Grow your own sauerkraut: plants for a year of sauerkraut
Fermented cabbage. Just cabbage and salt.
For a family of 4 making sauerkraut 2 batches (about 4 quarts each), grow:
| Crop | Amount | Plants | Bed sq ft | Yield assumption | Seeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage | 12 lb | 6 (4 to 8) | 14 | 15 lb per 10 ft of row at about 8 heads, so about 2 lb per head. | Shop Seeds Now |
| Total | 14 | ||||
Safety: Follow a tested fermentation recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for salt amounts and temperatures.
Garden ingredients per recipe (about 4 quarts)
- 5 lb cabbage
From the pantry
- 3 tablespoons canning salt
Shred, salt, pack into a crock or jar under its own brine, ferment 3 to 6 weeks.
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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