Grow your own marinara: plants for marinara all season
Fresh tomato sauce with onion, garlic, and basil for one pasta dinner.
For a family of 4 making weeknight marinara weekly in season (12 times a year), grow:
| Crop | Amount | Plants | Bed sq ft | Yield assumption | Seeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paste tomato (Roma) | 41 lb | 6 (4 to 9) | 24 | About 8 lb per plant (UMaine). Caged or staked at 2 ft spacing. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Onion | 6.9 lb | 21 (14 to 28) | 2.5 | 10 lb per 10 ft of row at 4 inch spacing, so about one 1/3 lb bulb per plant. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Basil | 3 oz | 1 | 1 | About 0.5 lb of leaves (8 packed cups) per plant over a summer of regular cutting. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Garlic | 10 oz | 4 (3 to 6) | 1 | 4 lb per 10 ft of row, about one bulb (0.15 lb) per clove planted. Plant in fall. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Oregano | 0 oz | 1 | 1 | About 0.15 lb of leaves per plant per year. Perennial in most zones. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Total | 29.5 | ||||
Garden ingredients per recipe (about 4 cups)
- 3 lb paste tomato (roma)
- 1 onion onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup packed basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped oregano
From the pantry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- to taste salt
Soften onion and garlic in oil, add chopped tomatoes, simmer 30 minutes, finish with basil.
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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