Grow your own tomato sauce: plants for a year of tomato sauce
Plain sauce from paste tomatoes. Season it with onion, garlic, and basil when you open a jar.
For a family of 4 making canned tomato sauce 2 batches (about 7 quarts each), grow:
| Crop | Amount | Plants | Bed sq ft | Yield assumption | Seeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paste tomato (Roma) | 81 lb | 11 (7 to 17) | 44 | About 8 lb per plant (UMaine). Caged or staked at 2 ft spacing. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Total | 44 | ||||
Safety: For canning, follow a tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Do not change the ratio of vegetables to acid.
Garden ingredients per recipe (about 7 quarts)
- 35 lb paste tomato (roma)
From the pantry
- 2 tablespoons per quart bottled lemon juice
Core, cook, and puree tomatoes, simmer to thicken, add lemon juice to jars, and process.
Change household size or combine dishes in the Plate to Plot tool
Sources and assumptions
Amounts include 15 percent extra for culls, pests, and kitchen trim. Plant counts use the typical yield; the range uses the high and low yields. Bed space assumes intensive beds at recommended spacing. Yields vary with variety, weather, and soil.
- Kansas State University Research and Extension, MF315 Vegetable Garden Planting Guide (average crop per 10 feet of row)
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Planting Chart for the Home Vegetable Garden
- Clemson HGIC, How Much to Grow: Planning for Year-Round Garden Productivity
- ThriveThyme estimate from typical harvests (no single extension table lists this crop per plant)
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (USDA tested canning and pickling recipes)
Guides and tools
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