 to 95% humidity. Winter squash and pumpkins keep best warmer, roughly 50 to 55 °F (10 to 13 °C), with moderate humidity. Cured onions and garlic want cool, dry air with good airflow; their box is drawn loosely. A dashed line marks freezing, 32 °F. Notes say to store apples apart from potatoes and squash because of ethylene gas, and to check a thermometer and humidity meter often.
TimeToHarvest
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A timeline in years from planting, from 0 to 11. Each bar shows the very rough wait to a useful harvest. Annual vegetables: the first season. Strawberries: about 1 to 2 years. Raspberries and blackberries: about 2 to 3 years. Asparagus: a short first harvest in year 2, and full harvests a year or two later. Plums and tart cherries: about 3 to 5 years. Apples and pears: about 4 to 6 years, sooner on dwarf rootstock. Nut trees: often 5 to 10 years or more.