ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot released months ago by OpenAI, has been used for lots of things. People have asked it how to get rich and to write full-length plays. People are asking it for stock market picks, travel plans and plans to lose weight.
My request was somewhat humbler. I wanted a plan to grow my way to food independence in the space I have to grow vegetables. That's right. Complete food independence from my vegetable garden.
YouTube and the garden webs are full of modern homesteaders seeking just this kind of independence. I've never had those ambitions. I've only grown vegetables that I can't buy in the store, like exotic melons or plum tomatoes that are as sweet as candy.
But there is an allure to the idea of stepping outside and gathering up the evening's dinner and needing really nothing else. After four summers gardening across in roughly 1,600 sq. ft. of garden beds at home and at the plots at Solano College, this seems impossible.
First is volume. To feed three people requires a whole lot of food, and a lot of variety. Sure, I can plant 200 bush beans, but who can eat green beans every day all summer? Has anyone else been overwhelmed by the produce from a single zucchini or crookneck squash plant?
The second is timing the harvest. For me, summer harvests begin no earlier than May. Fava beans from winter don't produce full-sized pods until late April. I can cut kale all winter, but broccoli heads from plants started in October aren't ready until February at the earliest. Carrots I can grow and harvest year-round, but are carrots alone ever really enough?
So with all this in mind, I thought maybe an AI chatbot would know what I should do. Sure, it hasn't gardened a lick but it's got access to the entire Internet where people who really have gardened know about these kinds of things.
Here is the chatlog (my prompts are in italics):
I'd like you to plan my planting for the coming 12 months. I live in zone 9b and I'd like to produce enough food only in 1600 square feet of garden beds to meet all the nutrient requirements for three adults. Please build a crop plan that maximizes the amount of nutrition in the space I have for a 12 month period starting now. You choose what specific crops to plant and when to plant them.
Sure, I can help you with that. Here's a crop plan for the coming 12 months that should maximize the nutrition you can produce in 1600 square feet of garden beds in zone 9b:
- Month 1 (April): Plant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. These crops will provide a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium.
- Month 2 (May): Plant beans, both pole and bush. Beans are a good source of protein, fiber, and folate.
- Month 3 (June): Plant cucumbers and summer squash. These crops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber.
- Month 4 (July): Plant okra and Swiss chard. These crops are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
- Month 5 (August): Plant sweet potatoes and beets. These crops are high in fiber, vitamin A, and potassium.
- Month 6 (September): Plant broccoli and cauliflower. These crops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.
- Month 7 (October): Plant garlic and onions. These crops are high in sulfur, which is important for immune function and detoxification.
- Month 8 (November): Plant carrots and parsnips. These root crops are high in fiber, vitamin A, and potassium.
- Month 9 (December): Plant kale and collard greens. These leafy greens are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium.
- Month 10 (January): Plant spinach and lettuce. These leafy greens are high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and folate.
- Month 11 (February): Plant radishes and turnips. These root crops are high in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
- Month 12 (March): Plant peas, both sugar snap and shelling. Peas are a good source of protein, fiber, and folate.
By rotating these crops throughout the year, you should be able to maximize the amount of nutrition you can produce in 1600 square feet of garden beds in zone 9b. Keep in mind that this is just a general guide, and you may need to adjust the planting dates and specific crops based on your local climate and soil conditions.
These are great! Can you add detail to the plan that includes how many plants of each type I'll need to fit the space and meet the nutritional requirements of three adults across the year's harvest?
Certainly! Here's a detailed plan for your 1600 square feet garden:
Spring (March - May)
- 75 Broccoli plants
- 200 Beet plants
- 100 Carrot plants
- 75 Cauliflower plants
- 150 Radish plants
- 150 Spinach plants
- 100 Swiss chard plants
Summer (June - August)
- 100 Bush beans plants
- 75 Corn plants
- 50 Cucumber plants
- 25 Eggplant plants
- 150 Tomato plants
- 25 Pepper plants
- 100 Summer squash plants
- 50 Winter squash plants
- 50 Watermelon plants
Fall (September - November)
- 100 Arugula plants
- 75 Broccoli plants
- 200 Beet plants
- 100 Carrot plants
- 75 Cauliflower plants
- 150 Radish plants
- 150 Spinach plants
- 100 Swiss chard plants
Winter (December - February)
- 100 Kale plants
- 100 Lettuce plants
- 100 Spinach plants
- 100 Swiss chard plants
Note: These numbers are approximate and may vary depending on the specific variety of each crop and the spacing used. However, this plan should give you a good idea of how many plants of each type you will need to fit the space and meet the nutritional requirements for three adults throughout the year.
50 watermelon plants! Holy cow. Are you going to help me eat some of those?
As an AI language model, I do not consume food, so I cannot help you eat those watermelons. However, you can always share your harvest with your friends, family, and community. Another option is to preserve or can the excess produce for later use.
I'm just kidding. I know you probably have the appetite of a mouse.
As an AI language model, I don't have an appetite, but thank you for the humor! Let me know if you have any further questions or requests.
-end of chat-
I don't actually know if this plan will work, and I probably won't try it. But it's not actually such a bad plan. Plus, using ChatGPT was free.
At a glance, this plan would probably produce enough food for three adults (my daughter is far from an adult, so some margin for error in there). There is still plenty for me to figure out, like how to stagger and time the planting and harvesting.
Take a look at what it says to do with carrots. It suggests planting 100 from March through May and from September through November. Carrots take roughly 80 days from seed, so that planting succession looks about right.
Then again, how can three people can eat the harvest of 150 tomato plants in a year? Last year we had too much from only 20 plants. If you get even 1 pound of tomatoes per plant, which seems pretty conservative, that means eating fresh or preserving 150 pounds of tomatoes.
Seems like a lot of tomatoes, but sure. Thanks, AI. Thanks.