Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
The Best Crops for One Acre
The Best Crops for One Acre. What to grow on one acre of land depends on a wide array of conditions, including, but by no means limited to, location (you're unlikely to grow the same crop in New York, for example, as you will in Montana), weather, soil type, labor, transportation and marketing. Growing crops for personal consumption is a different...
What to grow on one acre of land depends on a wide array of conditions, including, but by no means limited to, location (you're unlikely to grow the same crop in New York, for example, as you will in Montana), weather, soil type, labor, transportation and marketing. Growing crops for personal consumption is a different proposition from growing crops for sale. There are crops, however, that can maximize the potential of a single acre.
Vegetables
If your goal is to sell what you grow at a roadside stand or at your local farmers' market, then a variety of common, and popular, vegetables can be profitably grown on an acre. 100 stalks of sweet corn, for example, will commonly produce between 200 and 300 ears. Lettuce, cucumbers and green beans are all high-yield crops, and garlic offers the advantage of being valuable without requiring inordinate labor.
Perennial Berries
Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are all high-value crops that require relatively little ground. They can be expensive crops at start-up, however, and are labor-intensive. Expect at least one year, and probably two, before berries reach a profitable level of production.
Flowers
Cut flowers combine beauty with profitability over an extended growing season. Among many others, tulips, daffodils and lilacs arrive with the spring, although it's worth noting that, because the blossoms grow on long-lived and slow-growing bushes, lilacs are not an overnight project. Roses and chrysanthemums are common summer blooms. Even autumn provides opportunities for growers of such blooms as iris, poppies and freesia.
Diversification
Just as you'd be unwise to place all of your investment dollars into a single stock, you'll be equally unwise to dedicate your entire acre to a single crop. Weather that doesn't trouble one crop may severely retard the growth of another. Market conditions can vary wildly from year to year. The hired help you count on for one season might be unavailable the next. Even on a plot of ground as small as an acre, diversification can help protect you when one crop fails or becomes unprofitable.
